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SIDE LIGHT MANUAL NO. 1 
 
 Mental Fascination 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "THE SECRET OF MENTAL MAGIC." 
 ETC., ETC. 
 
 Being the First Manual in the nature of a Supplement or Sequel to 
 
 tl THB SECRET OF MENTAL MAQIC," 
 
 and designed a* 
 
 SPECIAL INSTRUCTION 
 
 for the students of that worh 
 
 WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON 
 
 MASONIC TEMPLE 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL. 
 
 1907 
 
LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
 Two Cooles Received 
 JUN 10l90f 
 ^peoyniW ERfry 
 
 CLASS C^ XXC, Nfl. 
 
 ' COPY B.f 
 
 Copyright 1907, 
 By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
 Notice : — This work is protected by copyright, and simultaneous 
 initial publication, in Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia 
 and other countries. All foreign rights reserved. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER. PAGE. 
 
 I. What is "Mental Fascination"? 7 
 
 II. Mental Fascination Among Animals... 12 
 
 III. The Story of Mental Fascination 23 
 
 IV. The Reconciliation 39 
 
 V. The Rationale of Fascination 48 
 
 VI. Impressionability 60 
 
 VII. Fable of The Mentative Couple 73 
 
 VIII. Experimental Fascination 87 
 
 IX. Experiments in Induced Sensation.... no 
 
 X. Phenomena of Induced Imagination... 125 
 
 XL Inquiry into Certain Phenomena 136 
 
 XII. The Dangers of Psychism 147 
 
 XIII. Oriental Fascination 156 
 
 XIV. Future Impression 169 
 
 XV. Establishing a Mentative Centre 175 
 
 XVI. Personal Atmosphere 188 
 
 XVII. Direct Personal Influence 205 
 
 XVIII. Eye-Impression 217 
 
 XIX. Fascination of the Eye 22^ 
 
 XX. Use of Mentative Instruments 230 
 
 XXI. Concluding Instruction 243 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This book is "Side-Light Manual No. i" accom- 
 panying my main work entitled "The Secret of 
 Mental Magic/' and being in the nature of a sequel, 
 supplement, or "side-light" thereto. The "Side-Light 
 Manuals" of which this is the first, are designed to 
 bring out the details, and special features of several of 
 the "lessons" of which "The Secret of Mental 
 Magic" is composed; and to give something in the 
 nature of Special Instruction regarding the actual 
 operation or workings of the principles referred to in 
 the lessons of my main work. The present manual 
 bears the above mentioned relation to that lesson in 
 my main work entitled "Personal Influence." 
 
 In order to obviate the repetition of the informa- 
 tion contained in my main work, I have been obliged 
 to constantly refer to the latter. This would be inex- 
 cusable were the present book offered as a separate 
 and independent work, for it might be justly con- 
 sidered as an effort to force my main work upon the 
 attention of the reader, for the purpose of increasing 
 its sale. But, inasmuch as the present book is adver- 
 tised as a "Side-Light/' and its relation to my main 
 
6 Preface. 
 
 work is plainly stated in every notice — and particu- 
 larly as its sale will be almost exclusively among 
 those who have already purchased and studied my 
 main work — I think I may reasonably ask to be 
 absolved from such suspicion. 
 
 I think that I have condensed much valuable infor- 
 mation within the pages of this book, and I trust that 
 my readers will like the work as well as do I. But, 
 be that as it may, I defy anyone to read it without 
 gaining a strong, practical realization of the powerful 
 part, for good or ill, that Mental Fascination is play- 
 ing in this Twentieth Century world of ours. And I 
 feel that the majority will agree with me that it is time 
 that this potent influence should be studied, under- 
 stood, mastered and its "sting" extracted by such an 
 universal knowledge of its principles as will serve 
 to destroy its improper employment. To those who 
 may consider this rather "dangerous knowledge" to be 
 spread broadcast, I will say that Ignorance is no pro- 
 tection—I believe that in all cases the best way to 
 dispel Darkness, and all that goes with it, is to Turn 
 on the Light. 
 
 And this, then, is the Spirit in which this book has 
 been written. May you so receive it. 
 
 Chicago, 111., U. S. A., May 13, 1907. 
 
MENTAL FASCINATION 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 WHAT IS "MENTAL FASCINATION?" 
 
 "Fascination" means "the act of Fascinating, or 
 state of being Fascinated." The word "Fascinate" 
 springs from the Latin word "Fascinare" meaning "to 
 enchant ; bewitch, charm by eyes or tongue ; captivate, 
 attract," etc. The definition of the English word, 
 "Fascinate," is as follows : "To act upon by some pow- 
 erful 1 or irresistible influence; to influence by an ir- 
 resistible charm; to allure, or excite, irresistibly or 
 powerfully; to charm, captivate, or attract, power- 
 fully; to influence the imagination, reason or will of 
 another, in an uncontrollable manner ; to enchant, cap- 
 tivate or allure, powerfully or irresistibly." 
 
 The above definition is condensed from a number 
 of the best dictionaries, and gives the cream of the 
 idea embodied in the word. 
 
 MY DEFINITION. 
 
 In this manual I shall use the term "Mental Fas- 
 cination" is the sense of: The action of a Mental 
 
 7 
 
8 Mental Fascination 
 
 Force that powerfully influences the imagination, de- 
 sire, or will of another. This is my own broad defini- 
 tion which includes all the varied phenomena of 
 Personal Magnetism, Psychological Influence, Hyp- 
 notism, Mesmerism, Charming, etc., etc., all of which 
 I hold to be but varying phases of phenomena of one 
 Force. These things are all a "bit off the same piece," 
 in spite of the claims to the contrary on the part of 
 those who did not like the relationship. 
 
 THE NATURE OF THE FORCE. 
 
 What is the nature of the Force which produces 
 that which we call Mental Fascination, which latter I 
 have defined as "The action of a Mental Force that 
 powerfully influences the imagination, desire or will 
 of another ?" Mental Fascination is the manifestation 
 — what is the nature of the Mental Force that pow- 
 erfully influences? 
 
 As you will see in some of the following chapters, 
 there have been many theories advanced to account 
 for this Force, the theories varying from "magnetic 
 fluids" to mere simple suggestions on the part of the 
 influencing person. Nearly every writer on the sub- 
 ject has had his own pet theory. But although these 
 theories varied and differed greatly, the effects pro- 
 duced were about the same, which naturally leads us 
 to look for some common basic principle operating 
 under all the forms, regardless of the many theories 
 
What is " Mental Fascination "? 9 
 
 advanced by those producing the effects. It is the 
 old story here, as elsewhere. 
 
 A man finds that he is able to produce certain phe- 
 nomena, by certain methods. He works along prac- 
 tical lines for a time, endeavoring to perfect his 
 methods and increase the variety and effectiveness of 
 the phenomena. When he has advanced along these 
 lines, he begins to look around him for a theory to fit 
 the facts of the case, and here is where he usually 
 makes his mistake. He evolves some fantastic theory, 
 which seems to him to account for the effects pro- 
 duced, and then he endeavors to fit the facts into the 
 theory. If the facts will not so fit in, well, so much 
 the worse for the facts — and he either discards the 
 non-conforming facts, or else ignores or denies them. 
 This has been the course of theorists since the begin- 
 ning. After a while, some man of a more scientific 
 mind examines the recorded facts, and discovers the 
 true underlying principle, and reconciles the differing 
 theories of the original theorists by a new synthesis 
 which combines the true principles in all the other the- 
 ories, discarding the pet hobbies or prejudices of the 
 previous authorities. And so it is in the case of 
 Mental Fascination, as we shall see. 
 
 THE UNDERLYING THEORY. 
 
 I shall not have much to say about theory in this 
 book. I have explained the theory and principle un- 
 
io Mental Fascination 
 
 derlying Mental Fascination, in my larger book en- 
 titled "The Secret of Mental Magic," of which this 
 little manual is a "Side Light." In that book I have 
 explained that the Underlying Force beneath all forms 
 of Mental Magic — and Mental Fascination is one of 
 those forms — is the Universal Mentative Energy, of 
 which, and in which, each Individual Mind is a Cen- 
 ter of Activity. I have also explained that the Menta- 
 tive Energy of each Individual Mind is, and may be, 
 transmitted from one person to another by means of 
 Mentative Currents, or Waves. And that these Men- 
 tative Currents and Waves tend to "induce" in the 
 minds of other persons, the emotions or feelings exist- 
 ing in the Mental States of the person sending out 
 the waves or currents. 
 
 THE MENTAL POLES. 
 
 I have also explained that there are two Mental 
 Poles known as the Motive and Emotive Poles, re- 
 spectively, which manifest Will-Power and Desire 
 Force, respectively. Desire Force acts in the direc- 
 tion of drawing, pulling, attracting, luring, coaxing, 
 charming, etc.; while Will Power acts in the direc- 
 tion of compelling, forcing, driving, impelling, com- 
 manding, demanding, etc. Desire always draws its ob- 
 ject toward itself ; while Will always overpowers and 
 compels its object, generally in the sense of driving it 
 into action. In Mental Fascination both Desire Force, 
 
What is " Mental Fascination "? n 
 
 and Will Power are employed — generally in combina- 
 tion. Desire Force has been called the Feminine 
 phase of Mentative Energy ; and Will Power the Mas- 
 culine. And in this as in everything else, the com- 
 bination of the two qualities produces the most marked 
 results. The student will be able to distinguish be- 
 tween the action of these two phases of the force, as 
 he reads the pages of this book, in which instances of 
 Mental Fascination are given. 
 
 This is all that I shall have to say about theory in 
 this book, except where the various points are brought 
 out in illustrating the examples given. I must refer 
 my students to my "Secret of Mental Magic" for de- 
 tails of theory and principle. The present book deals 
 with the "HOW?" rather than the "Why?" 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 MENTAL FASCINATION AMONG THE ANI- 
 MALS. 
 
 Even before the human race was evolved, Mental 
 Fascination was known instinctively to the lower 
 forms of life. It is said that the celte in the blood of 
 living things become aware of the 'presence of each 
 other, at distances which must preclude any theory of 
 ordinary sense "awareness." Not only do they recog- 
 nize or "sense" the presence of each other, but they 
 seem to be attracted toward each other by some force, 
 or fascination, which must operate along the lines of 
 Desire and Will. Eminent scientists inform us that 
 even the atoms manifest an attraction for each other, 
 varying in degree according to the nature of the re- 
 spective atoms. And the same authorities tell us that 
 this attracting operates along the lines of a "desire" 
 for each other, and a "will" which causes them to flv 
 to each other. Is it not reasonable to suppose that in 
 this instinctive manifestation of Attraction, and the 
 response to Attraction, among the Atoms there is to 
 be found the elemental principle of Mental Fascina- 
 
 12 
 
Mental Fascination Among Animals 13 
 
 tion, and Magnetic Attraction, related to the human 
 tion ? And are not the phenomena of Electrical Attrac- 
 phenomena by a long series of links in a grand chain ? 
 
 THE TWO PHASES. 
 
 But, leaving the above questions without further 
 consideration, we may find an abundance of proof 
 among the higher forms of the "lower animals." 
 Among the animals we find many instances of the 
 power of "charming" or "fascinating," both of which 
 I hold to be but varying forms of manifestation of 
 Mental Fascination as I use the term, i. e., "The action 
 of a Mental Force that powerfully influences the imag- 
 ination, desire, or will of another." This Mental Fas- 
 cination, among the animals, manifests along two lines, 
 viz., (1) along the lines of Desire operating in the 
 direction of Sex manifestation, such as the winning of 
 mates, etc. ; and (2) along the lines of Will operation 
 in the direction of overcoming the Prey of the animal, 
 such as the "charming" of birds by serpents, or of 
 smaller animals by tigers, etc. These cases are capable 
 of liberal illustration and proof, and natural history 
 affords us full authority for accepting the same. 
 
 INSTANCES OF ANIMAL FASCINATION. 
 
 I recently read an account of a naturalist, who re- 
 lated that one day in a tropical country he noticed a 
 winged insect circling around and around a scorpion. 
 
14 Mental Fascination 
 
 After a bit, the insect made a series of desperate 
 plunges at the scorpion, as if in a frantic desire to ter- 
 minate the charm ; the scorpion soon striking down the 
 insect, and afterwards devouring it. It is related by 
 travelers that when one comes suddenly in the pres- 
 ence of a lion, tiger, or leopard, his legs seem par- 
 alyzed, and the eyes of the beast seem to exert a pe- 
 culiar fascination and power over him. I have seen a 
 mouse manifest the same emotion in the presence of 
 a cat ; and the same is true of a rat in the presence of 
 a ferret, or similar enemy. On the other hand, every 
 observer has noticed the wonderful "charming" power 
 that animals exert over others of their kind, of the op- 
 posite sex. If you have ever witnessed the courting of 
 a bird, during the mating season, you will have a keen 
 sense of the reality of the power employed. One of 
 the birds, and it may be either a male or female, will 
 be seen to actually "fascinate" or "charm" the one of 
 the opposite sex, the latter lying still with quivering 
 wings, and a helpless expression in its eyes. When 
 compared with the attitude of the same bird, when 
 charmed by a serpent, the resemblance will be striking. 
 
 SCIENTIFIC TESTIMONY. 
 
 I have before me a book written in 1847, which re- 
 lates quite a number of instances of the operation of 
 Mental Fascination among the lower animals. I will 
 give you a few of them, condensed, and abbreviated. 
 
Mental Fascination Among Animals 15 
 
 Prof. Silliman is quoted as stating that one day, while 
 crossing the Hudson River, at Catskill, he passed along 
 a narrow road with the river on one side, and a steep 
 bank, covered by bushes, on the other side. His at- 
 tention was attracted by the sight of a number of 
 birds, of a variety of species, who were flying forward 
 and backward across the road, turning and wheeling in 
 strange gyrations, and with noisy chirpings, seemingly 
 centering over a particular point of the road. Upon 
 examination the Professor found an enormous black- 
 snake, partly coiled, and partly erect, showing an ap- 
 pearance of great animation, with his eyes flashing 
 like a brilliant diamond, and his tongue darting in and 
 out. The snake was the center of the motion of the 
 birds. The Professor adds that although the snake 
 disappeared in the bushes, frightened at the approach 
 of the men, still the birds seemed too dazed to escape, 
 and perched on the near-by bushes, evidently awaiting 
 the reappearance of their "charmer." 
 
 THE CHARMING BY SNAKES. 
 
 The same book relates an incident of a man in 
 Pennsylvania, who saw a large blacksnake charming a 
 bird. The bird described gradually decreasing circles 
 around the snake, at the same time uttering piteous 
 cries. It seemed almost ready to drop into the jaws of 
 the snake, when the man drove off the latter, when 
 the bird arose with a song of joy. 
 
1 6 Mental Fascination 
 
 Another case is related of a ground-squirrel, which 
 was observed running to-and-fro between a creek and 
 a large tree a few yards distant. The squirrel's fur 
 was badly ruffled, and he exhibited fright and distress. 
 Investigation disclosed the head and neck of a rattle- 
 snake, protruding from the hole of the tree, and point- 
 ing directly at the squirrel. The poor squirrel at last 
 gave up the fight, and yielding to the fascination, laid 
 himself down with his head very close to the snake's 
 mouth. The snake then proceeded to swallow the 
 squirrel, when his meal was interrupted with a cut of 
 a carriage whip in the hands of the observer, and the 
 squirrel, released from the spell, ran briskly away. 
 
 INTERESTING INSTANCES. 
 
 Dr. Good is quoted as having made quite a study of 
 the curious fascinating power that rattlesnakes mani- 
 fest over small animals, such as birds, squirrels, young 
 hares, etc. He relates that these animals seem incap- 
 able of drawing their eyes away from those of the 
 snake, and, although seemingly struggling to get away, 
 they still gradually approach the snake, as though 
 urged toward him, or attracted by a power superior to 
 their natural instincts. He goes on to state that the 
 animal creeps nearer and nearer, until at last it is 
 drawn into the serpent's mouth, which has been open 
 all the while to receive them. Dr. Barrow is quoted 
 
Mental Fascination Among Animals 17 
 
 as relating many instances of this kind, known to peas- 
 ants in all parts of the world. Valliant, the African 
 traveler, tells of an instance in which he witnessed a 
 shrike in the very act of being fascinated by a large 
 snake at a distance, the fiery eyes and open mouth of 
 which were gradually approaching the bird, the latter 
 manifesting convulsive trembling and uttering pierc- 
 ing shrieks of distress. The traveler shot the snake, 
 but upon picking up the bird, he found it dead — killed 
 either by fear or the power of the serpent, or perhaps 
 by the violent breaking of the spell. He measured 
 the distance between the snake and the bird and found 
 it to be three and one-half feet. 
 
 STRANGE STORIES. 
 
 A case is related in one of the early reports of the 
 Philosophical Society, in which a mouse was put in a 
 cage with a viper, by way of an experiment. The 
 mouse at first seemed greatlv agitated, which state 
 was followed by a condition of fascination, the mouse 
 drawing nearer and nearer to the viper which remained 
 motionless with distended jaws, and glistening eyes. 
 The mouse, finally, actually entered the jaws of the 
 viper, and was devoured. 
 
 Bruse, the African traveler, relates that the natives 
 of an interior tribe seem to be protected by nature 
 against the bite of scorpions and vipers. They are 
 
1 8 Mental Fascination 
 
 said to handle these creatures fearlessly, the latter 
 seeming to be robbed of their power of resistance. He 
 states that the creatures seem to sicken the moment 
 they are touched by these natives, and are sometimes 
 so exhausted by the invisible fascinating power that 
 they perish shortly. He says, "I have constantly ob- 
 served that however lively the viper was before, upon 
 being seized by any of these barbarians, he seemed as 
 if taken with sickness and feebleness, and frequently 
 would shut his eyes, and would never turn his mouth 
 toward the arm that held him." 
 
 Personally, I have seen a somewhat similar case. 
 When I was a boy, in Maryland, I knew of a farm- 
 hand who was called a "snake-charmer." How he 
 did it, I never could find out, but he would exert some 
 kind of influence over all kinds of snakes, poisonous 
 ones included, and would cause them to remain fasci- 
 nated until with a quick movement he would grab 
 them by the neck with his bare hands. This man gen- 
 erally carried a few pet snakes around with him for 
 company. They seemed perfectly contented, and 
 would poke their heads up from out of his pocket, in 
 order to look at some one else with whom he might 
 be talking. The negroes on the farm had a mortal 
 terror of this man, and would walk a couple of miles 
 rather than pass by his house. 
 
Mental Fascination Among Animals 19 
 
 FASCINATING FIERCE ANIMALS. 
 
 The power of charming animals, dogs and wild- 
 beasts is undoubtedly possessed by some men, in vary- 
 ing degrees. And nearly everyone has known of men 
 who could "charm" the wildest horses, as if by magic. 
 I have read of some burglars who seemed able to quiet 
 the most ferocious watch-dogs. The Swedish writer, 
 Lindecrantz tells of certain natives of Lapland who 
 are possessed of some process of charming dogs, to 
 such an extent that they have been known to cow the 
 most savage great-hound, causing him to fly from 
 them with all the signs of abject fear. Many of my 
 readers have seen, or heard of, the horse "whisperers" 
 found in various parts of the country, who will shut 
 themselves in a stable with a fierce horse, and by 
 "whispering" to him will manage to tame him com- 
 pletely, and make him passive to their will. 
 
 CHARMED BY A SNAKE. 
 
 There are cases recorded in which men who have 
 been "charmed" by a snake, have afterwards given in 
 their experience. One of these cases relates that the 
 man was walking in his garden when he suddenly 
 came into the presence of a snake whose eyes gleamed 
 in a peculiar manner. He found himself fascinated, 
 as if by a spell, and unable to withdraw his eyes from 
 those of the creature. The snake, he stated afterward, 
 seemed to begin to increase immensely in size, and as- 
 
20 Mental Fascination 
 
 sumed, in rapid succession, a mixture of brilliant col- 
 ors. He grew dizzy and would have fallen in the di- 
 rection of the snake, had not his wife approached, 
 throwing her arms about him, and breaking the spell. 
 Another similar case is related, in which a man found 
 his companion standing still on the road, with his eyes 
 fixed intently upon those of a large rattlesnake which 
 was regarding "him fixedly with gleaming eyes, scin- 
 tillating in its raised head. The man was leaning to- 
 ward the snake, and would have fallen toward it in a 
 few moments. He was crying, feebly, but piteously, 
 "He will bite me ! He will kill me !" "Sure, he will," 
 replied his friend, "why don't you run away? Why 
 are you staying here ?■" But the man seemed perfectly 
 dazed, and distracted, and could not answer. The 
 companion finally picked up a stick and struck at the 
 snake, which glided ^away savagely. The fascinated 
 man was sick for several hours afterward. 
 
 A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. 
 
 When I was a boy, I had a somewhat similar experi- 
 ence, although not nearly so serious. Walking one 
 day among a grove of trees belonging to my grand- 
 father, I found myself standing staring intently at a 
 snake about two feet long whose eyes glistened 
 like large diamonds. In a moment I ceased 
 to see anything but those awful eyes which 
 glistened and displayed all the prismatic colors 
 
Mental Fascination Among Animals 21 
 
 to my frightened glance. It lasted but a mo- 
 ment, however, for the snake glided away, seemingly 
 as anxious to get away from me as I was to part com- 
 pany with him. I cannot say whether the spell would 
 have been broken by me, if the snake had not moved 
 away — perhaps it might, or perhaps not. All that I 
 remember now, after the passage of thirty-five years 
 or more, is that I did not seem to feel fear after the 
 first shock, my feeling and emotion seemingly being 
 that of great wonder, and amazement arising from 
 what I saw in those eyes. 
 
 AN ELEMENTAL FORCE. 
 
 But I have said enough regarding the manifestation 
 of Mental Fascination among the lower animals. There 
 are many interesting instances of this sort, scattered 
 through the pages of books on animal life, and nearly 
 everyone who has lived in the woods, or among wild 
 life knows of many cases illustrating this fact which 
 have come under his own observation. I have men- 
 tioned these features of the subject merely for the pur- 
 pose of showing you that we have to deal with a gen- 
 eral natural principle which manifests throughout all 
 life. This book has to deal with the manifestation of 
 this force among men. But in closing this chapter, I 
 would ask you to notice the resemblance between the 
 manifestation of the force among the animals, on the 
 one hand, and among mankind on the other. 
 
22 Mental Fascination 
 
 The animals employ the force for two purposes, 
 i. e., the captivating of mates, and the capture of prey. 
 And how do men and women use it? Along similar 
 lines ! Yes, I mean this, as startling as it may appear. 
 For is not the use of fascination, in the direction of 
 attracting the other sex akin to the sex-charming no- 
 ticed among the birds and animals ? And is not the use 
 of fascination in the direction of influencing men and 
 women along the lines of business, or personal inter- 
 est, akin to the "charming" of prey by wild animals, 
 serpents, etc.? You may see that evolution simply 
 changes the form of use in this and other natural qual- 
 ities, and power — the force or power remaining the 
 same, under all of the changes. And, does it not be- 
 come important for us to understand, study, and guard 
 ourselves against the employment of such an elemental 
 force as this, which manifests along all planes of life, 
 from lowest to highest ? I emphatically answer, Yes ! 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE STORY OF MENTAL FASCINATION. 
 
 The story of Mental Fascination runs along with 
 the history of the human race, for it has always been 
 known to man in some form. Coming to primitive 
 man along with other inheritances from still lower 
 forms, it was used from the beginning. Its earliest 
 forms were similar to its employment by the lower 
 animals, such as has been mentioned in the preceding 
 chapter. The strong-willed of the race influenced and 
 dominated the weaker-willed ones. Without under- 
 standing its laws, the strong-willed barbarians discov- 
 ered that they possessed a strange power of inducing 
 mental states among their weaker-willed companions, 
 and were thus enabled to work their will upon them. 
 Many of the leaders of barbarian races owe their po- 
 sitions of prominence and leadership to this law of 
 mental induction. 
 
 THE MAGIC OF THE PRIESTS. 
 
 But along with the rise of leaders there was mani- 
 fested a similar rise in power and influence of the 
 
 23 
 
24 Mental Fascination 
 
 priests. All races have had their priests, and have to- 
 day. A priest is a man whose office is that of a medi- 
 ator between men and their divinities — one who claims 
 to represent the supernatural entities in their dealings 
 with men — a religious, or spiritual "middle-man," as 
 it were (I use this expression in all seriousness, and 
 with no desire to sneer at the priestly offices, which 
 have played an important part in the history of the 
 race). The priests, not being occupied with warfare, 
 or agriculture, and by reason of their support being 
 contributed by the people, found plenty of time to 
 "think," a somewhat rare privilege in the early days 
 (and even in these times, for that matter). And, so, 
 there gradually arose, among all peoples, a priestly 
 caste that possessed the bulk of intelligence of the 
 race. These priests soon began to recognize the im- 
 y/ portance of the Mental Forces, and they studied the 
 underlying principles and laws of operation. This 
 of course gave them an additional hold on the people, 
 and a power over them. There seems to be no doubt 
 but that even in the early days of the race, the priestly 
 caste held a very wide knowledge of the laws and 
 practice of Mental Fascination. 
 
 MYSTIC POWERS. 
 
 In the heart of Africa today, we find the Voodoo 
 men, or Conjurers, or Medicine Men, well versed in 
 the application of Mental Fascination. It was also 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 25 
 
 known among the early American Indians, although 
 their degenerated descendants seem to have lost the 
 knowledge, except in a few instances. The power of 
 the priesthood among primitive races, is based almost 
 entirely upon some form of Mental Fascination. And, 
 as we see the race ascending in the scale, so do we 
 see the priests displaying a broader and fuller knowl- 
 edge of the subject in question. The history of the 
 Oriental races show that a full knowledge of the op- 
 eration of Mental Fascination has been possessed by 
 them for thousands of years. In the pictured stories ^ 
 of the Egyptians, the traces of which appear in their 
 ruined temples and other buildings, we see that they 
 understood the art perfectly. In ancient Persia and 
 Chaldea, the art arose to great heights. In fact, among 
 all of the advanced ancient races of men, we find an 
 important place given to the subject before us. 
 
 THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES. 
 
 Among the Ancient Mysteries, and the various cere- 
 monies of the temples, of the early races, we see many 
 instances of the use of Mental Fascination. Back of 
 the rites and ceremonies was always the same un- 
 derlying principle of Mentative Induction. In the 
 early use of the force, its employment was largely 
 along the lines of healing, which phase of the subject 
 does not concern us in this particular manual, al- 
 though it belongs to the general subject of Mental 
 
26 Mental Fascination 
 
 Magic. But still we read in the pages of early his- 
 tory of many instances of Mental Fascination, pure 
 and simple. That which was afterward called Mes- 
 merism, Hypnotism, etc., was well known to the an- 
 cients, and, in fact, some of the recorded results com- 
 ing down to us from the past, have never been equalled 
 by modern experimentors. Some of the feats of the 
 modern Hindu magicians, or fakirs, which will be men- 
 tioned in detail, as we proceed, have never been 
 equalled by Western hypnotists. 
 
 THE TALE OF THE MAGI. 
 
 As I have stated in Lesson IV, of "Mental Magic," 
 the name "Magnet," given to the Lodestone, or nat- 
 ural magnet,. was bestowed by the ancients because the 
 observed properties of the lodestone resembled the 
 mental power of the Magi or esoteric priesthood of 
 ancient Persia and Medea. These priests were the 
 "Magi," or "Wise Men," of the East, who had de- 
 veloped wonderful mentative powers, and who were 
 known as wonder workers. The word "Magic" comes 
 from the same source. When the attracting power 
 and quality of induction, of the lodestone were noticed, 
 it was remarked that the physical phenomena closely 
 resembled the mental phenomena of the Magi,' and, 
 therefore, the lodestone was called "the Magian Stone," 
 or "the Magic Stone," from which sprung the terms 
 "Magnet" and "Magnetism." 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 27 
 
 As the centuries rolled by and the Western world 
 had its attention called to the mysterious phenomena 
 of Mesmerism, etc., in the Eighteenth Century, the 
 public mind instinctively connected the phenomena 
 with that of Magnetism, and the terms "Animal Mag- 
 netism," "Personal Magnetism," etc., came into gen- 
 eral use. And these terms persist to this day, and we 
 hear the terms "very magnetic" ; "lacking magnet- 
 ism"; "magnetic personality," etc., etc., as applied to 
 people. And so history worked out an instance of 
 the law of compensation. The Magnet, which took its 
 name because its properties resembled the phenomena 
 resulting from the use of Mentative Influence by the 
 Magi, repaid the debt after many centuries, and served 
 to give a name to mental manifestations resembling 
 those of the Magi in the dim past. The Magnet gives 
 back to the modern Magi the name it borrowed from 
 the Magi of Ancient Persia. This is an interesting bit 
 of Occult History little known to the general public. 
 
 julius caesar's fascination. 
 
 Ancient history is full of instances of the operation 
 of Mental Fascination among the people of the early 
 days. It is related that Julius Caesar, while quite a 
 young man, fell in with pirates near the Isle of 
 Rhodes, who captured his ship, and took him prisoner. 
 They held him for several weeks, while awaiting the 
 ransom money being raised by his relatives. Plutarch 
 
28 Mental Fascination 
 
 writes that while the young Caesar was the captive of 
 the pirates, he asserted his mastery over them to such 
 an extent that he seemed a ruler rather than a pris- 
 oner. When he wished to rest or sleep, he forbade 
 them to make any noise, and they obeyed him without 
 question. He abused them and ordered them around 
 like servants, and they did not seem able to disobey 
 him. He did not hesitate to threaten them with death 
 when he regained his liberty, and they did not resent 
 it — and he afterward made good his threats. 
 
 THE MYSTIC POWER OF ALCIBIADES. 
 
 It is related of Alcibiades, the Athenian, that he 
 once made a bet with some of the young Athenian 
 nobles, that he would publicly box the ears of Hip- 
 ponikos, a venerable and greatly respected citizen. Not 
 only did he bet that he would do this thing, but he also 
 claimed that he would afterward compel the old man 
 to give him his favorite daughter in marriage. The 
 day following, when Hipponikos came out, Alcibiades 
 walked up to him and gave him a resounding box on 
 the ears. The old man seemed dazed and bewildered 
 and retired to his home. A great public outcry arose, 
 and the young man seemed likely to fall a victim to 
 the indignation of the citizens. But the next day Al- 
 cibiades went to the home of Hipponikos and, after 
 making a pretence of baring his back for punishment, 
 he managed to induce in the old man a feeling of good 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 29 
 
 humor and mirth, and obtained his pardon and good- 
 will, the latter increasing daily thereafter until finally 
 he grew so devoted to the young man that he offered 
 him the hand of his daughter in marriage, which was 
 accepted. Any one who is acquainted with the re- 
 corded character of the Athenians will realize what a 
 wonderful occurrence this was. It was a striking ex- 
 hibition of Mental Fascination, without a question. 
 
 THE NAPOLEONIC CHARM. 
 
 All the great generals of history have possessed this 
 quality. Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Fred- 
 erick the Great, and the modern Mystic-Warrior, 
 Gen. Gordon, all managed their men in a mysterious 
 and wonderful manner, so that their troops worshiped 
 them as almost gods, and went to their death willingly 
 and joyfully. The single instance of Napoleon, when 
 he returned from Elba, and confronted the Bourbon 
 army drawn up to capture him, should satisfy any one 
 of the possession of the greatest Fascinating power by 
 this wonderful man. You remember that the troops 
 were drawn up confronting Napoleon, their muskets 
 leveled at his breast in obedience to the command 
 "Aim!" Napoleon, who was on foot, marched delib- 
 erately toward the troops, with measured tread, gaz- 
 ing directly into their eyes. Then the officers shouted, 
 "Fire!" A single shot would have killed Napoleon, 
 and would have brought to the man who fired it a for- 
 
30 Mental Fascination 
 
 tune from the Bourbon King. But not a man obeyed 
 the order, so completely were they under the spell of 
 Napoleon's fascination. Instead of firing, they threw 
 down their guns and ran joyfully toward the Corsican 
 shouting, "Vive I'Empereur!" Their officers fled, and 
 Napoleon, placing himself at the head of the troops, 
 marched on to Paris. Other troops flocked to his 
 standard at each point where he confronted them, al- 
 though they had been sent out to capture or kill him. 
 By the time the gat4^>f Paris were reached, he was 
 at the head of an immense army. The fascination 
 manifested by this man was one of the marked in- 
 stances of its possession of which we have any record. 
 And it seems to endure to this day — almost a century 
 after his death. The very mention of his name makes 
 one's blood tingle. 
 
 MODERN EXAMPLES. 
 
 All great leaders of men, statesmen, orators, politi- 
 cians, etc., have the power of Mental Fascination de- 
 veloped to a considerable degree. If you have ever 
 come in contact with a man of this sort, you will al- 
 ways remember the impression he made upon you. 
 Every man who knew James G. Blaine, will remember 
 his "Personal Magnetism," of which so much was 
 said during his lifetime. Anyone who heard the fa- 
 mous speech of Wm. J. Bryan, at the Chicago Conven- 
 tion, in which he made use of the famous expression : 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 31 
 
 "Thou shalt not press upon the brow of Labor the 
 crown of thorns; thou shalt not crucify Mankind upon 
 a Cross of Gold," needs no further proof of the reality 
 of Mental Fascination. 
 
 Bryan was almost unknown to the majority of the 
 delegates, and no thought of nominating him was en- 
 tertained by them. But his "Magnetism" was so great 
 that it swept the convention like a mighty tidal-wave, 
 carrying all before it, and BryA was carried around 
 the hall on the shoulders of tipplelegates, who after- 
 ward made him their nominee for President. And 
 although defeated twice, this man still possesses a 
 wonderful fascination over hundreds of thousands of 
 people in this country, who would rally around his 
 standard at any time that he would sound the call. 
 Henry Ward Beecher, at the great meeting in Eng- 
 land, manifested the same power. The whole meeting 
 was against him, and drowned his words by hoots, 
 yells; and other noises. But Beecher looked them 
 straight in the eye, and gradually cowed them into sub- 
 jection, and then talked to them for two hours, and 
 fairly carried the meeting by storm. He was but one 
 man facing thousands of other men hostile to him, 
 and determined to prevent him from speaking. But 
 the single man won — by the power of his Mental Fas- 
 cination, manifesting in the phase of WILL. It was 
 not alone the words, in these cases — it was the WILL 
 behind the words. The WILL is an actual living 
 
32 Mental Fascination 
 
 force, and is one of the two great phases, or poles, of 
 Mental Fascination. 
 
 MESMER AND HIS WORK. 
 
 Coming down to the latter part of the Eighteenth 
 Century and omitting all reference to the phenomena 
 of Mental Fascination recorded in the Middle Ages, 
 we reach what may be called the beginning of the re- 
 vival of the subject among the Western peoples. I 
 allude to the work of Frederick Anton Mesmer, a 
 man who understood far more than he taught, but who 
 was regarded as a charlatan and a trickster by the 
 ignorant "learned men" of his day. Those who are 
 informed regarding the secret history of Mesmer 
 know that he was an occultist of no mean attainments, 
 who was compelled to cloak his real teachings with 
 popular theories and sensational phenomena, in order 
 to gain the attention of the world, and also to escape 
 religious persecutions. 
 
 Mesmer was born in 1734, and in 1775 began his 
 work in Vienna by writing and teaching about a mys- 
 terious "universal fluid" which was able to control 
 the wills of people, and also cure them of diseases, and 
 which could be controlled and operated by man. He 
 taught that there was a universal fluid which perme- 
 ated everything, and was capable of receiving and 
 communicating all kinds of motions and impressions. 
 This "fluid" he thought acted immediately upon the 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 33 
 
 nerves, in which it is embodied, and produced in the 
 human body phenomena similar to that of the lode- 
 stone or magnet. He called this fluid "animal mag- 
 netism." He taught that this "magnetism" flowed 
 rapidly from body to body ; acted at a distance ; was 
 reflected by a mirror, like light, etc., etc. Mesmer at- 
 tracted to himself great attention and great abuse. On 
 the one hand he was sneered and scoffed at, and also 
 driven out of the church for possessing "the power of 
 the devil," and "witchcraft." But on the other hand, 
 he gathered around him a body of supporters and stu- 
 dents. He was "investigated" by a Ro^al Commis- 
 sion, and by scientific bodies, with varying results. The 
 coming of the French Revolution interfered with the 
 general interest in the subject for a number of years. 
 Mesmer's followers adhered to his general lines of 
 theory and practice, with unimportant additions or 
 changes. 
 
 THE ABBE FARIA. 
 
 In 1814, the Abbe Faria attracted much interest in 
 Paris. His theories were different from those of Mes- 
 mer, inasmuch as he claimed that the "sleep" pro- 
 duced by Mesmer and his followers was not the re- 
 sult of any outside force, but was caused by the pa- 
 tient himself. For a number of years a spirited con- 
 test was waged between the two schools of "Mesmer- 
 ists," and much bad feeling was developed. 
 
34 Mental Fascination 
 
 BRAID AND "HYPNOTISM." 
 
 Then came James Braid, the Manchester surgeon, 
 who proceeded to tear down the accepted theories, sub- 
 stituting one of his own. Braid may be called the 
 father of "Hypnotism," the term being first employed 
 in connection with his work. His theory was that there 
 was no such thing as "animal magnetism," but the 
 phenomena obtained by Mesmer and his followers was 
 caused by a physiological condition brought about by 
 physical means, such as fixing the eyes, rigidity of the 
 muscles, etc. Braid made some very important con- 
 tributions to the knowledge on the subject, although, 
 of course, all that he wrote or taught was colored by 
 his own particular theories. Braid regarded the "hyp- 
 notic sleep" produced by his methods, as the necessary 
 condition and cause of the phenomena of "animal 
 magnetism." Braid's writings brought the subject be- 
 fore the attention of physicians, who had up to his 
 time avoided it as "unprofessional," etc., and a series 
 of investigations by medical men in France and Ger- 
 many were begun, and have continued up to this time. 
 The result of such investigation has been the placing 
 of the subject upon a "scientific" basis. 
 
 LIEBAULT AND SUGGESTION. 
 
 Dr. Liebault, of the School of Nancy, France, first 
 brought into prominence the theory of "Suggestion," 
 which has since found so many followers. Dr. Bern- 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 35 
 
 heim, a pupil of Liebault, in his work "Suggestive 
 Therapeutics," carried his teacher's theories on still 
 further. The theory of Suggestion, as taught by Lie- 
 bault and Bernheim, was that the cause of the phe- 
 nomena of "mesmerism" and "animal magnetism," etc., 
 lay in the "Verbal Suggestion," or "Verbal Command" 
 of the Hypnotist to the subject, given and received 
 while the subject was in a deep hypnotic sleep. This 
 "hypnotic sleep" was considered to be an essential and 
 fundamental pre-requisite of the phenomena. It was 
 all "SLEEP," with the teachers, students, and investi- 
 gators at that day — and the majority of them are still 
 under the spell of the old teachings. 
 
 bernheim's mistake. 
 
 As an instance of how near a man may come to a 
 thing, and still miss it, I may mention that Bernheim 
 has recorded that in rare cases, where the conditions 
 were exceptionally favorable, he could obtain results 
 even when the subject was not asleep. But he missed 
 his opportunity of following up this promising lead, 
 and to the end he proceeded upon the belief and theory 
 that the "hypnotic sleep" was a necessary precedent to 
 the phenomena obtained. He endeavored to produce 
 the condition of "deep sleep," or "profound hypnosis" 
 believing that the same was a necessary condition for 
 "suggestibility." The very word "Hypnosis" arises 
 from the Greek word meaning "to lull to sleep," so 
 
36 Mental Fascination 
 
 you can see how deeply this idea of "sleep" was and is, 
 among hypnotists. Remember this, always, please — 
 HYPNOSIS MEANS A CONDITION OF SLEEP, 
 so never use the word in any other way. Mental Fas- 
 cination is not Hypnosis, although Hypnosis is a form 
 of application of Mental Fascination. 
 
 THE NEW SCHOOL. 
 
 During the past ten years or so there has arisen a 
 new school of investigators of the phenomena of 
 "Mesmerism," etc. This new school proceeds upon 
 the theory that the "hypnotic sleep" is merely an inci- 
 dent, and that all the phenomena obtained by the ear- 
 lier authorities is possible without the production of 
 the sleep condition. In other words, SLEEP IS NOT 
 A NECESSARY CONDITION OF SUGGESTI- 
 BILITY. This brings the new school of the Sug- 
 gestionists very near to the occult idea of "Mental 
 Fascination," although there are some radical differ- 
 ences, as I shall show in a moment. In 1884 Dr. 
 Bremand announced that had made the discovery that 
 there is a "fourth hypnotic ( ?) state," which he called 
 "Fascination," which left the subject in full conscious- 
 ness of his surroundings, and remembrance of what 
 had taken place. If Bremand had only had the cour- 
 age to omit the fetich-word "hypnotic" from his state- 
 ment, he would have founded a new school. But he 
 didn't! The German, Froman, wrote a large book on 
 
Story of Mental Fascination 37 
 
 the subject of "Fascination," which he defined as 
 "Hypnotism, without the putting to sleep." 
 
 THE TRUTH ABOUT SUGGESTION. 
 
 Some of the best work along the "without-sleep 
 hypnotism" (?) has been done by American experi- 
 menters and investigators (principally physicians), 
 nearly all of whom believe that "Suggestion" is the 
 explanation of the whole thing, and that there is no 
 such thing as the passage of "Mental Currents." These 
 "Suggestionists" hold that the subject acts upon the 
 Command and Suggestion, and does what he is told — 
 and that that is all there is to it. The "Suggestible 
 Condition" to them means a condition in which the 
 subject yields up his whole "attention" to the operator, 
 and thus becomes "suggestible," the degrees varying 
 with the temperament, etc., of the subject. 
 
 While the "Suggestionists" believe that Suggestion 
 is the whole explanation and cause, I hold that it is 
 but one of the methods of producing the effects, and 
 that back of Suggestion is the Induction of the Mental 
 State by the Suggestor, as I have stated in my work 
 on "Mental Magic," and as I shall bring out in the 
 present manual. 
 
 PERSONAL MAGNETISM. 
 
 Along with the new theories of "Suggestion without 
 Sleep," there has arisen a great interest in "Personal 
 
38 Mental Fascination 
 
 Magnetism," during the past few years. There has 
 been much written on the subject — some good and 
 some ridiculous, and some between the two extremes. 
 The laws of the subject are being studied by the think- 
 ing public. There has been a great revival in the in- 
 terest in Occultism, which together with the various 
 phases of Mental Science, Theosophy, New Thought, 
 and kindred subjects, has attracted the attention of a 
 large portion of the public to the general subject of 
 Mental Magic, and to the special subject of Mental 
 Fascination, in particular. And this manual is writ- 
 ten in response to the present demand for definite in- 
 formation on the subject. 
 
 I feel sure that I will be able to show you that the 
 Law of Mentative Energy, in its operation along the 
 line of Mentative Currents, as stated in my book on 
 "Mental Magic," will account for all the phenomena 
 mentioned above in the History of the General Sub- 
 ject, as well as many other forms. I believe that I can 
 bring it all under the definition of "The action of a 
 Mental Force that powerfully influences the imagina- 
 tion, desire, or will of another"— which is my defini- 
 tion of "Mental Fascination." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE RECONCILIATION. 
 
 In my last chapter I have shown you the opposing 
 theories of the various schools which have investigated 
 and experimented along the lines of Mental Fascina- 
 tion, under some of its many names. All of these 
 schools obtained results, notwithstanding their vary- 
 ing and diametrically opposite theories — the same kind 
 of results, remember. And more than this they all ob- 
 tained these results in very much the same way, when 
 we come to examine the essence of the procedure, after 
 discarding the forms added to fit in with the particular 
 theories of the practitioner. 
 
 A NEW SYNTHESIS. 
 
 I believe that all the opposing theories of the schools 
 may be reconciled by a new synthesis — that of Menta- 
 tive Energy with its incidental phenomena of Menta- 
 tive Induction, as set forth in my "Mental Magic," 
 and further expounded in this little manual of which 
 this chapter is a part. I believe that theories so far 
 divergent as Mesmer's Universal Magnetic Fluid — 
 
 39 
 
40 Mental Fascination 
 
 Abbe Faria's Sleep — Braid's Hypnotism — Bovee Dods' 
 Electro-Biology — Liebault's Suggestion — Bernheim's 
 Suggestion — the later Suggestion-without-Sleep — 
 Bremand's Fascination — and the various other theo- 
 ries advanced since the time of Mesmer — can be recon- 
 ciled and harmonized by a careful application of the 
 theory of Mentative Induction as advanced in my work 
 on "Mental Magic." 
 
 And I believe that all the phenomena obtained by 
 any and all of the above schools; as well as the phe- 
 nomena of the Ancient Fascinators ; and the phenom- 
 ena known as "Personal Magnetism," "Charming," 
 "Personal Influence," "Magnetic Personality," etc., 
 etc., of ancient and modern times, may be accounted 
 for by the same theory. And so this chapter shall be 
 devoted to the reconciliation of the various old the- 
 ories with this basic principle of Mentative Induction. 
 
 MESMER EXPLAINED. 
 
 Let us first examine the real facts underlying Mes- 
 mer's theory of the Universal Magnetic Fluid. Mes- 
 mer taught that there existed a peculiar subtle fluid, 
 "magnetic" in its nature, which was diffused through- 
 out all space ; which permeated everything, and which 
 was capable of receiving and communicating all sorts 
 of motions and impressions. He taught that this 
 "fluid" flowed freely from one body to another, acted 
 at a distance, and could be reflected by a mirror, etc. 
 
The Reconciliation 41 
 
 He did not explain what this "fluid" was, except that 
 it produced "magnetic" effects, and must therefore be 
 magnetic in its nature. He proved that he could pro- 
 duce effects, and he gave out a theory to fit in with 
 the facts, and that was within the comprehension of 
 the people of his time. 
 
 Now, let us apply the idea of Universal Mentative 
 Energy, with its incidental phenomena of Mentative 
 Induction, to Mesmer's theory, and see how easily the 
 reconciliation is effected. The Mentative Energy, like 
 Mesmer's "fluid," is Universal ; is diffused through all 
 space; permeates everything. Like the "fluid" it ap- 
 parently passes from body to body and communicates 
 impressions, etc. But we now know that the Energy 
 is transmitted in waves or vibrations which reproduce 
 the original feeling by Mentative Induction in the sec- 
 ond person. There is no necessity for the flowing 
 "fluid" any more than there is for an "electric fluid" 
 flowing over the wires, or through the air. The "fluid" 
 idea has been superseded by the "wave" idea, in both 
 physics and metaphysics. 
 
 THE NATURE OF THE "MAGNETIC FLUID." 
 
 We may readily see that this "magnetic fluid" the- 
 ory of Mesmer may be explained by the theory of Men- 
 tative Energy, and Mentative Induction. There is no 
 "magnetic" fluid. The Energy is Mental in nature 
 and operation and the phenomena arising therefrom is 
 
42 Mental Fascination 
 
 Mentative also. Mesmer sought for his answer in 
 physics — but we find it in metaphysics. The force is 
 not physical — it is mental. 
 
 All the phenomena obtained by Mesmer, and his fol- 
 lowers, may be accounted for by the theory of Menta- 
 tive Energy, and Mentative Induction. The Mental 
 States of the Mesmerist may be communicated to his 
 "subject" by waves of Mentative Energy, and a cor- 
 responding feeling or Mental State is induced by Men- 
 tative Induction. As we shall see as we proceed, the 
 "sleep" of the Mesmerists and Hypnotists is merely an 
 induced condition arising from the desire in the mind 
 of the operator, accompanied by the Suggestion on 
 his part. 
 
 FARIA EXPLAINED. 
 
 The theory of Abbe Faria, that the "sleep" condition 
 was not the result of any outside force, but arose from 
 within the patient himself, is also reconciled by the 
 theory of Mentative Energy and Induction. Of course 
 the "sleep" arises from within the patient himself — 
 but it is induced by the waves of Mentative Energy of 
 the operator, accompanied by his active Suggestions. 
 
 BRAID RECONCILED. 
 
 Braid's theory is also reconciled. He held that the 
 phenomena was of a physical nature, rather than a 
 mental, and that it was a reflex physical action arising 
 from fixing the eyes, rigidity of the muscles, etc. His 
 
The Reconciliation 43 
 
 hypnotic sleep was undoubtedly heightened by his 
 practice of tiring the eyes and muscles, on the same 
 principle that one is tired mentally by unusual exer- 
 cise of the eyes, as in the cases of visiting an art gal- 
 lery, museum, strange city, etc., and that the power 
 of resistance is thereby weakened, and one is far more 
 likely to then accept suggestions of mentative waves. 
 How many of us have felt mentally "done out" after 
 visiting a museum, or after witnessing a long parade, 
 or after sitting through a modern circus performance, 
 with its three rings going at one time ? And who does 
 not remember how many foolish things he had done 
 at times when he was "too tuckered out" to object to 
 the suggestions and influences of those around him. 
 
 A DANGER SIGNAL. 
 
 Many a girl has gone to her ruin by the subtle sug- 
 gestions and influence of some male scoundrel, di- 
 rected toward her after an evening of the "show," or 
 circus or after a day of sight-seeing in a strange city. 
 I tell you, friends, that in such cases the Will becomes 
 tired by overuse arising from unaccustomed tasks, and 
 it becomes "woozy" and incapable of resisting the at- 
 tacks upon it. As I have told you in my larger work, 
 beware of all suggestions, etc., when in a tired state. 
 Make a habit of saying "No!" to attempts to make 
 you commit yourself at such times. Wait until you 
 feel fresh and strong, and the Will is able to attend to 
 
 \s 
 
 
44 Mental Fascination 
 
 its business for you. Many a man has said "Yes !" to 
 his sorrow, to propositions advanced to him when he 
 was tired by the day's work, and his Will was weak 
 and unable to resist. I cannot say this to you too 
 often, and have therefore dragged it in again at this 
 place. There is a great psychological principle in- 
 volved in this point, and you will do well to fasten it 
 in your memory. 
 
 Braid's theory may be reconciled to the idea of 
 Mentative Energy and Induction, when we see that 
 his eye fixation, and muscular rigidity is merely the 
 means of producing a "suggestible condition," that is 
 to say, a condition in which suggestions are more 
 readily accepted, and mentative currents more readily 
 received — in both cases the tired Will allowing the 
 outside influence to enter. 
 
 SUGGESTION EXPLAINED. 
 
 The theories of " Suggestion" are not contrary to 
 those of Mentative Energy and Induction, when prop- 
 erly understood. The facts of the Suggestionists are 
 undoubted, but they make the mistake of ignoring the 
 Mental States of the Suggestionist. They think that 
 their effects are produced by Suggestion alone, and 
 forget the Mental State behind the Suggestion which 
 is the real motive force. If their theories be true, 
 why is it that two men using the same words of Sug- 
 gestion, upon the same subject, produce varying de- 
 
The Reconciliation 45 
 
 grees of effect? It is because the Mental States or 
 Dynamic Mentation of the two men vary in quality 
 and degree. 
 
 The Suggestionist thinks that he is merely direct- 
 ing his ''Suggestion" by words, etc., toward the sub- 
 ject, but all the time he is pouring out a current of 
 Mentative Energy which rapidly induces the desired 
 mental state in the subject. The best Suggestionists 
 are those who have acquired the "Suggestive Man- 
 ner" which is developed by the exercise of authorita- 
 tive utterances and commands, the physical appear- 
 ance, manner, and tones arising from a reflection of 
 the Mental State within. I have seen this in the case 
 of one of America's most celebrated Suggestionists, 
 a prominent physician and scientist, with whom I was 
 associated in magazine and other work in the years 
 1900-01. I have seen the doctor giving the most pow- 
 erful suggestions at one of his classes or clinics — so 
 powerful were the emanations of Mentative Energy, J 
 or currents of the same, that the members of the class 
 could distinctly "feel" the same, and at times could 
 almost "see" them. And yet the doctor, who was 
 wedded to his particular theories of Suggestion pure 
 and simple, after such a wonderful manifestation, 
 would calmly inform his class that it "was nothing 
 but Suggestion — nothing more to it." And he be- 
 lieved it — but hundreds who attended his classes went 
 away more firmly convinced than ever that there was 
 
46 Mental Fascination 
 
 "something more to it," and that there was a cause 
 behind his "Suggestions." The theory of Suggestion 
 is all right — but what lies back of Suggestion ? What 
 gives the Suggestion its force? Of what inner and 
 invisible thing is the Suggestion the visible and out- 
 ward sign? MENTATIVE ENERGY! 
 
 INHARMONY HARMONIZED. 
 
 And my theory of Mentative Energy and Induction 
 may be reconciled with the theories of the later Sug- 
 gestionists — including those who still adhere to the 
 "sleep" delusion, as well as those who have advanced 
 beyond it. And it explains all the phenomena of the 
 ancients, with their religious and mystic rites. The 
 phenomena of Charming, Fascination, Personal Mag- 
 netism, Personal Influence, etc., is all embraced un- 
 der the theory advanced in this work, and my larger 
 work which preceded it. 
 
 As we proceed with this work we shall see the Men- 
 tative Energy, and Mentative Induction in actual 
 active operation in these various phases of phenomena, 
 but I trust that this chapter will have shown you that 
 there is one principle underlying all of the various 
 theories and phenomena, and that the facts of Menta- 
 tive Energy, and the operation of the same in its phe- 
 nomenal incident of Mentative Induction are sufficient 
 to include and cover all of the varying manfestations 
 of the Force observable under the disguises of the 
 
The Reconciliation 47 
 
 conflicting theories of the various schools and cults. 
 There is but one underlying cause, and that is MEN- 
 TATIVE ENERGY. There is but one underlying 
 law of the operation of this Force in the direction of 
 affecting other minds, and that Law is Mentative In- 
 duction, either direct, i. e., by Mentative Currents; or 
 indirect, i. e., by Suggestion; or (as is generally the 
 case) by both combined. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE RATIONALE OF FASCINATION. 
 
 In this chapter I shall proceed to lay before you the 
 "rationale" of Fascination, that is, an exposition of 
 the principles of its operation. While the phenomena 
 of Fascination extends over a very wide area or field, 
 there is still to be found a certain unity of principle of 
 operation underlying all of the forms and phases. 
 From this point of view, we may speak of the " Science 
 of Fascination," as well as of "The Philosophy of 
 Fascination." 
 
 THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE. 
 
 The fundamental principle of the operation of the 
 Mental Phenomena known as Fascination is found 
 in the theory of Mentative Induction, as stated in my 
 work on "Mental Magic," and which is briefly stated 
 in the first chapter of the present book. This theory, 
 you will remember, holds that each Individual Mind 
 is a Center of Mentative Energy, and that the Menta- 
 tive Energy of an Individual Mind may be, and is, 
 transmitted from one person to another by means of 
 
 48 
 
Rationale of Fascination 49 
 
 Mentative Waves or Currents; (3) that these Menta- 
 tive Currents or Waves tend to "induce" in the minds 
 of other persons the emotions or feelings existing in 
 the Mental States of the person sending out the 
 Waves or Currents. 
 
 In this connection, we must also remember that 
 there are two Mental Poles, known as the Motive and 
 Emotive Poles, respectively. The Motive Pole mani- 
 festing as Will-Power, and the Emotive Pole mani- 
 festing as Desire-Force. Desire-Force acts in the di- 
 rection of drawing, pulling, attracting, luring, coax- 
 ing, charming, etc. ; while Will-Power acts in the di- 
 rection of compelling, forcing, driving, impelling, 
 commanding, demanding, etc. Desire-Force always 
 draws its object toward itself; while Will-Power al- 
 ways overpowers and compels its object, generally in 
 the sense of driving it into action. 
 
 MENTATIVE INDUCTION. 
 
 This Mentative Induction acts along similar lines to 
 the "induction" of Electricity and Magnetism, that is, 
 it sets up similar states in the object affected. And 
 the resemblance is even still further marked when we 
 consider that the phenomena of Electricity closely re- 
 semble the action of the Will, inasmuch' as both tend 
 to drive outward in the form of an Impelling Force; 
 and that the phenomena of Magnetism resemble the 
 
50 Mental Fascination 
 
 action of Desire, inasmuch as both tend to draw in- 
 ward in the form of an Attracting Energy. 
 
 AN INTERESTING QUESTION. 
 
 In this connection, however, I would direct the at- 
 tention of the student to one fact concerning the ef- 
 fect of induced states, which some have failed to 
 grasp in my teachings in my work on Mental Magic. 
 The matter may be stated by the inquiry of a student 
 of the last mentioned work, who inquires, as follows : 
 "Please inform me how it is that an induced mental 
 state reproduces the original mental state of the Men- 
 tator in the following case : a man desires to have an- 
 other perform a certain act, and sends a mentative 
 current which acts by induction on the mind of the 
 second person, setting up an induced mental state 
 therein. The second person then performs the act de- 
 sired by the first person. Now, if the induced mental 
 state was the same as the original one, would not the 
 second party simply also desire that the first party . 
 should do the act, just as the first party desired that 
 the second should do it? But it does not work so, for 
 the second party does not so desire, but instead merely 
 desires to do just what the first party desired him to 
 do — that is he feels within himself a desire to' do that 
 which the first party desires shall be done. It seems 
 to me that the induced state is really the opposite of 
 the original state. Please set me straight on this?" 
 
 i 
 
Rationale of Fascination 51 
 
 THE ANSWER. 
 
 I am very glad to have the opportunity to "set 
 straight" my students on this point. A little careful 
 examination will show that both states are similar. 
 For instance, A desires that B shall do a certain thing, 
 and induces a similar state in B. The induced state 
 produces in B a like desire that the things shall be 
 done, and he proceeds to do it. No opposite action 
 here, is there? The essence of the DESIRE in both 
 cases is the same, namely, that the thing shall be done. 
 The expression of the feeling of the two persons in 
 the case, as (1) "I Desire that You Shall Do," and 
 (2) "I Desire to Do," respectively, are merely the 
 personal forms of expression, and not the essence of 
 the Desire or Feeling. The Desire or Feeling, in its 
 real essence is, "I desire this thing done/' And both 
 hold the same Desire, A holding the original Desire 
 or Feeling, and B the induced Desire or Feeling. 
 Think this over a little, until you see the point. 
 
 Induced Will acts in the same way as the above 
 mentioned instance of the action of induced Desire. 
 Of course, in all cases of the action of Desire the Will 
 is also called into operation. In the above cited case 
 it works as follows: A feels the Desire to have the 
 thing done, and so his Will is called into operation to 
 concentrate the Mentative Currents, and to project 
 them to a focussed point in the mind of B; then B, 
 feeling the induced Desire that the thing shall be done, 
 
\/. 
 
 52 Mental Fascination 
 
 awakens his Will and does the thing. Do you see this 
 also? You had better fix this process firmly in your 
 minds, for it is the key to the operation of the princi- 
 ple of Fascination, and other Mentative Phenomena. 
 
 MAKING ANOTHER "FEEL-LIKE" DOING. 
 
 Now to get back to the first principle, which is that 
 one person may make a second person FEEL LIKE 
 DOING a thing that the first person wishes to have 
 done. That is the thing in a nutshell. And in the de- 
 gree that the second person so feels like doing the 
 thing, so will be the degree of Desire and Will in- 
 duced in him, and consequently so will be the likeli- 
 hood of his actually doing it. You see the matter of 
 "FEELING-LIKE" is at the bottom of it all. And 
 this being so, it is readily seen that if one is able to 
 induce a state of "feeling-like" in another, he has the 
 secret of the control of the other person's actions. 
 Now this is the BASIS OF MENTAL FASCINA- 
 TION! 
 
 Now let us see how this principle works out in a 
 case of Mesmerism, or Hypnotism, so called, which 
 after all is but a phase of Mental Fascination, gov- 
 erned by the above mentioned principle. I prefer the 
 term Mesmerism for several reasons, among them be- 
 ing the fact that it is a recognition of Mesmer, its dis- 
 coverer, or re-discoverer; and also the fact that Hyp- 
 notism means "sleep," while Mesmerism covers the 
 
Rationale of Fascination 53 
 
 whole phenomena, in both its waking or sleep condi- 
 tions. 
 
 A CASE OF MESMERISM. 
 
 Well, let us suppose a case of Mesmerism. The 
 Mesmerist, whom I will call the "operator," faces the 
 "subject." The operator assumes a positive state of 
 mind, his Will Power being active and concentrated, 
 practice having improved him along these lines. The 
 subject naturally assumes a negative mental state, 
 opening his Emotive Mental Pole to the influence of 
 the Mind or Will of the operator, and allowing his 
 Motive Mental Pole to remain quiescent or relaxed. 
 That is to say, he opens his Desire mind to the in- 
 fluence of the operator, and lets his Will remain in- 
 active and relaxed. The operator Desires and Wills 
 that the subject be influenced, and the subject agrees, 
 consciously or unconsciously, to be so influenced — 
 one Wills, and the other "is willing" (which latter 
 paradoxical expression means that he is not Willing). 
 The operator naturally asserts his positivity, while the 
 subject assumes a decided state of Negativity — one 
 asserts a Supremacy of Will, and the other submits. I 
 would call your attention to the fact that there is no 
 physical compulsion, or influence, in the matter — it 
 is all a matter of Mentation ! And both parties fully 
 recognize the reality of the phenomenon. 
 
54 Mental Fascination 
 
 THE SILENT CONFLICT. 
 
 The above relative mental state of the two persons 
 is apparent in a greater or lesser degree whenever 
 two persons meet. One is always stronger Menta- 
 tively than the other, and a silent conflict ensues from 
 which one or the other emerges a victor — and the re- 
 sult is recognized and acquiesced in by both victor and 
 vanquished. Ordinarily, however, the distinction is 
 not nearly so marked or great as in the case of a 
 strong Mesmerist and his negative "subject," the latter 
 having probably been trained in Negativity by re- 
 peated trials and experiments in private and in public. 
 For know you, that even as Positivity may be culti- 
 vated, developed and strengthened by practice and 
 actual performance, so (alas!) may Negativity be en- 
 couraged, developed, and made habitual by a continued 
 practice of "giving in" to the Will of another, or 
 others, — it is all a matter of habit. 
 
 POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. 
 
 It will be seen at once that given a subject and 
 operator bearing the stated degrees of relative Posi- 
 tivity and Negativity, the subject will have a tendency 
 to accept and obey the wishes and commands of the 
 operator with a minimum degree of resistance. The 
 operator will strongly wish the subject to feel in a 
 certain way, and to act upon the feeling. To accom- 
 plish this result he will concentrate his Desire by his 
 
Rationale of Fascination 55 
 
 Will, and then direct a combined and focussed at- 
 tack on the mind of the subject. He is likely to call 
 Suggestion to his aid, in the attack, for by so doing 
 he is able to obtain an additional advantage, for a 
 Suggestion (as I have stated in my work on Mental 
 Magic) is a "Physical Agent inducing Mental States" 
 —or "an outward and visible sign of an inward feel- 
 ing or mental state," which tends to induce a similar 
 feeling in the mind of accepting the Suggestion. 
 
 THE SUGGESTIVE COMMAND. 
 
 The operator gives the subject the "Suggestion by 
 Command," and in accordance with the phase of Sug- 
 gestion known as "Suggestion through Obedience" 
 (see my work on "Mental Magic") the subject obeys. 
 It must not be forgotten, however, that the Suggestion 
 is merely the outward symbol of the inward mental 
 state of the operator, and becomes effective only by 
 reason of this fact. The operator throws his intensi- 
 fied Desire-force and Will-power into the Suggestion, 
 and receives an effect along the line of the three-fold 
 activity. With his Will he produces a dual effect, 
 i. e., (1) he captivates the Desire of the subject, and 
 induces in it the desired "feeling-like" state; (2) he 
 takes captive the Will of the subject, and subjugates it 
 to his own. And, at the same time, by his Desire he 
 also produces a dual effect, i. e., (1) he induces a 
 similar desire in the mind of the subject by mentative- 
 
56 Mental Fascination 
 
 waves, or currents, and (2) he allures, or seduces the 
 Will of the subject by the strength of his Desire. The 
 result of this "combined attack" causes the mind of the 
 subject to act as follows, which adds a third dual- 
 effect to the operation, i. e., (1) the subject's Desire 
 (being induced as stated by the operator) acts to in- 
 fluence his own Will, thus making the latter fall in 
 with the induced Desire; (2) the subject's Will (con- 
 trolled as stated by the operator) acts upon his own 
 Desire, thus making the latter fall in with the seduced 
 Will. 
 
 It must be remembered that the three mental opera- 
 tions above mentioned are concurrent, that is, they act 
 at the same time, and exercise joint action and control 
 upon the mind of the subject. And neither the opera- 
 tor nor the subject are necessarily conscious of there 
 being three dual-actions under way. The operator 
 simply Desires and Wills, with or without Sugges- 
 tion; while the subject simply "feels-like" (as before 
 stated) and accepts the Suggestion if one is given, 
 without recognizing the various mental operations 
 going on to produce the "feeling-like." The detailed 
 explanation may make the operation seem complicated 
 — while in reality it appears to both the operator and 
 subject as quite a simple matter, indeed. 
 
 THE "DAY-DREAM STATE." 
 
 The above process is the same, whether the operator 
 merely produces the simplest result upon the subject, 
 
Rationale of Fascination 57 
 
 or whether he secures the most remarkable and start- 
 ling exhibitions of the control of one mind by another. 
 The principle of operation is the same in all cases. 
 With sleep, or without sleep, it is the same. In fact, 
 as we shall see, the very "sleep" condition is produced 
 just as are the other effects, and its production merely 
 tends to produce a "day-dream" state in the subject, 
 and thus makes him act in a day-dreamlike manner, 
 with appropriate illusions. Sleep phenomena are 
 merely one of the "side-issues" of Mesmerism, when 
 the true principle is understood. 
 
 HABIT AND REPETITION. 
 
 In our consideration of the operation of Mesmerism 
 we must not forget the part that habit and repetition 
 play in the matter. For instance, the operator may be 
 able to produce only the simplest effects at first trial ; 
 but at each subsequent trial, in which he gains more 
 and more control over the subject, and a greater ac- 
 quiescence and degree of obedience, he is able to ob- 
 tain a still more marked effect. If you will read the 
 remarks on "Suggestion by Repetition" in my work 
 on "Mental Magic" (page 120) you will realize the 
 awful force of repetition and habit, as well as the 
 power of repeated statement. This psychological fact 
 is like the operation of the wedge — admit the thin edge, 
 and each additional blow drives it further in. This 
 works along the lines of both good and evil, remember 
 
/ 
 
 58 Mental Fascination 
 
 — -the wise use it to their own strengthening, while the 
 foolish allow it to be their undoing. Beware of the 
 thin edge of the wedge of undesirable habits of thought 
 and action. 
 
 A PSYCHOLOGICAL LAW. 
 
 The Mesmerist understands well, often too well, the 
 nature and results of the above mentioned psychologi- 
 cal law. He has found out by experience that although 
 it may be difficult to control a subject the first time, 
 it will be easier the next; and so on and on, until 
 perfect control is obtained. And, knowing this, he 
 bends his endeavors to inserting the very thinnest 
 edge of the wedge, understanding that in this he has 
 his hardest task before him. And, alas, how many of 
 us know that this same principle is in operation in 
 every day life, although seemingly having nothing to 
 do with Mesmerism. How many of us are able to 
 regret the day of the entry of the thin edge of the 
 wedge. 
 
 Another point to be remembered is that the subject 
 who is under a fair degree of control does not feel as 
 if he were obeying the commands or wishes of the 
 operator alone. That is, not in the main. It is true 
 that he instinctively obeys the command of the Sug- 
 gestion, just as a horse quickens his gait when spoken 
 to, or a soldier acts quickly in obedience to orders, 
 etc., etc. But the motive for the action, or feeling, 
 
Rationale of Fascination 59 
 
 seems to come from within himself to a great degree. 
 It has the force and effect of an instinctive action pro- 
 ceeding along sub-conscious lines. He seems to want 
 to do the thing of his own accord. This is the dan- 
 gerous feature. 
 
 This, then, in a general way, is the rationale of 
 Mental Fascination as shown in its phase of Mes- 
 merism, and its corresponding exhibitions along less 
 pronounced lines. If you will acquaint yourselves with 
 these principles of operation, you will have a grasp on 
 the whole subject. In our next chapter we shall have 
 a view of the Mental States of Operator and Subject, 
 which will throw additional light upon the subject 
 before us. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IMPRESSIONABILITY. 
 
 In the last chapter I laid before you an exposition 
 of the principles of the operation of Mental Fascina- 
 tion, particularly in its phases of Mesmerism. The 
 student who has followed what I have said therein has 
 seen that there must, of necessity, be a marked differ- 
 ence in the degree of Impressionability, or Receptivity 
 to Mentative Induction, manifested by the operator and 
 subject respectively in order that the pronounced phe- 
 nomena may be manifested. But this difference of 
 degree of Impressionability is manifested by all men 
 and women. Between the one extreme point in the 
 scale of Impressionability to the other extreme there 
 are many degrees — and each person has his or her 
 own degree, subject, of course, to change by develop- 
 ment. 
 
 MAGNETIC POSITIVITY. 
 
 I would like to quote from my work on "Mental 
 Magic," illustrating this last mentioned point. I have 
 said therein : "I do not mean that the degree of Mag- 
 netic Positivity is fixed permanently in either person, 
 
 60 
 
Impressionability 61 
 
 for the contrary is the case. One of the persons, who 
 is really the stronger, usually, may be weaker at that 
 particular moment, owing to his Will being fatigued, 
 or by reason of his having relaxed his Will-Power, as 
 is often the case. And in such case the defeated one 
 may be the victor at the last encounter, or may even 
 rally his energies a moment later, and thus turn the 
 tables. One may have a strong Will in moments of P 
 activity, and yet in moments of passivity he may relax 
 it very much. And this is a still more important fact: 
 one may so increase his Will-Power that he will be 
 able to completely dominate those who formerly over- 
 mastered, and even over-awed, him. All of us know 
 of instances of this kind in our own personal ex- 
 perience." 
 
 THE TWO EXTREMES. 
 
 At the extreme point of Mentative Positivity are the 
 wonderfully strong-willed men who are "natural 
 leaders" and managers. At the extreme Negative 
 Mentative point are those people who are moved by 
 every passing suggestion or mental current with which 
 they may come in contact — those impressionable people 
 who seem to live in the emotional plane of their being, 
 and who are always open to outside influences, and are 
 like weather-cocks moved by every passing breeze. 
 These people are really the reflection of the thoughts, 
 desires and wills of others — the last person who catches 
 
62 Mental Fascination 
 
 their attention being the "right one" to follow. You 
 all know the type, don't you? 
 
 I do not mean by this that only persons naturally 
 weak-willed may be mesmerized. But I do say that 
 when strong-willed people allow themselves to be mes- 
 merized they must relax their Wills and become 
 passive or negative to the operator, else there will be 
 no result gained. A strong-willed man may volun- 
 tarily relax and become negative in order to be mes- 
 merized. I have seen this done in many cases, 
 although I have always urged against it, for I con- 
 sider it inadvisable for one to surrender his Will in 
 this way, even for the purpose of scientific investiga- 
 tion. I am sure that I would not do so myself, and 
 therefore I cannot approve of the practice on the part 
 of others. 
 
 THE ^ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT." 
 
 Then again, I have known people of a highly devel- 
 oped "artistic temperament," such as actors, poets, 
 artists, writers, and others who possessed strong Wills, 
 to allow themselves to become very "impressionable" 
 by reason of their active imaginations. That is to 
 say, they would allow themselves to be so carried away 
 with the idea of being impressed that they would 
 "throw themselves into the part" of the mesmerized 
 subject, and actually mesmerize themselves, although 
 allowing the operator to take the credit. This last 
 
Impressionability 63 
 
 explanation will throw light on a phase of the phe- 
 nomena that apparently presents an exception to the 
 rule, but which when viewed in the light of the above 
 explanation, may be seen to come strictly within the 
 rule of Positivity and Negativity. 
 
 a mesmerist's trick. 
 
 Public performers of mesmerism, when they meet 
 with an imaginative subject whose will is too strong 
 to subdue, often begin to bend their efforts toward 
 arousing the imagination of the person and thus caus- 
 ing him to become passive and in a subjective condi- 
 tion of "acting out" the part suggested by the opera- 
 tor. In such cases there is no "conflict of wills" what- 
 ever, but, on the contrary, the subject wills to act out 
 the part and becomes the partner of the mesmerist, in- 
 stead of his opponent. The subject in such cases mes- 
 merizes himself, and voluntarily allows himself to be 
 led by the suggestions of the operator so long as the 
 suggestions are not contrary to the subject's own in- 
 terests. This "actor instinct" is very strong in some 
 people, and this self-mesmerism is far more common 
 than people imagine. It is seen on the stage, and 
 among speakers and writers. 
 
 MESMERIC SUBJECTS. 
 
 Even many of the best mesmeric subjects who travel 
 around with the professional mesmerists are of this 
 
64 Mental Fascination 
 
 last mentioned class to a certain degree. They are 
 able to throw themselves into the parts, and play them 
 well, so long as they are not adversely affected thereby. 
 They are far different beings- from the weak-willed, 
 flabby creatures that are so often seen following 
 around after the professional mesmerists. The imagi- 
 native "professional subject" is alive to his own in- 
 terests, and as a somewhat cynical friend of mine, 
 who had made a close study of the subject, once said, 
 even the most obedient subject of this class would 
 utterly fail to act upon the suggestion of his powerful 
 operator to effect that the subject consent to a reduc- 
 tion of his weekly wages paid by the operator — even 
 though the "deep stage" of hypnotic sleep be pro- 
 duced. 
 
 "don't surrender your will/' 
 
 But I consider that even this imaginative class of 
 subjects are unwise in allowing themselves to be 
 guided and governed by the suggestions and com- 
 mands of any operator, for I believe that even such a 
 habit is injurious to the Will. The Will is a precious 
 thing and should not be prostituted in this way. I 
 cannot urge this too strongly upon my students. I 
 say to them : "Surrender your Will into no one's \J 
 keeping." Regard it as a woman should her Virtue, 
 and allow no one to take liberties with it. 
 
Impressionability 65 
 
 WHO CAN EXERT FASCINATION? 
 
 The average person possessing self-confidence and 
 force can, and does, exert Mental Fascination over 
 others with whom he comes in contact, although it 
 requires a developed Will to become an expert in this 
 line of mental work. Besides this, there is undoubt- 
 edly a certain "knack" and technique about the work, 
 which is acquired by practice, although some seem to 
 have it considerably developed naturally. There are 
 geniuses in Fascination as well as in art — and there 
 are others who have acquired the mastery in both by 
 careful practice and determination. 
 
 THE REQUISITE FOR FASCINATION. 
 
 In considering the qualities that go to make up the 
 person in whom Mental Fascination is likely to be 
 strongly developed, I may mention the following : 
 
 (1) Physical Well-Being; for there is a certain 
 strength about a man or woman in strong, robust 
 health, that must be taken into consideration. It is 
 true that some persons not physically well, but un- 
 healthy, have exercised strong powers of Fascination, 
 but this was in spite of their lack of physical health, 
 and owing to a strong Will which allowed them to 
 master even this obstacle. But, all else being equal, 
 there is a power about a strong, healthy, vigorous per- 
 son that makes itself felt. 
 
 (2) Belief in One's Self; for without this no one 
 
66 Mental Fascination 
 
 manifests Positivity. Believe in your own power and 
 ability, and you impress others with the same belief. 
 Confidence is contagious. Cultivate the "I Can and I 
 Will." 
 
 (3) Poise; for the calm, well-poised, imperturbable 
 man has an enormous advantage over one lacking these 
 qualities. The man who meets any emergency with- 
 out "losing his head" has something about him that 
 makes him looked up to as a natural leader — he has 
 one of the qualities of Positivity. Cultivate the Calm, 
 Masterful mood. 
 
 (4) Fearlessness; for Fear is the most negative 
 emotion in the being of man. Fearlessness is a most 
 Positive quality, just as Fear is the most Negative. 
 Cultivate the "I Do— I Dare." 
 
 (5) Concentration; for this "one-pointedness" 
 focuses the Will-Power upon the object. Do one 
 thing at a time, and do it with all the power that 
 there is in you. 
 
 (6) Fixity of Purpose; for you must learn to 
 know what you want to do, and then "stick to it" 
 until it is done. Cultivate the Bull-dog quality — it is 
 needed. 
 
 To those who recognize the need of the above 
 mentioned qualities, but who lack them, I would recom- 
 mend the careful study and determined application 
 of the principles of "Mental Architecture," as stated 
 in my Seventh Lesson in my work on "Mental Magic" 
 
Impressionability 67 
 
 in which the matter is gone into in detail, with exer- 
 cises, etc. 
 
 NONSENSE EXPOSED. 
 
 There has been much nonsense written about "who 
 make good subjects," etc., in works upon Mesmerism, 
 Hypnotism, etc., and many amusing rules for the de- 
 termination of the degree of impressionability have 
 been given by many writers. Some say that brunettes 
 are the most impressionable, while others assert that 
 blondes yield more readily, etc., etc.; but the experi- 
 enced investigator laughs at such distinctions. Some 
 consider that women make the best subjects, while 
 others assert that men really are more readily in- 
 fluenced. My own opinion is that the percentage is 
 about the same in both sexes. Then, again, one must 
 remember that the degrees of "impressionability" are 
 relative. For instance, A may be positive to B, while 
 B may be positive to C, and so on to the end of the 
 alphabet. And, using the same illustration, M is nega- 
 tive to L, though positive to N. Do you see this ? 
 
 A LIE NAILED. 
 
 Some writers have tried to make people believe 
 that only "strong-minded" people may be mesmerized, 
 and give as a proof thereof the fact that idiots and 
 insane people are almost immune from hypnotic and 
 mesmeric influence. This is a favorite argument of 
 
68 Mental Fascination 
 
 the professional hypnotists, who use it in order to put 
 at ease their subjects, or possible subjects, who might 
 not wish to appear as " weak-minded" people. The 
 truth is that the reason that the above classes are ex- 
 empt is because (i) the idiots have little or no power 
 of attention, and are like mere machines, and conse- 
 quently cannot be induced to pay attention long enough 
 to be mesmerized, but all advanced students of Mental 
 Influence know that idiots, as well as animals may be 
 influenced by Mental Vibrations, or Mental Waves, 
 etc., by "treatments"; (2) insane people are usually 
 carried away with a "fixed idea," or delusion, and are, 
 in fact, practically in a state akin to that produced by 
 hypnotic or mesmeric process to a marked degree. 
 Their minds are centered on the delusion and cannot 
 be taken off it. If the attraction could be removed 
 the patient would no longer be insane; and although 
 the "sleep condition" cannot well be induced in insane 
 patients, still the best authorities know that such peo- 
 ple often yield to strong suggestions, and mental treat- 
 ments, to a certain degree, so that the rule does not 
 always hold. 
 
 IMPRESSIONABLE PEOPLE. 
 
 The class of people who yield most readily to Mes- 
 meric influence (outside of the sub-class of imagina- 
 ry tive people mentioned a few pages further back) are 
 those who have not manifested their Will. Determina- 
 
Impressionability 69 
 
 tion and Self-Reliance very much. People who have 
 led a life in which implicit obedience, or reliance, upon 
 others, have been cultivated — these are the people who 
 are most impressionable. They have not used their 
 Wills, and are more readily ruled by the Wills of 
 others, or through their Emotions. As I have said in 
 my larger work: "The degree of response to Sug- 
 gestion by Command is to be observed in the highest 1 / 
 degree among those who have always depended upon 
 others for orders, or instruction, and have not had 
 to use their own wits and resources in life. Un- 
 skilled laborers, and the sons of rich men who have 
 had some one to think for them, often belong to this 
 class. These people seem to want someone else to 
 do their thinking for them, even in the smallest event 
 of their lives, and are most impressionable along the 
 proper lines. Then the degree of Positivity rises as 
 we consider the people who have had to do things for 
 themselves, and who have not depended so much upon 
 others. Positivity is the greatest among people who 
 have had the ordering of others to do, or who have 
 had to depend upon their own resources, and their 
 own wits, in getting through life. The men of 
 marked Initiative have scarcely a trace of this form of 
 suggestibility. 'Initiative,' you know, is a term for 
 'doing things without being told' — using one's own 
 wits, and resources, and WILL." The above applies 
 equally to the subject of "impressionability" to mes- 
 
jo Mental Fascination 
 
 meric influence. And what does it all mean when it is 
 "boiled down"? Just this — that the degree of "im- 
 pressionability" depends upon the degree of the lack 
 of Will Development. The word WILL is the key- 
 note! And this in spite of all the talk, twaddle and 
 nonsense written and spoken by those who are inter- 
 ested in having the people appreciate "the wonderful 
 virtue ( ?) of Hypnotism." 
 
 THE 
 
 The reason that mobs allow themselves to be in- 
 fluenced is because they surrender their Individuality, 
 and Individual Will, and allow it to become merged 
 with the Wills of others, until a "mob Will" is created, 
 which represents the average of the crowd, the weaker 
 wills diluting the strength of the whole. When this 
 mess of mingled and weakened will is properly mixed 
 it remains in a dazed and excited condition until some 
 Individual springs to the front — some leader of men 
 who has held on to his Individual Will — and impresses 
 his Will upon the more negative Will of the crowd, 
 and the mob accepts his suggestions and follows like 
 sheep, or mesmerized subjects, and does his bidding 
 until some other leader catches its attention and in- 
 terest. 
 
 EMOTIONABILITY. 
 
 There is another phase of mentality that has it's 
 bearing upon the degree of impressionability. I refer 
 
Impressionability ji 
 
 to the quality known as "emotionability." An emo- 
 tional person is one who more readily throws off the 
 influence of his own Will and Reason and gives him- 
 self up to the play of the emotional side of his nature. 
 Such a person is more impressionable than one who 
 is not so emotional, but whose Will is really no 
 stronger. The reason is that by his mental habits 
 he has accustomed himself to "open up" his Emotive 
 Pole of Mentality to outside influences and allowing 
 his Motive Pole to remain inactive. He allows his 
 "feelings" to rule him, instead of ruling his feelings — 
 he allows his Emotional Nature to usurp the throne 
 of his Will, the latter being relegated to second place. 
 And the consequence is that his Emotive nature has 
 become more open to unresisted, outside influences 
 and impressions and responds more readily to the 
 same — it has acquired the "impressionable" habit. Do 
 you see? This last explanation will throw some light 
 on the fact that certain races of people are far more 
 "impressionable" than others — they are more Emo- 
 tiona 1 that's all. 
 
 WHO IS AN "IMPRESSIONABLE"? 
 
 In the following chapters I shall use the term "im- 
 pressionable" as a noun, designating a person who is 
 sufficiently impressionable to respond to the influence 
 of a mesmerist or hypnotist to a greater or lesser de- 
 gree. These "impressionables" are comparatively 
 
72 Mental Fascination 
 
 easily impressed by the Mentative Force, and Sugges- 
 tions of the Experimenter along these lines. Please 
 remember the sense in which I shall use the term. 
 Later on I shall use the term "hyper-impressionable" 
 as a noun, indicating a person excessively, or abnor- 
 mally impressible by mesmeric influence. The latter 
 class will be further described in the proper place in 
 the book. 
 
 Let me give you a fanciful illustration of the sub- 
 ject of impressionability. It will form the subject 
 of our next chapter, which will be entitled "The Fable 
 of the Mentative Couple." It will explain not only 
 the matter of response to mesmeric influence, but will 
 also throw light on the exercise of Personal Mental 
 Influence that is going on around us in everyday life, 
 all the time, everywhere. You will have a much 
 clearer idea of the matter after reading this Fable — and 
 you will also be much more on your guard because 
 of the lesson taught therein. Do not fail to read it 
 carefully and seek for the secret contained within its 
 lines. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FABLE OF THE MENTATIVE COUPLE. 
 
 Once upon a time there lived in the land of Mental- 
 vania, in a wonderful building called The Mentative 
 Castle, a Man arid a Woman, called "The Mentative 
 Couple." They were Happy though Married. They 
 Lived in Harmony, because they were Useful to One 
 Another, and neither was complete without the pres- 
 ence of the Other — and neither did his or her Best 
 Work, unless the Other was present and assisting. 
 
 VOLOS AND EMOTIONE. 
 
 Well, now, the Man was called "Volos" (which is 
 the same as the English name "Will"), and the 
 Woman was called "Emotione," which in the language 
 of that country meant something like a combination of 
 Emotion, Desire and Imagination. 
 
 THE TWO NATURES. 
 
 Now, the Chronicles inform us that these Two Peo- 
 ple had natures entirely different from each other, as 
 has been said. We are told that Volos was of a stern, 
 
 73 
 
74 Mental Fascination 
 
 inflexible, strong, positive nature; apt to stick to a 
 thing once begun ; full of the "will-to-live" and "vital- 
 ity;" full of determination and spirit with a strong 
 dash of the "let-me-alone" and "get out of my way" 
 in his make-up; with a taste for meeting difficulties 
 and overcoming obstacles; with a goodly degree of 
 habit of reaching out and taking hold of what Erao- 
 tione wanted and needed; and a powerful lot of Self 
 Respect and Self Reliance in him. He was apt to 
 be firm although his firmness was not the stubborn- 
 ness of the mule, and his general keynote was Strengths 
 He was a good warrior and defender of his castle. 
 But Emotione was of an entirely different type, tem- 
 perament, and character. She was most impression- 
 able, imaginative, emotional, credulous, fanciful, full 
 of desire, curious, sympathetic and easily persuaded. 
 While Volos was all Willing and Thinking, Emotione 
 was all Feeling. 
 
 FIRE AND WATER. 
 
 Volos was a Strong Character, but lacked certain 
 qualities that make for Success — but these qualities 
 Emotione possessed, and she supplied the deficiency 
 in Volos. Volos had to "figure out" everything* while 
 Emotione had Intuition, and jumped at a conclusion 
 in a way remarkable to Volos, who couldn't under- 
 stand the process at all. When he would ask Emo- 
 tione for an explanation,, she would say, lightly, "Oh, 
 
Fable of the Mentative Couple 75 
 
 just because!" which answer would often provoke 
 profane and irreverent discourse on the part of Volos. 
 But, nevertheless, he learned to respect these "be- 
 causes" of Emotione, and found that they helped him 
 in Jiis business. Emotione would dream out things, 
 and see things a long way ahead, and then Volos 
 would proceed to put these plans into operation. Vo- 
 los couldn't see very far ahead of his nose, while Emo- 
 tione could see miles beyond, and years ahead. And 
 besides this faculty of Mental Imagery that came in 
 so useful in Volos' business, Emotione also possessed 
 a burning and ardent Desire for Things, which she 
 managed to communicate to Volos, thereby causing 
 him to get out and Do Things that otherwise he would 
 never have dreamed of doing. Emotione was like Fire, 
 and Volos like Water. The Water would hold the 
 Fire in check, but at the same time the Fire would 
 heat up the Water and the result would be the Steam 
 of Action. And, so, you see these two — this Menta- 
 tive Couple — formed a fine co-partnership, and pros- 
 pered mightily. 
 
 ENTER THE TEMPTER. 
 
 But, alas! the Tempter entered Eden — and the At- 
 tractive Stranger meandered in the direction of the 
 Mentative Castle, and when he reached there trouble 
 occurred. And this is what happened: 
 
j6 Mental Fascination 
 
 THE UNGUARDED CASTLE. 
 
 One day Volos was absent from the Castle, being 
 engaged in some arduous enterprise. And conse- 
 quently the Castle was Unguarded. Volos had pro- 
 vided against this by instructing Emotione that she 
 was to keep the Castle Gate closed tight, when he was 
 away from home, and never to gaze without in his 
 absence, for there was some mysterious danger lurking 
 without when he was away. Emotione had faithfully 
 followed the directions of her liege lord, although her 
 womanly curiosity was piqued thereat. Many the 
 time she had heard strange knockings at the Castle 
 Gate, but she heeded them not, and even refrained 
 from looking out of the little peep-hole in the Gate — 
 though this last was much against her inclination, for 
 she could see no harm in "J ust Looking." 
 
 THE FASCINATING STRANGER. 
 
 But, to return to our tale, this particular day when 
 Volos was absent from Home, her curiosity was too 
 much for Emotione when she heard the strange 
 knockings at the Gate. And, breaking her rule, she 
 ventured to peep without. Looking down she saw a 
 most attractive stranger, with a fascinating smile on 
 his lips. He looked almost as strong as Volos, but 
 he seemed to have a Dash of the Woman in him, be- 
 sides. He had the Strength, but also the Charm that 
 Emotione recognized as being a part of her own na- 
 
Fable of the Mentative Couple yj 
 
 ture. "Ah," sighed Emotione, "here is a Man who 
 can Understand me." The Fascinating Stranger 
 smiled sweetly, and looking her in the eyes, master- 
 fully asked to be admitted. "No, no," replied Emo- 
 tione, "I cannot let you in, for Volos told me not to." 
 "Ah, fair lady," said the Stranger softly, "Volos means 
 all right, but he is rather old-fogyish, and behind the 
 times. He does not 'Understand,' as do you and I. 
 Pray, let me in." And, like Mother Eve, Emotione 
 took the bait. 
 
 "when the cat's away," etc. 
 
 Well, to make a long story short, when Volos came 
 home he found that Emotione had subscribed to a 
 set of "Villeveaux Modern Art," a beautiful work is- 
 sued by the De Luxe Bros, of Fifth Avenue, to be is- 
 sued in 824 weekly parts, at the nominal price of $5 
 a part — 739 parts of which were already out, and 
 would be Delivered Shortly. She had also given a 
 number of Side Orders for Manifold Wares, which 
 had dazzled her untrained and unguarded Fancy. 
 Volos cried aloud to the Gods of his Land — but it was 
 too late, the contracts had been signed. 
 
 WORSE AND MORE OF IT. 
 
 But, that was but the beginning. Volos did not un- 
 derstand just what was the matter, and contented 
 himself with scolding Emotione, whereat she wept 
 
78 Mental Fascination 
 
 bitterly. But the poison went on with its deadly 
 work. And when Volos again was absent from home, 
 the habit reasserted itself, and when the Fascinating 
 Stranger again called at the Castle, he was admitted. 
 And when Volos returned, he found the Castle fur- 
 nished from dungeon to watch-tower with costly rugs, 
 and furniture, and various other articles, bought from 
 "Morganstern's Popular Installment House," at $1,000 
 down and $100 per week. He also found that the 
 Castle had been Lightning-Rodded from ground to 
 turret, on each wing, tower, and annex; and that 
 Notes, containing a law-proof, judgment-confessed 
 clause, had been given in exchange therefor. And 
 then Volos swore by the Beard of Mars, the War-God, 
 that he would have no more of this — He would Re- 
 main at Home thereafter And he Did. 
 
 But the Subtle Stranger was Onto the Game, in all 
 of its Details. And this is how he Played it on Volos, 
 even though the latter Remained at Home. 
 
 HOW VOLOS MADE A MISTAKE. 
 
 A few days after Volos had determined to Remain 
 at Home, there came a band of mountebanks, singing, 
 dancing, and performing juggling tricks. Volos sat 
 on the great stone beside the open Castle Gate, and his 
 Attention was attracted by the sounds and sights. 
 Faster the dancers whirled — louder beat the drums — 
 sweeter grew the singing — more bewildering grew the 
 
Fable of the Mentative Couple 79 
 
 feats of jugglery — until poor Volos forgot all about 
 the open Castle Gate, so rapt was he at the strange 
 sights, sounds, dances, and feats of jugglery. Then 
 one of the mountebank gang (who was really the At- 
 tractive Stranger disguised in motley array) slipped, 
 unseen, past Volos, and in a moment was engaged in 
 eager conversation with the impressionable Emotione. 
 
 Volos watched the crowd until it moved away, and 
 then entering the Castle, and closing the Gate behind 
 him, was confronted by Emotione, in tears, for she 
 dreaded the coming storm. "Alack a-day, woe is me," 
 she cried, "I am again in trouble, O, Volos, my liege 
 lord! I have just ordered from the Fascinating 
 Stranger, who slipped past you at the Gate, a Baby- 
 Grand, Self-playing, Automatic, Liquid-Air valved, 
 Radium Carburetter, Harpsichord, upon which I may 
 play for you all classes of Music, ranging from Vog- 
 ner's G otter dammerung to the popular rag-time air 
 entitled "Kiss Yo' Babe Good-Bye!" with feeling, 
 depth of expression, and soulful understanding, ac- 
 cording to the words of the Fascinating Stranger who 
 took my order." 
 
 "Gadzooks !" ejaculated Volos, "Fain would I cry 
 aloud the name of that production of Vogner's just 
 mentioned by thee. And by my Halidom, e'en shalt 
 thou soon be singing to me the words of that rag- 
 time melody just quoted by thy false red lips ! Zounds ! 
 Of a Truth I have been Stung Again by that Fasci- 
 
80 Mental Fascination 
 
 nating Stranger. I must gaze no more upon these 
 Fleeting Scenes of Merriment and Amazement, lest I 
 be again decorated with the Asses' Ears. Aha! 
 Volos is himself again, and the next time the Fascinat- 
 ing Stranger appears upon the scene, he shall be smit- 
 ten hip and thigh with my trusty battle-axe, and my 
 snickersee shall pierce his foul carcass!" 
 
 But, alas ! even once more was poor Volos deceived 
 and trifled with — once more was poor Emotione Fas- 
 cinated by the Stranger. And it came about in this 
 way. 
 
 HIS LAST UNDOING. 
 
 On the day of his last undoing, Volos sat on the 
 open step, in front of the narrowly opened Castle 
 Door. "No man shall pass me now," cried he. But 
 Fate willed otherwise. For as he sat there, there ap- 
 proached many people who took seat upon the steps 
 before the gate, and engaged Volos in long heated, 
 and wearisome discourses regarding the Outlook for 
 the Crops ; the Presidential Campaign ; the Japanese 
 Question; Race Suicide; the New Theology; How 
 Old was Ann; the Problem of the Final Outcome of 
 the Collision between the Irresistible Force and the 
 Immovable Body; the Canals on Mars; what Roose- 
 velt Will Do when his Term expires ; and many other 
 weighty, interesting, and fascinating topics of general 
 interest. Most agreeable were these visitors, and most 
 
Fable of the Mentative Couple 81 
 
 considerate of Volos' feelings were they. And al- 
 though they seemed to differ from him at the begin- 
 ning of each argument, still they courteously allowed 
 him to convince them inch by inch, until they finally 
 acknowledged that he was Invincible in Argument, 
 and Invulnerable in Logic. " Tis passing Strange/' 
 quoth Volos, "but nevertheless 'tis true — that / al- 
 ways find myself on the Right Side of Every Question. 
 And the wonder grows when they all admit it in the 
 end. Verily, am I developing into a Wise Guy!" 
 
 THE LAST STRAW. 
 
 And, pondering thus, he fell sweetly asleep from the 
 rigor of the disputes; the flattering attentions shown 
 him ; the joy of the victory ; and the exceeding amount 
 of attention and interest he had expended, for Human 
 Nature has its limitations, even in the case of one so 
 Strong as Volos. And while he slumbered, the Fas- 
 cinating Stranger (who was really the leader of the 
 Argumentative Visiting Committee), crept into the 
 house and unloaded upon Emotione a choice collec- 
 tion of Gilt-edged Mining Stock (pure gilt, all the 
 way through in fact) ; a bunch of Flying-Machine 
 Bonds, and a 5,000 Donkey-Power, Vestibuled, Draw- 
 ing Room, Observation Car, Automobile called the 
 "Yellow Peril." And when Volos discovered what 
 had happened he wept aloud, crying bitterly, "Odds- 
 bones ; S'death — of a cert am I the Baron E. Z. Mark." 
 
82 Mental Fascination 
 
 And thereupon he sent for the Wise Man who dwelt 
 in the next barony. 
 
 THE WISE MAN CALLED IN. 
 
 The Wise Man eame, and after hearing the story 
 said: "My children, yours is a sad case, but matters 
 may be adjusted without a visit to Sioux Falls, and 
 without the raising of the question of Alimony. The 
 trouble is as follows : 
 
 VOLOS WITHOUT EMOTIONE. 
 
 "Volos, without Emotione, has no Desire or incen- 
 tive to Do Things. He has no wants to satisfy, and 
 therefore Does Nothing. He needs Emotione to sup- 
 ply the Desire. And without her he has no Feeling — 
 he is nothing but a hard-shell clam. Therefore he 
 needs her to supply the Feeling, for verily, and of a 
 truth, Feeling is the spice of Life. And without her 
 he has no Imagination, and cannot see beyond the end 
 of his nose — and what is life without Imagination? 
 Gadzooks, one might as well be a mummy! 
 
 EMOTIONE WITHOUT VOLOS. 
 
 "And on the other hand, Emotione without .Volos, 
 is a consuming fire of Desire; an unrestrained Imagi- 
 nation ; an Intuitive Faculty degenerated into the bas- 
 est superstition, most deplorable credulity, and the 
 idlest Fancy. Volos has no Desire, Emotion, or Imag- 
 
Fable of the Mentative Couple 83 
 
 ination of his own — and Emotione has no Will of her 
 own. 
 
 IN UNION IS THERE STRENGTH. 
 
 "Verily, cannot it be seen by all that this Couple 
 needs One Another the worst way? Each, alone, is 
 but an Incomplete Half. United they stand — divided 
 they Fall. In Union alone is there Strength for Them. 
 
 THE DANGER OF SEPARATION. 
 
 "And more than this, each, without the other, falls 
 a prey to the wiles of some Fascinating Stranger. We 
 have seen how Emotione was fascinated and controlled 
 by the Will of the Stranger who gained access to the 
 Castle. But I have also seen (by my Magic Art) 
 that when Volos was away from home on 'important 
 business,' without having Emotione along to keep 
 him straight, he fell a victim to the wiles of the De- 
 sire and Imagination of a Fair Stranger across the 
 river, and did her bidding, and used his Will to per- 
 form her tasks, instead of those desired by his own 
 Emotione. Verily, art these people quits with one 
 another and should now begin over again. True it is 
 that Harmony will be theirs only when they Are To- 
 gether. 
 
 THE SECRET OF THE UNDOING. 
 
 "And this is the Secret of the undoing of Emo- 
 tione. Without the Will of Volos to protect her, di- 
 
84 ' Mental Fascination 
 
 rect her, and advise her, Emotione allowed her De- 
 sire, Imagination, and Emotion to run wild and un- 
 restrained. And so she became so impressionable as to 
 allow herself to be mastered by the Will of the 
 Stranger, who took advantage of the same and gath- 
 ered to himself many Choice Orders for Things. And 
 even when Volos sat by the door watching the play- 
 ers, dancers, and jugglers, his ATTENTION was so 
 centered on what he saw, that the Fascinating Stranger 
 slipped through the Gate — it was even as if Volos had 
 been absent from Home. And, again, when Volos al- 
 lowed himself to become engaged in weighty dis- 
 course with the Visiting Committee, and used up his 
 Energy and Force in Argument and Dispute with them 
 — and when he permitted himself to be "jollied" into 
 a false security by these United Brethren of the Blar- 
 ney-Stone — he relaxed his Vigilance, and allowed 
 himself to become tired, drowsy and sleepy, and so fell 
 into a doze at his post, and the Stranger again entered 
 and took Emotione's Orders for Goods. 
 
 THE WISE MAN'S REMEDY. 
 
 "And this then is the Remedy (as my successor, 
 Lawson of Boston, will say in the centuries to follow) 
 —this is THE REMEDY. Each person of this Men- 
 tative Couple must stick close to the other. Volos 
 must have no 'important business' across the river, 
 which will allow Emotione to be without a protector 
 
Fable of the Mentative Couple 85 
 
 and advisor. And Emotione must stick close to 
 Volos, and satisfy her curiosity, imagination, emotion, 
 and desire, by setting him to work out things for her 
 — to do things dreamed of by her — to get her things 
 she desires — to express the things felt by her. This 
 is the Secret of Success, dear Mentative Couple — Mu- 
 tual Work by Desire and Will, working in Unison and 
 Harmony — each faithful to the other — each guarding 
 the other from the Fascinating Strangers that beset 
 each when separated. Now, then Children, GET TO 
 WORK !" 
 
 And saying this, the Wise Man vanished from sight. 
 
 THE MORAL. 
 
 And the Moral of this Fable of The Mentative 
 Couple is this: That the Mind of every Man and 
 Woman is a Mentative Castle, wherein dwells a Volos 
 and an Emotione. And what happened to the Couple 
 in the Fable, may happen, and does happen, to many 
 in everyday life. The Will, straying from home, and 
 paying attention to other attractions leaves the Castle 
 unguarded, and the Fascinating Stranger enters. And, 
 again, the Will has its Attention distracted by passing 
 objects of interest, and forgets the Castle Door. And 
 again, the Will allows itself to be fatigued, tired, and 
 jollied by useless argument, and talk, and cogitation, 
 at the instigation of the Designing Fascinating 
 Stranger, and the latter slips past the Gate. And in 
 
86 Mental Fascination 
 
 each case, inside the Gate is Emotione unprotected, 
 and innocent, true to her own nature, credulous, imag- 
 inative, fanciful, desireful, and emotional — is it any 
 wonder that she "orders goods" that are not wanted 
 by the family ? And the Remedy of the Wise Man as 
 given to the Mentative Couple may be, and should be, 
 applied by every Man and Woman in his or her Men- 
 tal Castle. And this then is the Moral of the Fable. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 EXPERIMENTAL FASCINATION. 
 
 In this work I shall give the student an idea of the 
 methods of conducting experimental work in that 
 phase of Fascination which has been called "Mental 
 Impression," etc., following the lines of the best in- 
 vestigators and experimenters in America and Europe. 
 My reason for so doing is that the student may have a 
 thorough idea of the practical work, even though he 
 may not wish to conduct such experiments in person. 
 I think that everyone should be made acquainted with 
 these things as a matter of knowledge, and also for 
 purposes of the self-protection which arises from an 
 understanding of the subject. 
 
 STARTLING PHENOMENA EXPLAINED. 
 
 I also desire to satisfy the careful student and in- 
 vestigator that the feats, tests and phenomena which 
 have heretofore been regarded by the general public 
 as inseparably connected with mesmerism, hypnotism 
 and "sleep-conditions" may be reproduced without 
 the aid of "sleep-conditions," and without the hocus- 
 
 87 
 
88 Mental Fascination 
 
 pocus of the public performer. The entire phenomena 
 of mesmerism, hypnotism, etc., may be produced by 
 simple, scientific methods along the line of Mental 
 Fascination, by means of Mentative Induction, with- 
 out any attempt to produce "sleep" as a necessary 
 precedent condition. When this matter is thoroughly 
 understood by the public the glamor and sensational- 
 ism of public mesmeric and hypnotic performances 
 will vanish, and the subject will receive the scientific 
 consideration that it merits. But at the same time 
 people will begin to realize the mighty power of the 
 Mental Influence that is capable of producing such 
 startling manifestations in a waking state, and will 
 seek to guard themselves against the abuse of the 
 power. 
 
 HYPNOTIC PERFORMANCES CONDEMNED. 
 
 It should be almost unnecessary for me to add that 
 I have no sympathy with the public performances of 
 that phase of Mental Impression known as "Hyp- 
 notism, Mesmerism," etc., in which subjects are made 
 to go through all sorts of foolish and absurd perform- 
 ances. Outside of my objection to people surrender- 
 ing their Will to another in this way I feel that. such 
 exhibitions are lacking in feeling, good taste and often 
 in decency. To say the least, it is making "horse- 
 play" of a scientific phenomenon. I have nothing in 
 sympathy with such manifestations or exhibitions, and 
 
Experimental Fascination 89 
 
 shall speak of them in this work only to condemn the 
 methods employed. 
 
 SCIENTIFIC METHODS. 
 
 In my remarks, and instruction, along the line of 
 entific methods along the lines of the best authorities 
 upon the subject, and in accordance with the rules 
 observed at the best-conducted experiments of such 
 authorities, at which experiments I have frequently 
 been present. I wish my students to place themselves 
 in a scientific attitude of mind, just as if they were 
 attending lectures on the subject at some leading uni- 
 versity in its scientific course. The subject is a strictly 
 scientific one and should be approached, considered 
 and investigated only in accordance with the scientific 
 spirit of investigation. It is not a matter for fun ( ?), 
 or idle amusement. I trust that I have made my posi- 
 tion on this point sufficiently clear to all, so that there 
 may be no misunderstanding regarding the same. 
 
 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 I do not advise all of my students to engage in this 
 experimental work, for there is no necessity for them 
 so doing. What I am really trying to do is to ac- 
 quaint them with the methods used in these experi- 
 ments, and the results obtained. In this way they 
 may acquire an extended knowledge of the subject, 
 which will enable them to really "understand" the dif- 
 
90 Mental Fascination 
 
 ferent phases, and prevent them from entertaining er- 
 roneous ideas concerning the matter. This knowledge 
 will also enable them to detect any symptoms of an at- 
 tempt to use this force upon them in everyday life. 
 When a person becomes acquainted with the true in- 
 wardness of a thing, so that he recognizes it whenever 
 he sees it, there is little danger of his falling into error 
 regarding it. The knowing of a thing is half the bat- 
 tle of repulsing it. 
 
 And with this understanding, and with this expla- 
 nation, I shall now proceed to describe the work in 
 Experimental Fascination, now being performed by 
 scientific investigators in the colleges and other places 
 in this country and in Europe. 
 
 FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTS. 
 
 The investigator of Experimental Fascination soon 
 learns that certain environmental conditions have a 
 marked effect on the degree of success attending his 
 experiments. And, accordingly, he endeavors to sur- 
 round his experiments with the best conditions possi- 
 ble, as indicated by his experience. A knowledge of 
 these conditions is an important thing for an investi- 
 gator and experimenter along these lines. 
 
 DESIRABLE CONDITIONS. 
 
 The investigator finds that he can obtain much bet- 
 ter results when his experiments are conducted in a 
 
Experimental Fascination 91 
 
 quiet place, the atmosphere of which is conducive to 
 calm, undisturbed, peaceful mental states. This at- 
 mosphere affects both operator and subject, allowing 
 the former to concentrate his mind and the latter to 
 give his full attention and to rest in a passive mental 
 state. It is well if the experiments be conducted in a 
 room remote from the street, and as far as possible 
 apart from the rest of the house, so that noises of 
 either cannot well penetrate. The experimenter should 
 also take measures to prevent interruption, for the lat- 
 ter will interfere with his concentration, and the sub- 
 ject's attention. 
 
 SENSE IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 The best experimenters see that their experimenting 
 room is furnished plainly, having no pictures or dec- 
 orations, etc., calculated to attract the subject's at- 
 tention. A soft carpet which will deaden the sound 
 of footsteps is advisable. I have seen some experi- 
 menters even go so far as to place rubber tips, or 
 cushions, on the feet of the chairs, tables, etc., in the 
 experimenting room, in order to obviate sudden noises. 
 The room should be kept at a comfortable temperature, 
 neither to warm nor too cold, as either extreme will 
 make the subject uncomfortable and less able to give 
 his full attention to the experimenter. I have heard 
 of cold rooms, draughts, etc., interfering with the best 
 
92 Mental Fascination 
 
 conducted experiments, and every experimenter is 
 aware of the fact that a close, sultry day will interfere 
 seriously with his experiments. Care should be taken 
 to avoid a glare of light in the room. Shades of soft 
 greens or blues are advised, and these same colors 
 should be used in the decorations of the rooms by the 
 experimenter who wishes to obtain the best results. 
 Remember the expression, "a dim, religious light," and 
 you will get the right idea. 
 
 PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS. 
 
 Some experimenters burn a little incense in the room 
 before the experiment is performed, the same having 
 a tendency to quiet the nerves and impart a feeling of 
 restfulness to those in the room. You will notice that 
 the conditions that tend to produce the most successful 
 results in these experiments are the same that the cere- 
 monial churches of all races have adopted in their 
 services, etc. This fact needs but bare mention to the 
 thinker. It is well known that soft, quiet religious 
 music will produce a psychological condition in which 
 persons become quite impressionable, and some of the 
 French psychologists have taken advantage of this 
 fact. The whole theory rests upon the production of 
 a feeling of "ease" in the subject. Consequently, it is 
 scarcely necessary to add that the chairs should be 
 very "comfortable" and "easy." 
 
Experimental Fascination 93 
 
 THE ROOM OF A LEADING SUGGESTIONIST. 
 
 I may conclude these remarks upon desirable con- 
 ditions, by quoting from an article for a magazine 
 written by myself about seven years ago, under a 
 pseudonym. The article described the experimenting 
 room of a leading American suggestionist, at a series 
 of experiments conducted before a class of investi- 
 gators and students, at which I had been present. I 
 think that the description will convey to your minds 
 the ideal conditions for experiments along these lines. 
 I said in the article : "The room is well ventilated and 
 lighted, although there is an absence of glare. It is 
 remarkably quiet and free from disturbing sounds and- 
 sights, the air of seclusion and remoteness from the 
 scenes without being very marked. The impression 
 grows upon one and reminds him of the interior of 
 some quiet old rural chapel, on a summer afternoon, 
 when all around seems to indicate the lack of exist- 
 ence of an outside world, save the occasional breeze 
 faintly fanning the cheek, and some muffled sound 
 seeming to come from some far distant point, and per- 
 haps the droning of some stray bumblebee that had 
 chanced to float in the open door. The semi-religious 
 air is heightened by the 'dim religious light/ and by 
 the voice of the experimenter as he gives the repeated 
 suggestions to the patient, in the same monotonous 
 tone, encouraging and hopeful, and at times reminding 
 one of an earnest prayer. The surroundings, the still- 
 
94 Mental Fascination 
 
 ness, the tone of the operator, the reclining position of 
 the patient, all give the strongest suggestion of quiet, 
 calm, peace, ease and rest, freedom from care and 
 worry, relief from pain and trouble, — Nirvana. The 
 influence of these suggestive surroundings is distinctly 
 felt by the visitor, and he also unconsciously assumes 
 the role of the attendant at the chapel. The writer 
 was told by some of the patients that they soon be- 
 come totally oblivious of the presence of the class, and 
 are to all intents and purposes, alone with the operator, 
 with no other thoughts than the suggestions being 
 made to them." I might add that the suggestions given 
 to the patients at the beginning of the treatment were 
 calculated to increase the desired mental state of rest, 
 calm, and quiet. 
 
 The first thing that the experimenter does is to de- 
 termine the degree of impressionability of the, "im- 
 pressionable." There are a number of ways to deter- 
 mine this. One of the methods that have been found 
 the most effective is to have the "impressionable" par- 
 tially extend his left hand and arm, until an easy posi- 
 tion is obtained. Then have him hold the hand with 
 palm downward, and then raise, or elevate, the third 
 finger of that hand (generally known as the "ring- 
 finger") holding the other fingers steady, and down, 
 on a level with the palm. Then tell him that you will 
 
Experimental Fascination 95 
 
 proceed to WILL that he shall feel a tingling sensa- 
 tion in the finger, which feeling will increase grad- 
 ually, and will then begin to extend up the hand, and 
 wrist and then up the arm to the shoulder. Tell him 
 that the feeling will be faint at first, but that it will be- 
 gin to "tingle" more and more in a few moments, 
 and then it will extend in the manner stated. Then 
 concentrate your own mind on the feeling you desire 
 to produce in him, and WILL strongly that it be pro- 
 duced. After a moment ask him whether he does not 
 feel the faint tingling sensation — but note this, ask 
 him in such a way as to give him the positive sug- 
 gestion that he does — this way, for instance: "You 
 feel the tingling already, don't you." This form of 
 question is really a suggestion, for you state the thing 
 before asking the question. When you say "don't 
 you," emphasize the "dorit'/ sharply and positively. 
 You will find that the sensation is perceived in a mo- 
 ment or two, in a large percentage of cases, and in 
 many cases the more pronounced results are obtained. 
 The degree of sensation produced determines the de- 
 gree of impressionability of the person tested. When 
 you conclude the test, in each case, be sure to take the 
 subject's hand, grasping it firmly, and shaking it 
 gently, saying: "Your hand is all right now — all 
 right/' emphasizing the words "all right," and saying 
 them firmly, and positively. Always say these things 
 
96 Mental Fascination 
 
 with an air of conviction, and assurance — for there is 
 a great suggestive quality in such tones. 
 
 TESTING A ROOMFUL OF PEOPLE. 
 
 If you are testing a number of people — a roomful, 
 for instance, you should pass rapidly over the number 
 to be tested until you have finished. You may test the 
 whole roomful at one time, as above, if you desire. Do 
 not act as if you were attaching much importance to 
 the test, telling them that you are "merely testing them 
 for impressionability," etc. But when you have fin- 
 ished, you will know just the degree of impression- 
 ability of each person in the room, and you will thereby 
 be enabled to select the most impressionable for the 
 next test. 
 
 IMPRESSING THE SUBJECT. 
 
 Having selected the desired number of "impression- 
 able 9," pick out one of them, and ask him to stand up 
 before you, looking you straight in the eye (see di- 
 rection for acquiring the "Magnetic Gaze" in a later 
 chapter), saying to him, in a quiet but firm, positive 
 tone words to this effect: "Now give me your entire 
 attention. I wish you to fix your attention firmly upon 
 me and what I am saying, for in this way only can 
 the best results be obtained. You must forget every- 
 thing and everybody else in the room, and must hear 
 only my voice and feel my thoughts. Make yourself 
 
Experimental Fascination 97 
 
 perfectly receptive and passive to my thoughts and 
 words. There must seem to be no one else here but 
 you and I. You must see no one else ; must hear no 
 other voice ; must think no other thoughts, but Mine. 
 Give me your full attention now, and open yourself 
 to the inflow of my Thought." Talk to him a few 
 moments in this strain, and then say: "That's right, 
 now you are giving me your full attention — you are 
 now feeling my Thought — all is going well," etc., etc., 
 in an encouraging tone, in the same spirit as you would 
 to a child who was trying to perform some task under 
 your direction. 
 
 INDUCING RELAXATION. 
 
 Instruct him to relax all of his muscles — to take the 
 tension off of them. Tell him that in so doing he will 
 "draw his Will away from his muscles," which is just 
 about what really happens. If he seems to be slow at 
 grasping the idea, give him a practical illustration of 
 "relaxation," by lifting one of his hands and then let- 
 ting it drop. If it does not drop freely, then he has not 
 relaxed. Try him until he learns just what "relaxation" 
 means. This practice will bring about a state of pas- 
 sivity which will tend toward success in your experi- 
 ment. 
 
 EXERCISES IN RELAXATION. 
 
 It is of the greatest importance that the subject of 
 the experiments be brought into a passive condition 
 
98 , Mental Fascination 
 
 of mind. And the best way to induce this desired 
 condition is to bring about a passive condition of body, 
 for the latter will have a reflex action on the mind, 
 according to well-established laws. The following 
 exercises will aid you to bring about the relaxed con- 
 dition, preparatory to your psychological experiments : 
 
 Exercises. — Instruct the subject to withdraw his 
 Will from his right hand, making it perfectly "limber," 
 so that he may swing it loosely from his wrist. Then 
 have him so swing it backward and forward. Repeat 
 with the left hand. Then try with both hands at the 
 same time. Then have him impart to the hands a 
 "twisting" motion, to and fro, from the wrist, of 
 course letting them twist about limply. 
 
 Then have him withdraw the Will from his arms, 
 and then shake and twist them about from the shoul- 
 der, like a pair of empty coat-sleeves. 
 
 Then lift his arms up above his head, and allow 
 them to fall like a dead weight to his sides — the falling 
 must be occasioned by the weight of the arm, and not 
 aided by his Will — his Will must be withdrawn en- 
 tirely. 
 
 The above exercises may be varied and amplified, 
 as found desirable. 
 
 PUTTING SUBJECTS AT EASE. 
 
 Some of the best experimenters take considerable 
 time in "putting at ease" the persons who offer them- 
 
Experimental Fascination 99 
 
 selves as subjects for psychological experiments, and 
 at the same time they bring about the desired state 
 of relaxation. They realize the distaste and fear that 
 anything like hypnotism inspires in the minds of 
 people, owing to the public performances thereof, and 
 they avoid any suggestion of similar conditions. They 
 generally begin by talking of the value of relaxation, 
 and how few people are able to relax their muscles. 
 Then they illustrate the matter by showing the sub- 
 jects how few of them are able to relax easily. This 
 leads to the trying of the above mentioned Relaxation 
 Exercise, or similar ones, which, as you will see in a 
 moment, leads directly to the first real test of Mental 
 Induction and Suggestion, which is known as the 
 "Falling Forward Test," and which is one of the 
 simplest tests known to the psychological laboratory. 
 From that test to others, it is merely a matter of suc- 
 cessive steps. So the experimenter really begins his 
 work with the process of "putting the subject at 
 ease," and training him in relaxation. In this con- 
 nection I would say that very few people know how 
 to "relax," and some teaching is necessary in the 
 majority of cases. The above exercises should be 
 sufficient. 
 
 THE PRIMARY TEST. 
 
 After instructing the subject in relaxation, say 
 to him: "Now, look me straight in the eyes, 
 and let my Thought act through you. You are feeling 
 
 LOfC. 
 
ioo Mental Fascination 
 
 an inclination to fall forward — fall forward — FALL 
 FORWARD toward me ! Do not fight it, but yield to 
 it — yield to it, I say ! I will catch you as you fall. Now 
 fall forward toward me slowly. That's it, you are 
 leaning a little now. Come on, come on, come on now, 
 this way, this way. NOW !" Extend your two hands, 
 one on each side of his head, but a little in front of 
 him, so that he can see the palms of your hands which 
 should face each other. Then as you repeat -the sug- 
 gestions mentioned above, draw your hands slowly 
 away from him, as if you were "drawing" him by some 
 physical power. This is a strong suggestion, which 
 will render him more susceptible to your Will. The 
 more reality you throw into the "acting out" this 
 "drawing" the more strength will you put into your 
 Willing, and the more readily will he obey. 
 
 USING THE WILL. 
 
 While saying these words look intently into his eyes, 
 and WILL that he fall forward. In a moment he will 
 begin to sway forward a little, and if you keep up the 
 concentrated WILL, and suggestions he will fall for- 
 ward toward you. Be ready for him, and catch him 
 with your hands. This test is far more simple than 
 would seem from reading the description of it, and 
 is capable of being produced in a large percentage of 
 cases, where the persons will allow their minds to be- 
 come passive to yours. Where there seems to be a 
 
Experimental Fascination 101 
 
 resistance, tell the person to "hold the thought" that 
 he is inclining forward toward you. Some find it 
 easier to feel the "falling forward sensation" with 
 their eyes closed, than with them open. With others 
 the reverse is true. 
 
 REVERSING THE TEST. 
 
 After you have succeeded in this experiment, stand 
 behind the person about one yard, and concentrate 
 your gaze upon a point at the base of the skull, that 
 is, where the neck joins the head. Then tell him that 
 he will experience a "falling backward" sensation, just 
 as he did before in the "falling-forward" test. Be sure 
 to tell him that you will catch him when he falls, etc., 
 in order to reassure him. Use the same tones, etc., as 
 in the falling- forward test, except that you substitute 
 the word "backward" for "forward." In a few mo- 
 ments you will obtain the same result as in the falling- 
 forward. 
 
 Both of the above experiments are among the easiest 
 tests known to experimenters, but they are important 
 inasmuch as they serve to inspire confidence in him- 
 self, in the mind of the experimenter, and a passive 
 confidence in the mind of the "impressionable." Then 
 it is always well to begin by these easy tests, and then 
 work up by degrees to the more difficult ones, even 
 upon subsequent occasions. 
 
102 Mental Fascination 
 
 THE "FASTENED PALM" TEST. 
 
 The next test may be as follows : Tell the "impres- 
 sionable" to place the palm of his hand upon your own, 
 allowing it to rest there a few moments, withdrawing 
 all of his Will from his hand, and leaving it perfectly 
 relaxed and like a "dead weight." Then tell him that 
 you are going to fasten his hand to yours by Thought. 
 Then, looking him straight in the eyes, say, in a strong, 
 firm, positive tone : "Now you CAN'T take your hand 
 away — you CAN'T, I say — try, but you CAN'T. Try, 
 try, try — you Can't, you Can't, you CAN'T, I Say," 
 etc. Always accent the word "Can't" in these experi- 
 ments, for that is the word you wish to emphasize and 
 drive home in his mind. And you must, of course, ac- 
 company your words by the thought, "You CAN'T" — 
 you must WILL that he cannot. Remove the impres- 
 sion by saying, "All right, now — all right." 
 
 THE "LOCKED FINGERS" TEST. 
 
 Your next test is that of fastening his own hands to- 
 gether. This is accomplished by getting him to "lock" 
 the fingers of his two hands together, holding them as 
 tight together as he is able to do, using his Will 
 actively in so doing. Then say to him, "Now do not 
 resist me, but remain as you are. Now, you CAN'T 
 unloose your hands— you CAN'T, I say, you CAN'T 
 — try, but you CAN'T," etc., etc., at the same time 
 concentrating your gaze and WILL upon his hands, 
 
Experimental Fascination 103 
 
 thus holding them together. It may help you in the 
 beginning to hold his hands together with your own, 
 at the first, and then gradually loosen your own, until 
 they are entirely away from his hands, repeating your 
 suggestions meanwhile. Remove the impression as 
 previously instructed. 
 
 THE "CLENCHED FIST" TEST. 
 
 Your next test may be that of preventing him from 
 unclenching his fist. Proceed as in the last test, tell- 
 ing him to clench his fist together as tight as he can, 
 and then you must say to him : "Now you CAN'T un- 
 clench it — you CAN'T, I say, etc." It will be some 
 time before he can get his fist unclenched. Remove 
 the impression. 
 
 ROTATING HANDS TEST. 
 
 The next test may be that of making him rotate his 
 hands. Proceed by telling him to relax his hands, 
 somewhat, but begin to rotate them around each other 
 in an outward direction. Then say to him, "Faster, 
 faster, faster, FASTER — as fast as you can." Then 
 when his hands are rotating rapidly, say to him : "Now 
 you CANT stop them— you CAN'T, I say— try, but 
 you CANT, you CANT," etc. And it will be some 
 time before he will be able to stop. Remove the im- 
 pression by the suggestion: "All right — all right." 
 
104 Mental Fascination 
 
 THE ^DRAWING" TEST. 
 
 Your next test may be that of drawing him forward 
 or backzvard toward you. This is accomplished by 
 standing before, or behind him, as the case may be, 
 and telling him that he WILL walk toward you, back- 
 ward or forward as you wish. The command must 
 be made accompanied by the WILL. Remove the 
 impression. 
 
 Akin to the last are two tests as follows: (i) Pre- 
 venting him from stepping out at all; and (2) pre- 
 venting him from stepping outside of an imaginary 
 circle that you have drawn on the floor. These tests 
 are of course accompanied by the appropriate sug- 
 gestions, and use of the Will. Remove the impres- 
 sion. 
 
 THE "CHAIR" TESTS. 
 
 Similar tests such as preventing him from sitting 
 down in a chair; or causing him to remain seated in 
 a chair, unable to rise; may be made in the same way. 
 Remove the impression. 
 
 OTHER TESTS. 
 
 Another common test is that of giving the "im- 
 pressionable" a cane, telling him to hold it fast, and 
 then telling him sharply that he cannot throw it down, 
 for it is "sticking to your hands," etc. Remove the 
 impression. 
 
 A similar test is preventing him from lifting a light 
 
Experimental Fascination 105 
 
 weight, a box, or a chair by your suggestions of "you 
 CANT" accompanied by the use of your Will. Re- 
 move the impression. 
 
 THE "NAME" TEST. 
 
 Some experimenters try the test of preventing the 
 "impressionable" from speaking his name by their 
 "CAN'T" suggestions. A variation of this is making 
 him say his name is "Tom Jones," or some other fic- 
 titious name, by the mere strong suggestion of "Tom 
 Jones, it's Tom Jones, I say," following upon the 
 sharp question, "What's your name?" Strange as it 
 may appear this test is successful in many instances. 
 Remove the impression. 
 
 THE "EYELID" TEST. 
 
 The test of fastening the eyelids is accomplished 
 by having the "impressionable" fasten his eyelids tight 
 together, keeping them in that position for a few mo- 
 ments, when the experimenter says: "Now you 
 CAN'T open them — you CAN'T — try, but you 
 CAN'T," etc., etc., as above described. Release the 
 impression. 
 
 Stiffening the arm, or leg, is accomplished along 
 the same general lines using the appropriate sugges- 
 tions and Will. Remove the impression. 
 
 THE "CATALEPSY" TEST. 
 
 The "catalepsy feat" of the professional hypnotists 
 is but an enlargement of the above muscular tests, 
 
106 Mental Fascination 
 
 and consists of producing a condition of rigidity all 
 over the body of the subject. I do not advise con- 
 ducting this test, for accidents have occurred in some 
 cases, and there are other reasons why it is not ad- 
 visable. I mention it here merely as a matter of sci- 
 entific interest. Notwithstanding the claims of the 
 hypnotists that this test is, capable of being produced 
 only when the subject is in the "deep stage of hyp- 
 nosis" known as the "cataleptic stage," all psycholo- 
 gists know that it may be produced in the wide-awake 
 condition, and is merely a "muscular test," having 
 nothing whatever to do with the "sleep-condition." 
 
 ONE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE. 
 
 You will see that one law governs all of these tests, 
 and thousands of others of a similar nature which may 
 occur to the experimenter. It is all a matter of the 
 use of the WILL and the SUGGESTION of the ex- 
 perimenter accompanied by the relaxation of the Will 
 of the other person. The Law of Mentative Induction 
 is the real cause behind the phenomena. The Sug- 
 gestions render doubly efficient the Will Power of 
 the experimenter, by giving the mind of the "im- 
 pressionable" a mental image around which his Men- 
 tal Poles materialize an action. 
 
 MUSCULAR TESTS, AND BEYOND. 
 
 The above tests are what are known as Muscular 
 Tests, all depending upon the control of the muscles of 
 
Experimental Fascination 107 
 
 the "impressionable" by the Will of the experimenter. 
 Many of these tests are believed by the Hypnotists 
 and Mesmerists to be possible of production only 
 when their "subjects" are in the "sleep condition," or 
 at least only after they have been "put to sleep" and 
 then aroused. As a matter of fact, sleep-conditions 
 have nothing whatever to do with this phenomena, as 
 may be proven by the fact that all of the above tests 
 may be performed without any suggestion of sleep or 
 similar condition. 
 
 There is a more remarkable class of phenomena 
 than the above mentioned which will be considered in 
 the next chapter, all of which, also, may be produced 
 without any attempt to induce sleep. This sleep de- 
 lusion has led people astray for many years, but now 
 it is known that the phenomena of sleep itself is 
 merely an effect of Mental Impression and Sugges- 
 tion, instead of being the cause of the various phe- 
 nomena known as Mesmerism and Hypnotism. 
 
 REMOVING THE IMPRESSION. 
 
 Referring to my repeated caution to "Remove the 
 impression," I wish to call your attention to the fact 
 that the best experimenters lay much stress upon the 
 advisability, if not the absolute necessity, of removing 
 the induced condition from the mind of the person 
 experimented upon. Otherwise he might carry away 
 with him the induced condition, or impression, which 
 
io8 Mental Fascination 
 
 is often far deeper and stronger than is commonly be- 
 lieved to be the case. I URGE THIS UPON YOU 
 specially. DO NOT NEGLECT IT. The condi- 
 tions may readily be removed by the suggestion of 
 "Now you are all right — all right now, you under- 
 stand — you are NOW ALL RIGHT," accompanying 
 the suggestion by the mental picture of their being 
 relieved from the induced condition. The gentle 
 touch of the hand, as in "patting" the part that has 
 been controlled, will help to accentuate the effect of 
 the suggestion of "all right." 
 
 REMOVING UNDESIRABLE CONDITIONS. 
 
 In this connection it may be as well to mention that 
 if you ever happen to come across an "impression- 
 able" with a tendency to manifest a drowsy condition, 
 or the so-called "sleep-state" of hypnotism (probably 
 arising from previous suggestions, either direct from 
 a hypnotist or from having witnessed a hypnotic ex- 
 hibition), you may proceed to awaken him in a similar 
 way to the method just given for "Removing the 
 Impression." In such case you may make upward 
 passes along the sides of his head, saying to him 
 sharply and positively, "WAKE UP — wake up now, 
 I say— WAKE UP ! WIDE AWAKE NOW— you're 
 Wide Awake — wide awake! All right, now — ALL 
 RIGHT, I say— ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT, and 
 WIDE AWAKE! All Right— ALL RIGHT!" You 
 
Experimental Fascination 109 
 
 may heighten the effect by snapping your fingers close 
 to his face, and slapping his shoulders sharply. Be 
 sure to speak positively, firmly and sharply, just as a 
 father would in rousing up a sleepy boy in the morn- 
 ing, and don't lose your head. 
 
 You are not likely to have need for this advice, in 
 ordinary experiments, but I give it in case you happen 
 to come across some "impressionable" or (i hyper-im- 
 pressionable" (see later chapters) who may have been 
 previously hypnotized by some operator who believed 
 in the "sleep-condition," and brought same about by 
 suggestion (see later chapters) ; or else some subject 
 of the same class who has seen hypnotic subjects "go 
 asleep," and induced the same state in himself by 
 imitative self-impression. In such a case, I would 
 advise that you afterward give the subject a good, 
 sound suggestive treatment, to the effect that he will 
 never again "go to sleep" in this way — that he is 
 immune to hypnotic sleep suggestions — and in other 
 ways build up in him a resistance to this deplorable 
 condition. These "sleep-condition" hypnotists have 
 much to answer for, for which their plea of ignorance 
 is not quite sufficient. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 EXPERIMENTS IN INDUCED SENSATION. 
 
 In the last chapter we considered instances of tests 
 of Experimental Fascination, along the lines of Mus- 
 cular Control. In this chapter we will consider the 
 phenomena attendant upon Induced Sensation, all of 
 which follows the same law of Cause, and is pro- 
 duced in the same manner, and by the same methods 
 as the muscular phenomena. 
 
 Let us begin our consideration of Sense Control by 
 the familiar test of the ''Burning Hand." 
 
 THE ^BURNING HAND" TEST. 
 
 This test is performed in the following manner: 
 Zou stand before the "impressionable" the latter ex- 
 tending his hand toward you palm downward. You 
 place the first two ringers of your right hand upon 
 the back of his hand, holding them there for a mo- 
 ment, and concentrating your gaze and Will upon 
 his hand. Then you say to him, sharply, rapidly- and 
 positively: "I am burning your hand — I am burning 
 your hand. It is hot, hot, hot — it is burning, burning, 
 burning you — burning you / say — take it away, quick, 
 
 110 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation in 
 
 I tell you, it is burning you/' etc., etc. (always empha- 
 sizing the words "hot" and "burning") and at the 
 same time Willing that your fingers will feel hot to 
 him. It is surprising how many people will experi- 
 ence the sensation of heat, if you perform the test 
 properly, and are able to concentrate your Will suf- 
 ficiently well, and accompany the same with vivid 
 suggestions. A variation of this test, is to give the 
 "impressionable" a silver coin, telling him to hold it 
 between his thumb and forefinger. Then after a mo- 
 ment give him the suggestions of it being "hot, hot, 
 hot — it's burning you, burning you," etc. You may 
 even impress upon him the idea that while it is burn- 
 ing him, he is unable to let go of it, etc. 
 
 INDUCED PAIN. 
 
 Another test of the sense of feeling is that shown 
 by having the "impressionable" hold out his hand, his 
 arm being extended full length. Then standing be- 
 fore him, with a pin between the finger and thumb of 
 your right hand, pretend to prick your own hand, 
 jabbing the pin into it, and grimacing as if with pain, 
 at the same time saying to him: "You see, you feel 
 the pain of this pin — it hurts you, it hurts you, I say — 
 you feel the pain instead of my feeling it — see, you 
 feel it now (making a feint of "jabbing" the pin into 
 your own hand) — you feel it, I say, etc. It is remark- 
 able how many persons will "take on" the pain that 
 
ii2 Mental Fascination 
 
 you are supposed to be feeling. Of course your imag- 
 ination should be exercised, under the control of your 
 Will, so that you will allow yourself to imagine that 
 you feel the pain. 
 
 I have seen the above experiment tried before a 
 room full of people, and many of the audience shared 
 the induced pain with the "impressionable" upon whom 
 the experiment was being tried. Do not forget what 
 I said in the last chapter about taking away the in- 
 duced condition after the test. In the above cases rub 
 your finger over the burnt (?) or hurt (?) spot, say- 
 ing: "It's all right now — all right — the pain is all 
 gone." If you do not do so, the "impressionable" 
 may carry away with him a sensation that his hand 
 had been subjected to heat or pain. 
 
 REMARKABLE PHENOMENA. 
 
 In this connection, it may be proper to call your at- 
 tention to the fact that the history of the subject shows 
 cases in which burns have actually been produced on 
 the bodies of persons by strong suggestions, coupled 
 with physical aids, for instance, postage stamps have 
 been placed on portions of the body, with the sug- 
 gestion that they were fly-blisters, and the blister ap- 
 peared. You will see that it is all a matter of "in- 
 duced feeling," the more marked results merely evi- 
 dencing the power of the mind of the individual over 
 the mind in the portions of his body, as I have shown 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation 113 
 
 in the chapter entitled "Mental Therapeutics" in my 
 work on "Mental Magic." 
 
 Many other experiments along the line of Sense 
 Control, might be mentioned, but they are all but dif- 
 ferent forms of the same thing. The ingenuity of the 
 experimenter will indicate manifold variations, if he 
 sees fit to follow up the subject. 
 
 INDUCED SENSE OF SMELL. 
 
 The sense of Smell may be induced by the experi- 
 menter suggesting to the "impressionable" that a bot- 
 tle contains a liquid smelling like certain perfumes, 
 etc. This may be varied by changing the suggestion 
 so that all the well-known perfumes may be sensed, 
 like the legend of the magic perfume bottle of the 
 wizard, which probably was nothing more than a 
 case of clever induction of the sense of smell by the 
 method mentioned herein. 
 
 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. 
 
 I have seen a number of cases of this kind in my 
 personal experience, in which large numbers of peo- 
 ple were impressed in this way. In one case, I was 
 attending a play, the scene of which was laid in the 
 south, and in which one of the characters remarked 
 "Oh, smell the magnolias — how strong is their odor 
 in this heavy, warm night air," and in a moment the 
 audience noticed a plain odor of magnolias floating 
 
ii4 Mental Fascination 
 
 over the house. So strong was the impression that 
 many insisted that the management had actually in- 
 troduced the odor, in order to heighten the effect, but 
 inquiry showed this to be erroneous, for no odor was 
 actually used. 
 
 More recently, I attended a play ("The Girl with 
 the Green Eyes") in which one of the characters was 
 supposed to have committed suicide by turning on the 
 gas, in full sight of the audience. The room was 
 large, and jet after jet of the many chandeliers, 
 bracket-lights, etc., were turned on by the woman. In 
 a short time people in the audience began to sniff, 
 and say "Smell the gas," until everyone thought they 
 smelled it, and some women felt faint. Of course, 
 the original impression was given by the physical 
 suggestion, but as soon as people took on the impres- 
 sion, it spread like a contagion, by the law of mental 
 induction, until all felt it more or less. 
 
 THE PROFESSOR'S EXPERIMENT. 
 
 There are cases recorded of the effect being delib- 
 erately produced, for instance, the tale of the old Ger- 
 man professor, who after telling his class that he 
 would uncork a bottle containing a chemical compound 
 noted for its foul odor, uncorked a bottle of distilled 
 water, possessing no odor at all. The class soon per- 
 ceived the supposed odor, and row after row of stu- 
 dents showed their disgust. The waves of the sup- 
 
 i 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation 115 
 
 posed vapor floated over the room, just as would have 
 been the case if the genuine liquid had been un- 
 corked, those nearest the platform perceiving it first, 
 and then the next row, and so on until the whole room 
 was filled with it. Even after the professor explained 
 the nature of the experiment, the class still sniffed 
 away, and many refused to believe the explanation, 
 so strong was the impression. These cases were noth- 
 ing else than instances of induced sensation of smell, 
 along the lines of Mental Impression. 
 
 INDUCED SIGHT. 
 
 The sense of Sight may be induced in the same 
 way. A common experiment with a very impression- 
 able person is as follows : tell him to extend his hand, 
 palm down; then mark a cross on the back of his 
 hand with your forefinger, pressing well into the skin, 
 at the same time saying: "See, I have marked a black 
 cross on your hand — on your hand, a black cross — 
 see it there— -you see it there now — black — black — a 
 black cross — you see it there, don't you?" etc., and if 
 he be sufficiently impressionable he will see it. The 
 more that you can imagine the black cross there, the 
 stronger will be his impression of it. 
 
 If you will call the attention of people to the ex- 
 traordinary blueness of the sky, they will be very apt 
 to acquiesce, some of them going into raptures over 
 it, although the sky is no bluer than at any other time. 
 
II 16 Mental Fascination 
 
 It is astonishing how many of these impressions are 
 given and taken in every day life. Some one thinks 
 the room is very close, and immediately many people 
 begin to feel suffocated, and wish the windows raised. 
 Someone suggests a draft, and people begin to shiver. 
 Some one remarks how extremely warm the day is, 
 and people begin to mop their foreheads. And so on 
 — all being bits from the same piece. 
 
 INDUCED HEARING. 
 
 The sense of Hearing may be induced in the same 
 way. Tell your "impressionable" that he hears the 
 song of a bird, or the whistle of a locomotive, at the 
 same time using your own imagination vigorously, 
 and giving the suggestions sufficiently vividly, and he 
 will hear the sounds mentioned. You may try this 
 on several people in a room, on an ordinary occasion, 
 by pretending to hear the humming of a bee, or a dis- 
 tant whistle, or some other faint sound such as the 
 distant wail of a child, and a certain percentage of 
 those present, after a moment or two of intent listen- 
 ing, will affirm that they heard the sound. 
 
 INDUCED TASTE. 
 
 The sense of taste is easily induced. The well 
 known experiment of suggesting the taste of lemons, 
 with the accompaning flow of saliva and taste of acid, 
 is a good example. With a good "impressionable'' 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation 117 
 
 you may induce a sense of changing tastes from ex- 
 treme sweetness to extreme acidity, in a simple taste- 
 less glass of water — it all depends upon the degree 
 of impressionability of the persons tested, and the 
 strength of your own imagination and suggestion. It 
 L all a question of induced sensation. The profes- 
 sional hypnotist turns this to good account in his en- 
 tertainment. 
 
 PERSONAL EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 In this connection I would say that several years 
 ago when I was devoting much time to experimental 
 work, I cured many cases of tobacco-chewing, cigar- 
 ette habit, etc., by a course of vivid suggestion, ac- 
 companied by visualization, manifesting as mental in- 
 duction. I would create a mental image of the to- 
 bacco or cigarettes as having a disgusting taste, — a 
 taste that produced a feeling akin to nausea — and then 
 would concentrate my mind and feeling upon the other 
 person, giving him at the same time the most vivid 
 suggestions of "disgusting, nauseating, sickening 
 taste," etc., etc., etc., until he would be unable to 
 chew the tobacco, or smoke the cigarette. Then by 
 following up the matter by giving him the strongest 
 "future impression" that he would always remember 
 the sensation of disgusting taste whenever he at- 
 tempted to chew or smoke, and that the tobacco or 
 cigarette would always induce those feelings in him, a 
 cure of the habit would be effected. 
 
n8 Mental Fascination 
 
 "sleep-condition" not necessary. 
 
 Some practitioners of Suggestive Therapeutics have 
 met with much success in the treatment of unde- 
 sirable habits in this way. It is true that many of 
 these practitioners have believed that it was necessary 
 to produce the ''hypnotic sleep" in order to get the 
 results, but this is simply because they themselves are 
 "self-hypnotized" with the "sleep-delusion," and if 
 they would but throw off their spell, and begin to ex- 
 periment along the other lines, they would see that the 
 same results could be obtained without the slightest 
 attempt to produce sleep. 
 
 SENSES INHIBITED. 
 
 Just as the senses may be rendered by induction, so 
 may they be inhibited in the same way. Any of the 
 above experiments with the senses may be reversed 
 at Will. Tell your "impressionable" that he cannot 
 hear a certain sound; smell a certain odor; taste a 
 certain taste; feel a certain sensation; see a certain 
 thing; and if you be sufficiently Positive, and he suf- 
 ficiently impressionable, and if you use your imagina- 
 tion and suggestion sufficiently well — the senses will 
 be inhibited in his mind for the time being. 
 
 REMARKABLE INSTANCES. 
 
 In the matter of inhibition of the sense of Feeling, 
 some most remarkable results may be obtained — in 
 fact all of the results along this line secured by the 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation 119 
 
 hypnotists with the aid of the "deep-sleep," may be 
 obtained without attempt at sleep. I have seen minor 
 operations performed under the influence of induced 
 inhibition of the sense of feeling. I have seen teeth 
 extracted with little or no pain in this way. I have 
 seen nervous patients, unusually sensitive to pain, 
 able to stand dental work with practically no discom- 
 fort, by means of such inhibition of the sense of feel- 
 ing. Even the brutal experiments of many of the 
 stage hypnotists, who run needles through hypnotized 
 patient's cheeks, without causing pain — even these 
 can be duplicated without sleep being induced, al- 
 though I consider such exhibitions deplorable and 
 disgusting, and worthy of the severest condemnation. 
 I merely mention these last to show the power of in- 
 duced feeling, or inhibition of the same by induction. 
 
 THE SECRET OF INHIBITION. 
 
 The secret of the inhibition of the senses, is that 
 the Will is directed to "shutting off" the attention to 
 the part or organ. If the Attention can be removed, 
 or shut off, no pain will be felt. Many persons have 
 practiced on themselves, until they can inhibit pain 
 in portions of their body. And in inducing the effect 
 in another person, the same methods are used, accom- 
 panied by suggestion. 
 
 MENTAL ANESTHESIA. 
 
 It may be of interest to many students, to have me 
 make a little more detailed reference to this subject 
 
120 Mental Fascination 
 
 of Anaesthesia by Mental Induction. Anaesthesia, 
 you know is "an entire or partial loss or absence of 
 feeling or sensation." We generally think of this 
 condition as being brought about only by something 
 like ether, gas, etc. But anything that will tend to 
 inhibit sensation is an "anaesthetic." The word "in- 
 hibit," you know, means "to check; to hold back; to 
 restrain," etc. And pain and sensation may be in- 
 hibited by pure Mental Impression. 
 
 HISTORICAL INSTANCES. 
 
 History is full of instances of inhibition of pain, by 
 strong mental feeling, emotion, ecstasy, etc. Religious 
 fanatics have mutilated themselves barbarously, with- 
 out feeling the pain. The American Indians in their 
 wild dances, wound themselves without feeling the 
 pain. In India the fanatical devotees torture them- 
 selves in horrible ways, as a religious rite, and seem 
 entirely callous to pain. People have been burned at 
 the stake, chanting joyful songs, and martyrs have 
 been crunched in the jaws of the wild beasts with 
 laughter and joy fully manifest. All of these in- 
 stances, and many others of the same kind, show that 
 it is possible for the mind of a person to inhibit pain 
 in himself. And, the inhibition of pain in a person, 
 by another person, is merely a calling into play of the 
 same power, by means of induction and suggestion. 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation 121 
 
 It is not a creation of the power in the person, but 
 merely a calling forth that which is already there. 
 
 HOW TO INHIBIT PAIN IN ANOTHER. 
 
 The following simple, but very effective, method 
 is that used in the best psychological laboratories. 
 The "impressionable" is comfortably seated, or placed 
 in a reclining position, before the experimenter. Let 
 us suppose that it is wished to inhibit sensation in his 
 arm. In that case the experimenter will begin to 
 stroke the arm upward, from finger tips to shoulder. 
 The effect of this stroking is to restrain the circula- 
 tion, which latter responds readily to such sugges- 
 tion, as we shall see a little later on. The experi- 
 menter says: "Now I am taking the circulation away 
 from your arm, and putting the nerves to rest. You 
 will begin to feel a sensation of coolness and numb- 
 ness coming over your arm, from finger tips to shoul- 
 der. Now you feel it — your arm is getting numb, 
 numb , I say — quite numb. Getting numb — getting 
 numb — getting numb — numb — numb — NUMB. It 
 is now quite numb. You cannot feel pain in it. See, 
 I will prick it with this needle, but you will not feel 
 pain. You can feel the touch, but cannot feel any 
 pain," and so on, until complete inhibition is effected. 
 When you first prick with the point of the needle, do 
 so but gently, although appearing to do it with force 
 — this will reassure the patient, and will make him re- 
 lax his resisting Will the more. 
 
122 Mental Fascination 
 
 RESULT OF REPETITION. 
 
 The above process continued, in the right person, 
 and in the proper manner, will produce wonderful re- 
 sults. In fact, in this way is the inhibition of sensa- 
 tion produced, in order that minor operations may be 
 performed without the use of ether, etc. A little 
 practice for several days, renders the effect more 
 marked each time, until the desired degree is obtained. 
 The above method is the most simple, and yet the 
 most effective, known to experimental psychologists, 
 and if persisted in, and performed intelligently, is 
 capable of wonderful development. It should be un- 
 necessary for me to add that the experimenter should 
 keep before his own mind, vividly, the condition he 
 wishes to produce in the patient. He should endeavor 
 to actually "see" him insensible to pain, and should 
 throw his whole belief and earnestness into the sug- 
 gestions. More than "lip service" is necessary. 
 
 DIRECTING THE CIRCULATION. 
 
 In connection with the above experiments, the fol- 
 lowing is interesting. You may take an impression- 
 able person, and increase the circulation in any part 
 of the body, or else inhibit it partially, just as you 
 wish. You may prove this by ordering the circulation 
 back in one arm, and increasing it in another, the re- 
 sult being that one hand will be a ghastly white, and 
 the other a deep red color. Blood may be drawn 
 
Experiments in Induced Sensation 123 
 
 away from the head in this manner, and headaches 
 thereby relieved. But, I must stop this, for I am 
 encroaching upon the subject of Mental Therapeutics. 
 In this direction of the circulation upward or down- 
 ward (as the case may be) passes of the hands will 
 prove of great assistance, for this motion is followed 
 by the Attention, and an axiom in Suggestive Thera- 
 peutics is that "The Circulation follows the Atten- 
 tion." Downward passes increase the circulation to 
 the limbs — upward ones inhibit it. 
 
 I have spoken of the above effects being produced 
 upon the "irnpressiondbles." I mean by this, that such 
 people are the more readily affected. But, remember 
 this, that even the strongest willed man or woman 
 may be affected in this manner, if he or she will by 
 directing this Will, actually co-operate in the matter. 
 For instance, the very strength of a man's Will may 
 aid in the inhibition of pain by Suggestion, because 
 he will be co-operating with the Suggestor. All the 
 effect comes from "the power within" in any case — 
 and all the experimenter or suggestor does is to call 
 that power into effect. It is akin to driving a team 
 of strong horses, or the running of a 1,000 horsepower 
 engine — the power is not in the driver or engineer, 
 but they make the thing go, nevertheless. 
 
 In closing this chapter, let me again impress upon 
 the experimenter the importance of always removing 
 the impression after the experiment. Remember the 
 
124 Mental Fascination 
 
 important final "Now you're all right — all right now 
 —all right!" 
 
 In the next chapter we pass on to the consideration 
 of the Phenomena of Induced Imagination. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE PHENOMENA OF INDUCED IMAGINA- 
 TION. 
 
 I will now lead you to a consideration of a class of 
 experiments more marked in sensational features than 
 those related in the previous two chapters. These 
 experiments are the ones usually alluded to as "the 
 higher hypnotic phenomena," although they really are 
 as distinct from the "hypnotic" or sleep condition, as 
 the ones already considered. Any and all forms of 
 the "hypnotic" phenomena, may be produced with- 
 out resorting to the methods of the hypnotists so far 
 as producing the sleep condition is concerned. I call 
 this class of phenomena "Induced Imagination." 
 
 WHAT IMAGINATION IS. 
 
 The term "Imagination," you know, means "The 
 power of the mind to create mental images of objects 
 of sense; the power to reconstruct or recombine the 
 materials furnished by experience, memory or fancy; 
 a mental image formed by the faculty of imagina- 
 tion," etc., etc. The word is derived from the English 
 
 125 
 
126 Mental Fascination 
 
 word ''Image," which in turn has for its root the Latin 
 word "ima-tari" meaning "to imitate." 
 
 IMAGINATION AND FANCY. 
 
 The Imagination is creative in its nature and works 
 with the plastic material of the mind. The writers 
 usually make a distinction between what is called 
 "imagination proper," on the one hand, and what is 
 called "fancy" on the other. By "imagination proper" 
 is meant the higher forms of activity of the, image- 
 creating faculty, such as is manifested in the crea- 
 tion of literature, art, music, philosophical theory, sci- 
 entific hypothesis, etc. By "fancy" is meant the 
 lighter forms of the manifestation of the image-cre- 
 ating faculty, such as the ideal fancies and day-dreams 
 of people ; the arbitrary and capricious, imaginings ; 
 fantasy, etc. "Imagination proper" may be consid- 
 ered as a Positive phase, and "Fancy" as the Nega- 
 tive phase, of the Image-creating faculty. 
 
 POSITIVE IMAGINATION. 
 
 Imagination in its Positive phase is a most impor- 
 tant faculty of the human being. It lies at the basis 
 of active mental manifestation. One must form a 
 mental image of a thing before he can manifest it in 
 objective form. It is distinctly creative in its nature, 
 and really forms the mould in which deeds and actions 
 are cast — it forms the architect's plan, which we use 
 
Phenomena of Induced Imagination 127 
 
 to build our life of action and deeds. And, mind you 
 this, it is the faculty used in the Occult practice known 
 as "Visualization," which is spoken of in my work on 
 "Mental Magic." Positive Imagination is very far 
 from being the fanciful, capricious, light, whimsical 
 thing that many suppose it to be. It is one of the 
 most positive manifestations of the mind. Not only 
 does it precede, and is necessary to, the performance 
 of objective acts, and the producing of material 
 things — but it is also the faculty by which we impress 
 our mental-images upon the minds of others by Men- 
 tative Induction, and by the use of Desire and Will. 
 Positive Imagination is the mother of "Ideas." And 
 "idea" is but "an image formed in the mind" (Web- 
 ster), and the Imagination is the faculty in which the 
 "image" (or "idea") is formed. And in proportion 
 to the activity of the Imagination, so is the strength of 
 the image or idea. And as is the strength of the im- 
 age or idea, so is the degree of its power to impress 
 itself upon the minds of others. So you see, Imagina- 
 tion, in its Positive phase is a strong, real thing. But 
 it is largely with its Negative phase that we shall 
 have to deal with here. 
 
 THE NATURE OF MESMERIC CONTROL. 
 
 All of you who have witnessed an exhibition of 
 mesmerism, or hypnotism, or else read descriptions of 
 the same, have doubtless marveled at the phenomenon 
 
128 Menial Fascination 
 
 of the "subject" performing all sorts of ridiculous 
 and peculiar actions under the direction of the hyp- 
 notist. There have been many theories advanced to 
 account for this phenomenon, some of them very com- 
 plicated and labored. But I have discarded theory 
 after theory of this kind, finding them inadequate to 
 explain the mental processes involved, much less the 
 underlying principle. I have come to a conclusion 
 arising from my own investigation and experiments, 
 which I shall give you here. This "theory" — or ex- 
 planation, for it is scarcely a "theory" — does not at- 
 tempt to go into the "what is mind" question, nor 
 does it attempt to divide or sub-divide the mind. It 
 merely explains the "workings of the mind" in this 
 class of phenomena. 
 
 AN EXPLANATION. 
 
 The explanation just mentioned is as follows: I 
 hold that the action of the "hypnotic subject" may be 
 explained upon the hypothesis that his "Negative 
 Imagination," or Fancy, if you prefer to call it such, 
 is acted upon by the Suggestions and Mentative Cur- 
 rents of the operator, and an induced state of Nega- 
 tive Imagination is set up. That is to say that, in 
 hypnotic phenomena, instead of the subject's Nega- 
 tive Imagination being aroused by his own Desire or 
 Will, or other planes of his Mentality, such condition 
 is aroused by Mentative Induction, caused by the Men- 
 
Phenomena of Induced Imagination 129 
 
 tative Currents of the operator, and aided by Sugges- 
 tion. Let us see whether this is reasonable. 
 
 INDUCED IMAGINATION. 
 
 All of you know that your Negative Imagination 
 may be aroused by outward persons or things. You 
 hear a piece of music, and before you know it your 
 Fancy is running along painting all sorts of pictures 
 in your mind, and inducing all sorts of feelings. A 
 picture may affect you in the same way. A piece of 
 poetry, or poem, may lift you out of yourself on the 
 wings of Fancy. A book may carry you along in a 
 world of fantasy and unreality, until you forget the 
 actual world around you — have you not had this ex- 
 perience? And, more marked than any of the above 
 mentioned cases, is the effect of a perfect stage per- 
 formance, in which the world and characters of the 
 play take such a hold upon you as to seem reality it- 
 self, and you laugh and cry with the characters in the 
 play. You scowl at the villain, and tremble at the dan- 
 ger of the heroine. You glory in the hero's success, 
 and shed tears at the sorrows and trials of the suffer- 
 ing characters. And you feel these things in propor- 
 tion that your Negative Imagination or Fancy is called 
 into activity by induction. But remember this — the 
 actors, poet, writer, composer, or artist created his ef- 
 fect by the exercise of his or her Positive Imagination ; 
 while the effect upon you is induced in your Negative 
 
136 Mental Fascination 
 
 Imagination. The first is an act of Positive Creation, 
 while the second is merely a Reflection impressed upon 
 your mind, by either the Suggestion, or the Mentative 
 Energy of the actor. 
 
 In your consideration of the above, remember what 
 I have said about Suggestion, in an earlier chapter. 
 Suggestion is merely the presentation of the Outward 
 Symbol of the Inner Feeling. 
 
 THE MISTAKE OF THE SUGGESTIONISTS. 
 
 The radical school of Suggestionists pooh-pooh at 
 the idea of Mentative Energy having anything to do 
 with the phenomena which we are now considering. 
 They claim that "Suggestion" is sufficient to account 
 for it all. Without going deeply into a discussion of 
 this matter, I would ask these gentlemen: Why is it 
 that the same words, uttered in the same tone, by two 
 different suggestors, produce widely different degrees 
 of effect? Also : What is that peculiar Personal Force 
 that we FEEL when certain persons Suggest, that is 
 absent in the Suggestions of others? My answer is 
 that the difference lies in the degree of Feeling called 
 into activity in the mind of the Suggestor — the degree 
 of Mentative Energy released by him. And I think that 
 any careful investigator will agree with me in this, if 
 he will open his mind to all the impressions received 
 during his investigations, instead of tying himself to a 
 previously conceived theory. 
 
Phenomena of Induced Imagination 131 
 
 HIGHLY IMPRESSIONABLE SUBJECT. 
 
 Now here is an important feature of this matter of 
 the phenomena which we are considering. The in- 
 vestigator will find that while the conditions mentioned 
 in the two last chapters — the muscular and sense in- 
 duction, respectively, may be produced in a large per- 
 centage of the "impressionables" still there are com- 
 paratively few of them in which the more startling 
 phases may be induced. Why is this ? The answer is 
 that there are a certain number of persons who com- 
 bine within themselves the negative qualities of the 
 "impressionables " combined with a highly developed 
 faculty of Fancy, or Negative Imagination. This com- 
 bination causes the person possessing it to be an ideal 
 subject for these strange experiments referred to. Such 
 a person is what the French hypnotists call a "som- 
 nambule" or hyper-sensitive, but which terms I dis- 
 card because of their hypnotic association, and I sub- 
 stitute the term "hyper-impressionables" I have ex- 
 plained the sense in which I use the term ''impression- 
 able." The word "hyper" is a prefix, meaning "over ; 
 above; excessive; abnormally great," etc. The term 
 <( hyper-impressionables" as I shall use it, means an 
 "abnormally impressionable" person. This excessive, 
 or abnormally great, impressionability, as I have said, 
 arises from the combination of a Negative Will with 
 an excessive faculty of Fancy, the latter being a form 
 
132 Mental Fascination 
 
 of Negative Imagination, remember. So you see that 
 the taint of negativity is all over these persons. 
 
 A PSYCHOLOGICAL COMBINATION. 
 
 In order to show that I am correct in this classifica- 
 tion, I will call your attention to the fact that an 
 ordinary "impressionable" even though his Will- 
 Power be the weakest, cannot be induced to perform 
 the tests of the "hyper-impressionable" if his faculty of 
 Fancy be not excessive. And on the other hand, one 
 may take a person of highly developed Positive Imag- 
 ination — -and our great people in all lines are such — 
 and they are most difficult to influence in this way. In 
 fact they are constantly affecting and influencing oth- 
 ers. The strongest influencers of men belong to this 
 last mentioned class. So you see the ideal "hyper-im- 
 pressionable" must have the combination of Negativity, 
 and Fancy. He is in a class all fr r himself. Let us 
 examine him. 
 
 THE "HYPER-IMPRESSIONABLE." 
 
 In the first place, he is most credulous, superstitious, 
 fanciful, bigoted, and unstable. He is of the class 
 whose fancy is easily aroused, and induced, and whose 
 general tendency is toward "giving airy nothings a 
 local habitation and a name," and to whom "when 
 shown an tgg, the next minute the air is full of 
 feathers." He is also prone to Imitation, and is in- 
 
Phenomena of Induced Imagination 133 
 
 clined to "follow my leader," rather than to strike out a 
 new path for himself. He has but little Originality 
 and Initiative, which are highly developed in the man 
 of strong Positive Imagination. He resembles the 
 sheep and goose, rather than the eagle or lion. He is 
 always dependent upon others for ideas, information, 
 advice, and often material support. His Imagination 
 is negative, that is, has little or no original action, and 
 acts only (and easily) when induced or excited by an- 
 other's mentality or suggestion. He has no executive 
 ability, and feels easier when he has someone to "order 
 him around," and to tell him what to do. He is a good 
 copyer, mimic, and imitator, and is often quite service- 
 able in positions where the work is mechanical and a 
 "good copyer" is needed. 
 
 The mysterious and unusual has a fascination for 
 him akin to the fascination exerted over some birds by 
 a waving bit of colored cloth. He is governed by his 
 emotions rather than by his reason. He is excessively 
 fanciful and "imaginative" (as the term is generally 
 used) and has a decidedly hysterical tendency, and a 
 disposition to "see things" and to "feel strangely" — he 
 has many "strange experiences." He has but a mini- 
 mum of self-control, and is apt to "fly-off" readily. He 
 lacks voluntary attention, and application, and his mind 
 is apt to "go a-wandering" — the only time that he can 
 be kept steady is when some Positive Individual con- 
 trols and superintends him. The excitable, emotional 
 
134 Mental Fascination 
 
 colored man, who gets religion at every camp-meeting, 
 only to backslide next week, is an illustration of one 
 class of this type. He "takes-on" the mental states of 
 those around him, readily, and accepts readily a strong, 
 positive suggestion. These are some of his character- 
 istics. 
 
 THE ^EAR-MARKS." 
 
 There are many of these people in the world, in 
 high and low life. But, high or low, there is a strong 
 family resemblance in their mental make-up. The 
 two great characteristics by which they may be dis- 
 tinguished are, as stated, (i) A NEGATIVE WILL, 
 and (2) an excessive faculty of Fancy. These two 
 combine to manifest a highly marked example of 
 NEGATIVE IMAGINATION. 
 
 THE "PRIZE-SUBJECTS^ OF THE HYPNOTISTS. 
 
 Now, the reason that I have gone into the matter 
 of the nature and character of the "hyper-impression- 
 able" people is this: It is from the ranks of these 
 people that the "subjects" of the hypnotists are re- 
 cruited. If you understand the nature of these people, 
 you will understand how the phenomena are produced. 
 Of course the majority of professional hypnotists deny 
 this, and make great claims that their "subjects" be- 
 long to a class of people having peculiar qualities 
 owing to ability to concentrate, etc., but every one of 
 
Phenomena of Induced Imagination 135 
 
 them knows in his heart that my above statement is 
 true. Those who have had the opportunity of per- 
 sonal acquaintance with these "subjects" know that 
 they all come under the above classification, with the 
 exception of those persons known as "horses," the 
 name which the professional hypnotists give to people 
 who travel around as "professional subjects" and who 
 play their parts just as any other actor does. These 
 "horses" are trained to go through their parts and also 
 to serve as "bell-wethers" or leaders of the flock of 
 "hyper-impressionables" who are taken from the au- 
 dience. I know just what I am talking about when 
 I make this statement, notwithstanding the commonly 
 accepted opinion of the uninformed public to the effect 
 that the prize subjects are just the average run of 
 folks. Now let us attend an imaginary public hypnotic 
 performance, in order to form a clear understanding 
 of the matter. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 AN INQUIRY INTO CERTAIN PHENOMENA. 
 
 And now for our public hypnotic performance. 
 Take your seats, please. 
 
 THE HYPNOTIC PERFORMANCE. 
 
 The audience is seated, and the hypnotist appears. 
 He makes a nice little introductory speech, in which 
 he gives the history of hypnotism and mesmerism. 
 He avoids the scientific side of the subject, except 
 such parts of it as serve to arouse the interest of the 
 audience. He points out to the audience that the 
 commonly accepted opinion of the subjects being 
 "weak-willed," etc., is erroneous, and that so far from 
 this being the fact, no one except persons having will- 
 power and the ability to concentrate may be hypno- 
 tized. He mentions the time-worn tale that idiots and 
 insane people, and very young children, are not amen- 
 able to hypnotic influence, and from these things he 
 draws the moral that the ability to be hypnotized is 
 an honor and a proof of one's strong mentality, rather 
 than otherwise. This, of course, flatters the "hyper- 
 irnpressionables/' who always flock to a public hyp- 
 
 136 
 
Inquiry into Certain Phenomena 137 
 
 notic performance, being drawn there by their love of 
 the curious, and the fascination that such exhibitions 
 seem to have for these people. 
 
 THE CALL FOR SUBJECTS. 
 
 The hypnotist then calls for volunteer subjects. The 
 audience does not seem to be in a hurry to respond, 
 although some are found to be fidgeting in their 
 chairs, and a few almost rise from their seats as if to 
 go forward. The hypnotist encourages, and com- 
 mands, "Come on, come on, now; right up this way; 
 come right up," etc., and the inclination to "come for- 
 ward" grows stronger. Then a young man starts for- 
 ward with a rush, and then another from the other 
 side of the house. Then maybe a third or a fourth — 
 and then comes the grand rush. These first people to 
 move forward are usually the paid performers who 
 travel with the hypnotist, and their coming to the 
 front starts up the " impressionable s" and u hyper-im- 
 pressionables ,> among the audience, and perhaps a few 
 curiosity seekers. These paid performers act as "bell- 
 wethers" for the flock of human sheep. 
 
 TESTING AND SELECTING SUBJECTS. 
 
 The volunteer subjects (including the paid ones) 
 are now grouped around the back of the stage in a 
 large semi-circle. And then the hypnotist proceeds to 
 "test" them. He usually starts off by bidding the 
 
138 Mental Fascination 
 
 semi-circle gaze at their hands, or upon some bright 
 object placed in their fingers. After they have quieted 
 down and have been rendered passive and attentive, 
 he calls them one by one to the front and gives them 
 a test for impressionability. He usually begins with 
 the paid subjects, for he knows just what they will do. 
 and their actions have a powerful impression on the 
 others along the lines of imitative suggestion. He 
 usually tries the "falling backward and forward test," 
 and perhaps the "fastening of the hands," or some 
 other simple muscular test. Those who respond 
 readily to these tests are accepted and instructed to 
 sit down again, while those who fail to respond are 
 told that they are not needed, and resume their places 
 in the audience. The hypnotist must have reasonably 
 "sure things" to work upon for his success upon pro- 
 ducing a quick result, and he cannot afford to devote 
 the time to "developing" subjects that the experi- 
 menter in the laboratory does. Finally he has weeded 
 the goats from the sheep, the former being retired to 
 the audience and the latter exalted to places of honor 
 on the stage, having successfully passed their initiation 
 and now being "accepted subjects." 
 
 THE STORY OF THE "PAID SUBJECTS." 
 
 Now, just a moment here about the "paid subjects." 
 Some of them are genuine "hyper-intpressionables/' 
 who are fascinated by the mysterious nature of "the 
 
Inquiry into Certain Phenomena 139 
 
 business" and flattered by the position of prominence 
 given them in the performance, and who travel around 
 with the hypnotist on a small salary and board paid. 
 The "horses" are different kind of people — they are 
 "out for the money" alone, and are generally "fakirs" 
 all the way through. They have trained themselves to 
 stand pain and to allow needles to be thrust through 
 their cheeks and similar rough treatment to be ac- 
 corded them. They learn to act out their parts with 
 a surprising degree of ability in some cases, and many 
 of them in time graduate into the cheaper grade of 
 variety actors, and a few mount even higher up and 
 develop genuine talent as actors. The majority of 
 them, however, belong to the "cigarette type" of youth, 
 who "is out for a good time" and who is glad to play 
 his part in the performance for his board, traveling 
 expenses, cigarette money, a little loose change, and 
 the cheap notoriety of public performance. Some of 
 the more expert of them demand and receive larger 
 salaries as they advance in the scale, and a few "star 
 performers" in the business receive quite good sal- 
 aries — and earn it, too. These "horses" often display 
 considerable ability in the line of suggestion and really 
 lead the volunteer subjects through their acts, the 
 latter obeying the line of least resistance along the 
 general lines of imitative suggestion. These "star 
 performers" among the "horses" are often just as 
 expert hypnotists as their employers, and consequently 
 
140 Mental Fascination 
 
 much of the success of the "entertainment" is due to 
 their efforts. 
 
 PRODUCING "SLEEP" (?). 
 
 The next stage in the performance is to induce 
 "sleep" ( ?) in the subjects. This is done by first 
 inducing fixation of the eye-lids, along the lines of 
 muscular control of which I have spoken. Then sug- 
 gestions of sleep are given by the hypnotist, such as 
 "You are growing drowsy, drowsy, drowsy — your eye- 
 lids are heavy, heavy, heavy as lead — you are falling 
 asleep, falling asleep," etc., and soon the heads of the 
 "horses" and the "hyper-impressionables" are nodding. 
 The "impressionables" who are not affected by the 
 sleep suggestions are sorted out and sent back to the 
 audience, until there is left only the "horses" and 
 "hyper-impressionables" including the paid perform- 
 ers among the latter, as well as those who have vol- 
 unteered. Then the hypnotist has obtained that which 
 he has tried for. He has a circle of "hyper-impres- 
 sionables" and "horses" who will accept every sugges- 
 tion that he may give them, and be responsive to every 
 demand upon their Negative Imagination that he may 
 induce in them. 
 
 THE "DAY-DREAM" CONDITION. 
 
 "But are they not really asleep?" you may ask. No! 
 they are not asleep. Their condition is one of a 
 drowsy, day-dreamy state, such as many of us have 
 
Inquiry into Certain Phenomena 141 
 
 felt when lost in reverie, or "absent-mindedness." 
 They have had the feeling of "drowsiness" induced in 
 them by the suggestions and influence of the hyp- 
 notist and have had their Negative Imagination acted 
 upon by him until they are in a state of dazed dav- 
 dream. They know what is going on about them and 
 realize the illusion which they are acting out, but are 
 so passive that their imagination is partially beyond 
 their own control and is induced and managed by 
 the hypnotist through his Positive Imagination and 
 his Suggestions. It is a queer state. I have talked 
 with many of these people and think that I have meas- 
 ured the mental state existing in them. They are 
 living in two worlds. Their Wills are passive — and 
 the Negative Imagination, or Fancy, is most active 
 and under the control of the hypnotist. 
 
 An illustration that I have used in some of my lec- 
 tures on this subject may give you a clearer idea of 
 the matter. It is as follows : A party of children are 
 playing "bear." One of them is the bear and goes 
 growling, wagging his head, and showing his teeth in 
 a ferocious manner. The other children pretend to be 
 frightened, but after a bit they induce in themselves a 
 feeling of real terror — the assumed becomes almost 
 real to them. (Children have very vivid Negative 
 Imaginations and often suffer great torture by foolish 
 
142 Mental Fascination 
 
 suggestions of "boogy-man ;" "big bear catch you;" 
 "something will grab you when you go upstairs," etc. 
 An understanding of suggestion would show the folly 
 and criminality of such things.) The terror among 
 the children grows more acute, and tears mingle with 
 laughter as they run from the "bear." At last one of 
 the youngest runs with a shriek to its mother and 
 buries its little face in her lap, crying out, "Make him 
 go 'way/' "Why, that isn't a bear, Mary — that's only 
 Johnny dressed up like one," says the mother, endeav- 
 oring to quiet the little one. "Yes, I know it is," sobs 
 little Mary, venturing a frightened glance behind her ; 
 "but I'm scared, anyhow." Well, that is the condition 
 of the li hyper-impressionable" who is hypnotized. He 
 "knows it's only Johnny, but he is scared anyhow!" 
 It is not all a make-believe, as some radical iconoclastic 
 investigators have affirmed — it's half real and half 
 unreal. The hypnotized "hyper-impressionable" is not 
 a "fakir" or a wilful deceiver — he is a "make-believe," 
 whose illusion seems half real, or even more so, 
 although less than half in some cases, the degree of 
 reality varying with the degree of impressionability on 
 the one hand and the vividness of the Negative Imagi- 
 nation on the other. 
 
 OPPOSING VIEWS RECONCILED. 
 
 I have gone into this matter of the mental state of 
 the genuine hypnotic subject rather fully, for the rea- 
 
Inquiry into Certain Phenomena 143 
 
 son that the statements of two schools of investigators 
 are diametrically opposed to each other on the subject. 
 The old school of mesmerists and hypnotists insists 
 that the subjects are in a "true-sleep" condition, and 
 are absolutely oblivious to all that goes on around 
 them, outside of their illusions — that they are acting 
 out dreams suggested to them. The new school of 
 "Suggestion/' on the other hand, claims that the sub- 
 jects are wide-awake as usual and merely acquiesce 
 in the suggestions made them, just as they would in 
 any other, and are fully conscious of what they are 
 doing, and are "make-believe" all the way through, 
 from beginning to end. I think that my theory, or 
 explanation, will supply the Reconciliation, or Missing- 
 link, between these two opposing views, and I believe 
 that it will meet with the approval of many who, like 
 myself, have had the opportunity of examining these 
 people and getting close to the heart of the matter. It 
 is true that many of these subjects will tell you that 
 they were totally unconscious of what they were doing, 
 but that is because in so doing they are carrying out the 
 suggestions, express or implied, of the hypnotist, who 
 tells them that they are 'hypnotized" and know nothing 
 else. A funny thing about these subjects is that each 
 one of them thinks that he is the only one who was 
 "half-awake," and that all of his companions were 
 "completely under" the influence. Remember, now, I 
 am not talking of "trance conditions," which belong 
 
144 Mental Fascination 
 
 to another phase of the subject, nor am I talking 
 about the "horses" on the stage, who are "fakirs" all 
 the way through, although contributing much to the 
 interest and action of the show. My description of the 
 mental state of the subject applies only to the genuine 
 cases of hyper-impressionability, in the "day-dream" 
 state. 
 
 THE HYPNOTIC SHOW. 
 
 I shall not take up your time and space by describ- 
 ing the many features of the public hypnotic perform- 
 ance — the barber-shop scene; the balloon trip; the 
 baseball game; the hive of bees; the school session; 
 and the thousand of variations shown by the many 
 hypnotic exhibitors and performers, some of whom are 
 artists in their line, and show a wonderful ability in 
 the direction of making their performances "interest- 
 ing" and akin to a vaudeville show. Nearly everyone 
 who reads these lines has seen a performance of this 
 sort and will know to what I refer. The principle is 
 the same in all of these acts or performances. The 
 "horses" and the "hyper-impressionables" accept the 
 suggestions, and the latter are also impressed by the 
 hypnotist's Positive Imagination acting upon their 
 Negative Imagination through Mental Currents by 
 Induction. 
 
Inquiry into Certain Phenomena 145 
 
 But even the most startling and complicated ex- 
 periments are but combinations of the experiments 
 in "Induced Sensation" mentioned in Chapter IX of 
 this book, raised to a superlative degree by means of 
 "Induced Imagination." The experiments I have 
 given you, and others of the same kind, are the build- 
 ing-blocks from which the mesmeric structures are 
 built, — the style, variety, decoration, and stability, de- 
 pending upon the art of the operator or manager. 
 There are many books on Stage Hypnotism that in- 
 struct the performer in constructing "effective scenes." 
 It is a matter of stage art, rather than of scientific 
 knowledge. 
 
 The successful hypnotist must be a man of 
 strong suggestive ability — one able to focus his 
 force in his tones, and also of strong, active Positive 
 Imagination, and thus able to form a clear, vivid 
 Mental Picture of the scene he wishes to be enacted 
 on the stage before him. By forming this Mental 
 Picture and by using his Will to project and focus his 
 Mentative Energy upon the subjects he is able to 
 induce in them the feelings and day-dreams desired. 
 His success as an entertainer, of course, requires 
 ability as an originator of scenes, etc., which have 
 nothing whatever to do with his ability as a hypnotist. 
 When both qualities are combined the man comes to 
 the front as a financial success. 
 
146 Mental Fascination 
 
 PRIVATE EXPERIMENTS, ETC. 
 
 While the above has dealt solely with public per- 
 formances of hypnotism, still the principles called into 
 play in the private psychological experimental work 
 are the same. In the latter there is no audience to be 
 entertained, and much more time may be devoted to 
 "developing" a subject and producing interesting phe- 
 nomena, and the "horses" are eliminated. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE DANGERS OF PSYCHISM. 
 
 In the preceding chapters I have gone into the sub- 
 ject of the rationale of Mesmerism, for the purpose 
 of pointing out to you that the phenomena of Mes- 
 merism and Hypnotism is not dependent upon "sleep- 
 conditions," but may be readily produced by Mental 
 Fascination, pure and simple, without any attempt to 
 bring about the "sleep" which is publicly associated 
 with the phenomena. I have not only pointed out 
 the general principles underlying the subject, but have 
 given in detail the technique and methods whereby 
 the phenomena may be produced by any experimenter. 
 The methods given therein are the ones in constant 
 use in the leading psychological experimental labo- 
 ratories of this and other countries, and the results 
 mentioned may be duplicated by any person who will 
 put into operation the principles mentioned. 
 
 WHY THE INFORMATION IS IMPARTED. 
 
 But I wish to state that my primary object in im- 
 parting the said information was not that the students 
 
 147 
 
148 Mental Fascination 
 
 of the book must necessarily undertake a series of 
 psychological experiments, but principally that they 
 might understand the power and force of the mental 
 principle known as "Mental Fascination," and see its 
 practical operation in all of its varied phases. I wish 
 them to know the experiments in the psychological lab- 
 oratory; the "performances" of the public mesmerist, 
 or hypnotist ; and the use of Mental Influence in busi- 
 ness and everyday life that we see in operation around 
 us on all sides, and at all times, are all phases of the 
 same underlying principle. I wish to show them the 
 oneness in essence of all these varying phases of 
 operation of this great mental principle. 
 
 CERTAIN PHASES MENTIONED. 
 
 There is one phase of mesmeric, or hypnotic, phe- 
 nomena, however, that I have omitted. I shall call 
 your attention to this briefly, that you may know that 
 I have not overlooked the same, and also that you 
 may recognize my reasons for not going into detail 
 regarding this class of phenomena. I allude to the 
 so-called "higher phases" of mesmeric or hypnotic 
 phenomena — the various forms of the "trance con- 
 dition." 
 
 THE ABNORMAL CONDITIONS. 
 
 This "trance" phenomena, whether produced by 
 mesmeric processes or by other means, are abnormal, 
 
Dangers of Psychism 149 
 
 unhealthy, and undesirable phases of mental condi- 
 tion. I cannot speak too strongly against the en- 
 couragement of, and instruction in, the development 
 (I had almost said the "Devil-opment") of these ab- 
 normal states, either by self-practice or by means of 
 hypnotic or mesmeric practices. It is high time that 
 someone should call the attention of the public to the 
 dangers of this so-called "psychism." I know posi- 
 tively that this "psychism" is not the desirable thing 
 that it is supposed to be. I know, also, that it is very 
 far from true Occult Development. This "psychism," 
 when compared with true Occultism, is but as the 
 baleful glare of the Moon, as contrasted with the 
 bright, warm, life-giving rays of the Sun. This false 
 Occultism, which is not Occultism at all, but is merely 
 "psychism," has deluded many into its folds, and has 
 led its followers on to planes which are akin to mental 
 quagmires and swamps, following the ignis fatuus, or 
 will-o'-the-wisp" of "Psychism." 
 
 THE ANTIQUITY OF THE PRACTICES. 
 
 Nearly all races of men have discovered that there 
 are means possible to people whereby they may pro- 
 duce in themselves abnormal conditions, known as the 
 "trance." And men, from the dim past to the present 
 time, have seen fit to indulge in these deplorable prac- 
 tices. The means by which these states are obtained 
 are various, the favorite methods being the gazing at 
 
150 Mental Fascination 
 
 a bright object ; fixing the gaze at the root of the nose ; 
 staring at the umbilicus; staring at a drop of ink; 
 inhaling vapors; listening to wierd music, etc., etc. 
 Much mock-occultism, which is really "psychism," de- 
 pends upon these methods for its results, manifesta- 
 tion, and phenomena. The Hindu fakirs and the Arab 
 dervishes indulge freely in these methods, and pro- 
 duce results which while highly esteemed by them- 
 selves, are viewed with disgust, horror and repulsion 
 by true Occultists of all lands, including, of course, 
 the real Hindu Yogis and Persian Sufis, both of which 
 last mentioned bodies of Oriental Occultists regard 
 these practices as harmful, and the phenomena result- 
 ing therefrom as bogus and misleading. 
 
 WESTERN FALLACIES. 
 
 And much of the latter-day Western Psychism is 
 also based upon the same practices, and brings about 
 like results. In this connection I would say that some 
 of the practices adopted by some of the "New 
 Thought" people belong to this class. I have seen 
 methods advised for "Going into the Silence," in 
 which the student is advised to focus his gaze on the 
 root of his nose, etc., which is the identical method 
 used by Braid to produce hypnotic conditions, and 
 which is also used by the Hindu fakirs to produce 
 "trance" conditions. Is it not time that the truth re- 
 garding these things should be known? 
 
Dangers of Psychism 151 
 
 LOW STATES NOT HIGH CONDITIONS. 
 
 These self-induced abnormal conditions may also be 
 produced by hypnotic methods, by leading the subject 
 into the "deeper stages," which some authorities speak 
 of as if they were "highly spiritual," but which are 
 nothing more than the miserable, abnormal, deplorable 
 'trance" conditions just referred to. These conditions 
 may be produced by hypnotic methods, simply be- 
 cause any mental state may be so produced, and not 
 because of any mystic process, or knowledge, or con- 
 nection. Let us take another hasty glance at the so- 
 called "sleep-conditions" of hypnotism, that we may 
 get a clear idea of the subject. 
 
 THE "SLEEP DELUSION." 
 
 In the first place, there is no real "sleep-condition." 
 Let us see why this is. Well, to start from the begin- 
 ning, much of the "sleep" does not exist at all. In 
 some cases the subject merely acquiesces in the sug- 
 gestion that he is asleep, and then he acts out the 
 suggestion, just as he would act out any suggestion. 
 He plays out his part — that's all. This phase is far 
 more common than the majority of students of hyp- 
 notism are aware of. They hear the subject say that 
 he was asleep, and did not remember a thing that 
 was said to him, or what he did. But all of this is 
 merely in the line of acquiescence, and "playing the 
 
152 Mental Fascination 
 
 part," which fact has been positively proven by ad- 
 vanced experimenters. But there are other stages of 
 "sleep." The next in order is the "day-dream" stage, 
 which I have described as the "playing-bear" phase. 
 Even this is not a true sleep, but a condition re- 
 sembling a day-dream. It is in this stage that the 
 majority of instances of hypnotic phenomena are pro- 
 duced. Sometimes the "day-dream" becomes very 
 deep, and the "trance" condition is almost reached. 
 But still it is not "sleep" as the word is generally 
 used. 
 
 HYPNOTIC TRANCES DEPLORED. 
 
 Next in order come the several stages of the con- 
 dition which hypnotists speak of as "deep-sleep" con- 
 ditions, but which I state positively are nothing more 
 or less than the well known "trance" conditions into 
 which people of all nations and times have plunged 
 themselves by the methods before mentioned. The 
 only difference is that the operator induces the con- 
 dition by Mental Influence, and Suggestion, just as 
 he would induce any other mental state — instead of the 
 subject inducing it in himself. It is the same old 
 abnormal, harmful practice, in another guise. And 
 anything that is said against the self-induced condi- 
 tion is equally applicable to the operator-induced one. 
 They are the same thing! 
 
Dangers of Psychism 153 
 
 WILL-WEAKENING PRACTICES. 
 
 I shall not describe the conditions at further length, 
 nor shall I give any instructions in the production of 
 them. I consider them essentially harmful, and my 
 object in speaking of them here is to warn off and 
 caution anyone from allowing themselves to be placed 
 in this condition by experimenters. The practice is 
 weakening to the Will, for the reason that it depends 
 upon the tiring out of the Will by straining the eyes 
 or other organs of sense. Practitioners of Mental 
 Influence in all ages have recognized this fact and 
 have employed objects calculated to tire out the Will. 
 Bright objects to stare at and thus tire out the sense 
 of sight have been employed ; monotonous sounds end- 
 ing in "um-m-m-rn-m" are used by the Orientals to 
 tire out the sense of hearing by its monotonous and 
 soothing sound; vapors and perfumes and incense 
 are used to overcome the sense of smell — all tending 
 to tire out the Will, and to reduce it to a Passive, non- 
 resisting stage. Then when the Will has been ren- 
 dered Passive, or tired, the mind becomes receptive 
 and impressionable, and, in extreme cases, becomes 
 as wax in the hands of the operator. Remember these 
 things, students, and you will see this principle called 
 into operation many times, in unexpected places. Be- 
 ware of the methods that tend to drug the Will. 
 
154 Mental Fascination 
 
 PSYCHISM LIKE A POISONOUS COBRA. 
 
 Let me urge upon you to avoid "Psychism" — put it 
 away from you as you would a poisonous cobra, for 
 it seeks to strike at the heart of your Will, and would 
 thus paralyze your mentality. Beware of all that 
 tends to make you Weak. Beware of the claims of 
 "soul-development" or "spiritual-unfoldment" that are 
 accompanied by these methods, for they are but 
 Psychism masquerading as Occultism or Spiritual 
 Philosophy. Remember my test: "DOES THIS 
 MAKE ME STRONG?" Apply the touch-stone, and 
 then govern yourself accordingly. This is a word to 
 the Wise — heed it! 
 
 THE PROOF. 
 
 Concluding this part of the subject, I would say 
 that if any of you are disposed to question the cor- 
 rectness of my above statement, then you have but to 
 examine the types of "psychics" seen on all sides. 
 Are they not all hyper-impressionable; excessively 
 sensitive; neurotic; hysterical; passive; negative 
 people? Do they not become as mere psychic harps, 
 upon which the passing mental breezes play, pro- 
 ducing weird sounds? Remember, now, I am speak- 
 ing of genuine psychics, not the bogus psychics, who 
 "are out for the money," and who are a shrewd, cun- 
 ning lot, far from being impressionable, and in reality 
 using their mesmeric power to impress and influence 
 
Dangers of Psychism 155 
 
 the credulous persons coming under their influence. 
 I am not alluding to these people, but to the poor, frail- 
 willed, negative sensitives, who are as impressionable 
 as the photographer's "negative" — and to whom also 
 the "development" means but the bringing out of im- 
 pressions from outside. I pray you, be a HUMAN 
 POSITIVE, not a HUMAN NEGATIVE! 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ORIENTAL FASCINATION. 
 
 At this point I wish to call your attention to a fea- 
 ture of the subject that has received but scant attention 
 at the hands of Western writers. I allude to the won- 
 derful manifestations of Mental Fascination displayed 
 by some of the Magicians of the Orient, particularly 
 of India and Persia. These feats are being performed 
 today in those lands and are equal to any of the won- 
 derful instances related of the ancient Persian or 
 Egyptian Magicians. 
 
 MENTAL FASCINATION IN THE EAST. 
 
 Without going into an extended consideration of 
 the subject in question I will mention a few of the 
 recorded instances of Mental Fascination among the 
 Oriental people, in order to give you an idea of the 
 degree of power possible to an adept in the practice of 
 Mental Influence. One writer describes an exhibition 
 of this kind in India, witnessed by himself. The writer 
 was a profound skeptic, who believed that it was all 
 "hanky-panky" along the lines of sleight-of-hand or 
 
 156 
 
Oriental Fascination 157 
 
 similar methods — that is, he so believed until he 
 actually witnessed the demonstration. He goes on to 
 relate that the Magician was a native Hindu, of dig- 
 nified and imposing appearance, surrounded by a 
 number of assistants of his own race. 
 
 THE SERPENT FEAT. 
 
 The Magician seated himself on the ground, with 
 several jars, boxes, implements, and other parapher- 
 nalia before him. He opened the seance by the pro- 
 duction of a number of tiny snakes, which he lifted 
 from one of the boxes, and placed on the ground be- 
 fore him, in full sight of the audience, after allowing 
 the latter to examine the serpents and thereby satisfy 
 themselves regarding their reality. An English nat- 
 uralist present identified the snakes as belonging to 
 a well known native variety. The Magician then be- 
 gan a slow, mournful, droning, monotonous song, the 
 predominant sound of which was "um-ni-ni-m-m-m- 
 m-m," like the droning of a bumble bee or a distant 
 saw mill. The snakes reared themselves up and moved 
 their heads from side to side at the sound of the chant, 
 the Magician touching them softly with his wand from 
 time to time. To the eyes of the audience the snakes 
 seemed to gradually grow from their original tiny 
 proportions until finally they appeared as immense boa 
 constrictors, which caused great alarm among the 
 audience, both Englishmen and native. The Magician 
 
158 Mental Fascination 
 
 bade the audience remain quiet and assured them that 
 there was no danger — then he reversed the process, 
 and the snakes were seen to gradually decrease in size 
 until they vanished from sight altogether. 
 
 THE VANISHING HINDU. 
 
 The next act was equally as wonderful. The Ma- 
 gician placed one of his assistants in the center of a 
 circle described on the sand, and with appropriate 
 gestures and ceremony went through some magical 
 incantation. The boy was then seen to spin around, 
 faster and faster, like a large top, and then began to 
 gradually ascend in the air, still spinning around, un- 
 til he vanished from sight. Then the Magician re- 
 versed the process and brought him down from the 
 aerial heights, the boy appearing like a small speck at 
 first, gradually growing larger as he neared the earth, 
 until he stood before the audience, bowing and smil- 
 ing. 
 
 THE MANGO FEAT. 
 
 The next act was the placing of some mango seeds 
 in the sand, building a tiny hillock around them. The 
 Magician then began his chant and waved his hands 
 over the hillock. In a moment a tiny shoot was seen 
 to appear, and then a little bush which gradually grew 
 up until a mature mango tree was seen, bearing leaves. 
 Then blossoms were seen, and the ripe fruit appeared, 
 
Oriental Fascination 159 
 
 which was passed among the audience. Then, revers- 
 ing the process, the tree disappeared gradually, and at 
 the end the Magician dug up the original seeds and 
 showed them to his audience. And, wonderful to re- 
 late, the fruit that had been distributed among the 
 people also disappeared. 
 
 THE ROPE FEAT. 
 
 The concluding act was as startling as those preced- 
 ing it. The Magician produced a coil of real rope, 
 which was passed around for examination. Then he 
 knotted one end of it and then tossed the knot into 
 the air. The rope rapidly uncoiled itself, and the knot 
 was seen away up in the air, and still ascending. When 
 the rope was completely uncoiled, and the end left 
 dangling on the ground as if supported by some hook 
 holding the knotted end hundreds of feet up in the air, 
 one of the assistants approached the rope and took 
 hold of it. At a shout from the Magician he began 
 climbing rapidly up the rope, and in a short time dis- 
 appeared from view, after appearing as a tiny speck 
 in the air. Then at another word from the Magician 
 the rope itself flew up in the air and vanished from 
 sight. 
 
 THE TEST AND EXPLANATION. 
 
 This concluded the performance. But here is a re- 
 markable sequel. An Englishman present took a snap- 
 
160 Mental Fascination 
 
 shot with a pocket camera, just as the boy began to 
 climb the rope. When the negative was developed 
 there was no trace of rope, boy or anything else ap- 
 pertaining to the manifestation. Even the Magician 
 was absent from the center of the scene and was shown 
 on the plate as sitting down on one side, with an 
 amused smile on his face. This fact demonstrated 
 that which similar tests have also proven ; i. e., that the 
 feats were not really performed at all but were simply 
 illusions produced by impressions upon the minds of 
 the audience. In fact, they were examples of Mental 
 Magic, along the phase of Mental Fascination, and 
 arising from Concentrated Will, and Visualization of 
 Mental Images, transmitted by Mentative Currents, 
 and acting by Mentative Induction. I shall give you 
 another proof of this in a moment or two, after I have 
 related a few more instances of this wonderful mani- 
 festation of Mental Influence. 
 
 A WONDERFUL MAN. 
 
 Another writer, a correspondent of an American 
 paper, relates that he was once on a steamer plying 
 up one of the rivers in India, when, at a stopping place, 
 there scrambled up the side as nimbly as a monkey 
 a native Hindu, clad only in a loin cloth and having a 
 tight-rolled red bundle fastened at the back of his 
 neck to keep it safe from the water while swimming 
 from shore. There was nothing about the man to dis- 
 
Oriental Fascination 161 
 
 tinguish him from the ordinary fakirs, but he soon 
 showed his quality. 
 
 HIS STARTLING FEATS. 
 
 Passing along the deck he picked up a ball of thin 
 rope which was lying there, and, unwinding an end, 
 he knotted it and tossed the knot up in the air, where 
 it ascended, rapidly unwinding the ball, until the whole 
 of the rope disappeared in the air, just as in the in- 
 stance previously related. Then passing a sailor who 
 was holding in his hand a broken cocoanut shell con- 
 taining the liquid or "water" of the nut, he lifted the 
 shell from his hand and holding it high up over a 
 ship's bucket standing nearby he emptied the liquid 
 until it filled the bucket, and repeated the process upon 
 another bucket, and so on until twelve buckets had 
 been filled from the half-cocoanut shell. Then he 
 picked up one of the buckets filled with the liquid and, 
 holding it in his hand, he caused it to gradually shrink 
 until it completely disappeared. Then a moment later 
 he exhibited a tiny speck in his hand, which gradually 
 grew until it was again the bucket of water filled to 
 the brim with the liquid, which he then poured out on 
 the deck. 
 
 A STRANGE OCCURRENCE. 
 
 Witnessing the strange performance was a young 
 mother with her babe beside her and a young nurse 
 
1 62 Mental Fascination 
 
 girl several feet away. To her horror the mother then 
 beheld the nurse girl rising a few feet in the air and 
 moving rapidly toward the babe, reaching down for 
 the infant as she glided over it, and then rising high 
 into the air with the child clasped in her arms, until 
 both were lost in the clouds. The mother burst into 
 frantic cries and shrieks and gazed upward; and as 
 she gazed she saw a fleecy cloud appear, which grad- 
 ually took the shape of the nurse girl, who grew larger 
 and larger as she descended, until she finally reached 
 the deck again and handed the babe to the rejoiced 
 mother. The mother, after clasping her babe close 
 to her bosom, cried out, "How dare you take my child 
 away?" when to her surprise the girl answered, "Why, 
 ma'am, the baby has been asleep all the time and I 
 have not touched him." And then the fakir smiled and 
 said, "Mem Sahib has only been dreaming strange 
 things." It was merely an instance of Mental Im- 
 pression of a remarkable degree of power produced 
 by the Will and Mental Imagery of the fakir; and his 
 previous feats were also so performed. 
 
 WONDERS UPON WONDERS. 
 
 But this was only the beginning. The fakir then 
 untied his red bundle, and, extracting therefrom a 
 cocoanut, he exhibited it to the passengers, passing it 
 around for inspection. Then, placing the nut on the 
 end of a bamboo stick, and, balancing it there, he com- 
 
Oriental Fascination 163 
 
 manded it in Hindi to spout as a fountain, and imme- 
 diately a great jet of water sprang from it, falling 
 over the deck in great showers. He then caused it to 
 stop flowing, and it obeyed ; then he restarted it. This 
 he repeated several times. Then he materialized a 
 cobra from the air and caused it to disappear at his 
 command, after he had terrified the passengers with 
 it. Then he materialized several human forms in broad 
 sunlight in full view of the passengers, and afterwards 
 caused them to melt away gradually until they disap- 
 peared like a cloud of steam. Then taking up a col- 
 lection, which was quite liberal, he jumped over the 
 side and swam rapidly to shore. 
 
 THE REAL SECRET. 
 
 The natives among the ship's passengers smiled at 
 the wonder of the Europeans present and laughed at 
 the latter's talk of jugglery or magic power, inform- 
 ing them that it was merely an instance of Hindu 
 Mesmerism, or Mental Influence, and that those among 
 them who resisted the spell saw nothing of the phe- 
 nomena, except the fakir with glistening eyes, and 
 every evidence of a powerful and concentrated exer- 
 cise of his Will. These feats are quite common in 
 some parts of India, but they are known to be but 
 mental illusions, for all attempts to catch the exhibi- 
 tion on photographic plates have failed, the plate show- 
 ing nothing but the magician in a state of mental con- 
 
164 Mental Fascination 
 
 centration. These magicians have developed the power 
 of causing many persons, at the same time, to have 
 the illusion of seeing, hearing, tasting and smelling 
 things that have no material existence. It is Induced 
 Mental Imagery in a developed degree, but differs 
 only in degree from the phenomena more familiar to 
 the Western World. 
 
 TESTIMONY OF A HINDU SAGE. 
 
 In this connection I would like to add the testimony 
 and explanation given to me personally by a greatly 
 esteemed friend of mine — a Hindu sage — traveling in 
 this country, who in addition to his Oriental learning 
 has received the highest English education and who is 
 "a highly educated man" in both the Eastern and West- 
 ern meanings of the terms. This gentleman told me 
 that when a youth he had witnessed exhibitions of the 
 kind just related in his native land. At first he was 
 puzzled and mystified by them, but his naturally scien- 
 tific turn of mind caused him to seek for the solution. 
 He began experimenting, and soon at least was able 
 to classify the phenomena as pure Mental Illusion. 
 He found that the crowd would gather close around 
 the Magician in order to see what was going on, al- 
 though all were required to keep a certain number of 
 yards away from the wonder-worker by the latter's 
 instructions and requirements. My friend found that 
 if he retreated a few yards beyond the outer edge of 
 
Oriental Fascination 165 
 
 the crowd he could see nothing but the magician, all 
 the "magical doings" disappearing. When he would 
 join the crowd the mystic appearances were again 
 plainly seen. He tried the experiment in several ways, 
 with the same result. Then he tried a riskier one and 
 pushed nearer to the magician than was allowable — 
 and with the same result. In short, the influence was 
 confined to a certain area and the mental influence 
 was doubtless increased by the "contagion" of the 
 different minds in the crowd. My friend tested the 
 well-known "Mango feat" and the "Rope-disappear- 
 ing feat" (as related in these pages) in this way and 
 determined that they came well under the rule of 
 "Mental Illusion," instead of being an occurrence 
 defying the established laws of Nature. The testi- 
 mony of this gentleman corroborated the opinion that 
 I had already formed to that effect, which opinion 
 agrees with that of the best authorities. 
 
 AN ERRONEOUS WESTERN IDEA. 
 
 In closing this chapter I wish to point out to the 
 students of the work an erroneous idea that has crept 
 into some of the Western works along the lines of 
 hypnotism, etc., and which I shall now mention and 
 explain. The Hindu magicians, or mesmerists, fre- 
 quently sit in a squatting position during their "en- 
 chantments," droning a monotonous, soothing chant, 
 as has been described, and at the same time moving the 
 
1 66 Mental Fascination 
 
 body from the waist upward, in a circling, twisting 
 motion, from the hips, at the same time fixing their 
 gaze firmly upon their audience. This motion and 
 twisting is merely an accompaniment to the droning 
 chant akin to the motions of the Oriental dancers who 
 twist their bodies in a similar manner in rhythm to 
 the music. The motion is merely a custom among 
 these people and has nothing to do with the produc- 
 tion of the phenomena, as all Hindu Occultists know 
 and will tell you. In fact, the higher magicians among 
 the Hindus do nothing of the sort, but maintain a 
 dignified, calm, standing position, or the firm "Yogi 
 seat," in which the body is evenly and firmly poised 
 in a position of dignified rest, the hands resting on 
 the lap, the back of one hand in the palm of the other. 
 
 A FOOLISH IDEA. 
 
 All native Hindus understand the above matter, but 
 Western visitors jump at the conclusion that this 
 gyrating circling of the body from the hips has some- 
 thing to do with the "power" manifested. And, as I 
 have said, some of the Western works on the subject 
 have gone into considerable detail regarding this won- 
 derful "Oriental Hypnotism," which they assert is ac- 
 complished because of this twisting of the body. They 
 might just as well point out some physical trick of 
 motion of each leading Western hypnotist and assert 
 that the motion was the "secret of his power." I do 
 
Oriental Fascination 167 
 
 not think that further comment is necessary in this 
 case. The motions and attitudes, etc., are merely part 
 of the setting of the piece, or possibly bits of "stage 
 business," designed to heighten the impression of mys- 
 tery. That's all. 
 
 ORIENTAL METHODS OF DEVELOPING POWER. 
 
 I have been informed by an authority whose word 
 is entitled to the greatest respect, and who has spent 
 many years in India and other Oriental countries, that 
 the following method is used by these Oriental Ma- 
 gicians in developing within themselves the power 
 to create these strong Mental Images in the minds 
 of those witnessing their performances : The Ma- 
 gician starts when a youth and practices Mental 
 Imagery in his own mind. This process is akin to 
 Visualization, as mentioned by me in my work on 
 Mental Magic. The Magician at first uses his Will 
 in an endeavor to form a clear and distinct mental 
 image of some familiar object, a rose, for instance. 
 He practices until he is able to actually see the thing 
 before him "in his mind's eye" just as certain eminent 
 painters have acquired the faculty of "visualizing" the 
 faces of persons they meet, so that they can reproduce 
 them on canvas without further sittings. 
 
 SUPERLATIVE SENSE-INDUCTION ATTAINED. 
 
 Then the Magician experiments upon larger objects, 
 and then upon groups of objects, and so on to more 
 complex pictures. 
 
1 68 Mental Fascination 
 
 After years of constant experimentation and prac- 
 tice a few of those undertaking the work find them- 
 selves able to picture any of the scenes described in 
 this chapter as "feats" — that is, they are able to clearly 
 picture them in their own minds. And this being ac- 
 complished, the Magician is able by his highly-devel- 
 oped Concentrated Will to project the Mental Image 
 into the mind of those around him. It is the Sense 
 Induction, described by me in this work, only raised 
 to a much higher degree of manifestation. 
 
 ORIENTAL VS. OCCIDENTAL. 
 
 The people of the West will not devote the time and 
 attention to the cultivation of such faculties, while the 
 Oriental will willingly give up half of his life for the 
 attainment. But, on the other hand, the Western man 
 will devote his time to the acquirement of Will Power 
 and Concentration in the direction of becoming a 
 Ruler of Men and a General of Finance. Each to his 
 taste and temperament — and neither would "trade" 
 places or power with the other. They are both deal- 
 ing with the same Force, however, as little as they 
 realize it. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 FUTURE-IMPRESSION. 
 
 I now wish to call your attention to what may be 
 called "Future-Impression," or, as the hypnotists call 
 it, "post-hypnotism/' etc. Future-Impressions are like 
 seeds planted in the mind, which grow, blossom and 
 bear fruit at some future time. The hypnotists pro- 
 duce this phenomena by giving the subject while in the 
 hypnotic sleep (?) the suggestion that at a certain 
 time, either in a few minutes, or hours, or days, he 
 will do certain things, or feel certain things. But the 
 newer school of psychologists have discovered that 
 these Future-Impressions may be made in the ordinary 
 receptive state, just as is the case with any of the other 
 forms of Mental Impressions, and the result will be 
 the same as that obtained by the hypnotists, in spite 
 of their theories and methods. 
 
 THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 
 
 I do not purpose going into detail regarding this 
 class of phenomena, because all that is necessary to be 
 said can be comprised in the following two statements : 
 
 169 
 
170 Mental Fascination 
 
 (1) That, generally 'speaking, all the phenomena of 
 the ordinary immediate Mental Impression may be 
 produced as Future-Impression; and (2) that all the 
 phenomena of Future-Impression, produced by the 
 operator on the subject, may be likewise produced by 
 auto-impression of the subject (that is, by the subject 
 inducing impressions in himself) . 
 
 HOW FUTURE-IMPRESSIONS ARE GIVEN. 
 
 In the first of the above stated principles the sub- 
 ject is merely told that, "You will do so and so, at 
 such and such a time," instead of "Do so and so now." 
 For instance, instead of telling the "impressionable" 
 that the chair is burning him now, you may tell him 
 that in two minutes he will feel the chair burning' him 
 — the result will be similar in both cases. Apply the 
 same principle to any of the mesmeric phenomena 
 mentioned in previous chapters and the result will be 
 similar. The force of the impression, the degree of 
 impressionability, etc., will play the same part in both 
 Immediate Impression and Future Impression. This 
 principle is called into operation by Suggestionists in 
 treating for "habits," the suggestions being given 
 along the lines of "Every time you pick up a cigar you 
 will feel nauseated and will think of a disgusting bar- 
 room spittoon," etc., etc. It is always a case of "you 
 will" in Future Impression. 
 
Future Impression 171 
 
 INSTANCES FROM EVERYDAY LIFE. 
 
 Many foolish suggestions are given in everyday 
 life along the lines of Future Impression, and alas ! 
 many of them are accepted carelessly, owing to a lack 
 of knowledge of the principle. How many times has 
 it been said to an impressionable young bride, "Never 
 mind, you'll grow tired of him after a while," etc. Or 
 to a man, "Wait until the novelty wears off and you'll 
 see how sick of the job you'll get." Or, "You'll lose 
 your interest and enthusiasm, bye-and-bye." Or, 
 "You'll find him out after a while and will see that 
 he's not what he seems." And so on — you may add to 
 these instances from your own experience. And too 
 often these suggestions are recalled and have a tend- 
 ency to cause the person to "make them come true." 
 Many fortune-tellers' prophecies have been made come 
 true in this way by impressionable and ignorant peo- 
 ple. I have given you a key to this principle now — 
 heed the lesson ! If you feel that an attempt at Fu- 
 ture Impression is being made on you head it off 
 with a mental "No, I Wont!" That is the Antidote 
 for the Bane. Remember this — it may save you 
 trouble some day! 
 
 THE SECRET OF FUTURE AUTO-IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 The second principle in the statement made several 
 paragraphs further back — i. e. } that all the phenomena 
 of Future Impression may be duplicated by Auto-Im- 
 
172 Mental Fascination 
 
 pression, or Impressions made by one's self — is true 
 and worthy of consideration. You make up your mind 
 that you must awaken to catch a train at four tomor- 
 row morning — and you awaken in time. You have 
 set your mental alarm clock. If you have an engage- 
 ment at three this afternoon you may set your alarm 
 as follows (talking to yourself, of course) : Now, see 
 here! Remember that you must see Smith at three 
 this afternoon — three, three, I say ! Remember now, 
 THREE, I say!" And if you impress it sufficiently 
 strong upon your mind, a little before three you will 
 begin to feel uneasy, and then suddenly your Smith 
 engagement will "pop" into your mind from your sub- 
 conscious region, and you will reach out for your hat 
 and overcoat. Mental Alarm-clock, remember! That 
 tells the whole tale. 
 
 THE MENTAL ALARM CLOCK. 
 
 You see, the experimenter giving Future Impres- 
 sions simply sets the Mental Alarm-clock going along 
 "impressionable" lines. He makes the Mental Im- 
 pression and attaches it to the Mental Alarm Clock — 
 when the Alarm goes off the Impression emerges into 
 the field of consciousness and acts just as if it had 
 been freshly made. That's the whole story in plain 
 homely terms. 
 
 SELF-PROTECTION. 
 
 But don't be frightened, you timid people. Remem- 
 
Future Impression 173 
 
 ber this, that you will not accept a Future Impression 
 unless you would also accept a Present Impression — 
 the degree of "impressionability" is the same in both 
 cases. The only reason a Future Impression has the 
 advantage over a present one is that it is more subtle, 
 and people are not as much on guard about future 
 things as they are about things to be "done right now." 
 You will resent an impression that you "Do this thing 
 right Now," while you pay but little attention to the 
 earnest impression that "in a year from now you will 
 feel so-and-so about this matter," and dismiss the sub- 
 ject with a shrug of the shoulders, instead of saying, 
 at least mentally, "No, I Wont!" The present im- 
 pression is apt to attract your attention the more forci- 
 bly, because it is more apparent — while the Future 
 Impression is more "insinuating." But now that you 
 know the facts of the matter you may laugh at them 
 both, and take the sting out of them by your little 
 "No, I Wont"! 
 
 HOW TO KILL OUT OLD ADVERSE IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 And, just one word more. If you feel that you are 
 harboring any Future Impressions made on you in the 
 past, but upon which the Alarm has not yet gone off, 
 you may kill them by direct Self-Impression, or Auto- 
 suggestions to the contrary. That is, you may say "I 
 WILL NOT act upon any adverse Impressions that 
 may have been made to me— I WILL them out of my 
 
174 Mental Fascination 
 
 mind — I KILL THEM this moment by the power of 
 my WILL." And at the same time make a Mental 
 Picture of the Impression being obliterated by the 
 action of your Will, just as the chalk mark is erased 
 from the blackboard by the passing over it of the 
 eraser. Try this plan and be Free ! Some of you will 
 thank me for this, mark my words. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 ESTABLISHING A MENTATIVE CENTRE. 
 
 We now approach that part of this work in which 
 each individual student is called upon to decide for 
 himself whether or not he wishes to take his place in 
 the world as a Live, Active Centre of Mentative En- 
 ergy, or whether he wishes to remain a Negative, 
 Passive, Half-Alive Centre. No matter which plan 
 you may choose, you cannot avoid being a Centre of 
 some kind — the question for you to decide is, "What 
 kind of a Centre do I wish to become?" 
 
 EACH INDIVIDUAL A CENTRE. 
 
 I have explained in my work on "Mental Magic," 
 and again in the first chapter of the present work, that 
 each individual is a Centre of Life, Energy and 
 Force in the Great Ocean of Universal Mentative 
 Energy. Each Individual is a Centre around which 
 revolves his own world, be that world great or small. 
 The principle is the same in all cases. And each 
 man's world is largely what he makes it — what he at- 
 tracts to himself. From the time that the child be- 
 
 175 
 
176 Mental Fascination 
 
 gins to assert the "I" in him he begins to .create for 
 himself his world. He draws this person and thing, 
 and repels that person or thing, in accordance with 
 his mental nature. And he is constantly changing his 
 little world according to the growth of his nature. 
 
 MENTAL WORLD-BUILDING. 
 
 In view of this law of life, does it not become of im- 
 portance to us to begin to build our mental world with 
 care, and with the best possible material? Should 
 we not begin to make ourselves active Centres of En- 
 ergy, that we may have the necessary Power to build 
 strongly and well? Should we not develop within us 
 our Powers of Attraction, that we may draw to us the 
 things, persons and circumstances that are conducive 
 to our well-being and content? Should we not de- 
 velop the Will-Power within us, in order to exert that 
 Force which is necessary to push our way through 
 the tangled underbrush of Life and make a wide path 
 for ourselves? Answer these questions as you will. 
 I have answered them for myself, and you must do 
 the same for yourselves. 
 
 THE IMPORTANT DECISION. 
 
 And so I shall proceed with this work with the un- 
 derstanding that you have answered my questions in 
 the affirmative and have decided to Create an Active 
 Mentative Centre for Yourself. If you have decided 
 
Establishing a Mentative Centre 177 
 
 in the negative you might as well close this book, for 
 from now on the instruction will be along the lines 
 above indicated. 
 
 THE DUAL FORCE. 
 
 Let us pause for a moment and see what Forces 
 are combined in this Active Mentative Centre. In 
 the first place we see that the dual aspect of the Men- 
 tal Energy manifests itself always. That which we 
 have called the Desire-Force, and that which we have 
 called the Will-Power, appear as the Two Mentative 
 Poles. You know this well, for you have studied my 
 main work on "Mental Magic," wherein this point is 
 brought out and illustrated. But here is an aspect of 
 the matter that I did not take the time to bring out at 
 great length in the said book. I allude to the re- 
 semblance of the two phases of Mentative Energy, 
 i. e., Desire-Force and Will-Power, to the physical 
 phenomena of Magnetism and Electricity respectively. 
 
 PHYSICAL LAWS IN THE MENTAL WORLD. 
 
 Desire-Force, like Magnetism, manifests in a draw- 
 ing, pulling, attracting power; while Will-Power, like 
 Electricity, manifests in a pushing, compelling, driv- 
 ing power. Desire-Force, like Magnetism, tends to 
 draw things inward and to itself; while Will-Power, 
 like Electricity, tends to drive things outward and 
 away from itself. This dual manifestation of Energy 
 
178 Mental Fascination 
 
 is seen all through Nature in all of its manifold 
 forms and conditions. There is ever the drawing in 
 to a centre — and there is ever the pushing outward 
 from the centre. And this Law manifests upon the 
 Mental Plane as well as upon the Physical Plane. 
 
 MENTAL ELECTRO-MAGNETISM. 
 
 We have heard much of people being "Magnetic," 
 that is, having the power to attract persons to them — 
 but that is merely one phase of the operation of Men- 
 tative Energy. We do not hear so much about peo- 
 ple being "Electric," and yet the term is just as 
 proper and applicable as the term "Magnetic." "Elec- 
 tric" people are the people in whom Will-Power is 
 strongly developed and manifest. These people "get 
 after" others and make them do things. They are 
 the active, energetic, forceful men and women who 
 "get behind things" and push them along. All great 
 leaders possess this phase of Energy to a marked de- 
 gree. The mere mention of the matter to you will 
 cause you to think of instances of people who pos- 
 sess Mentative "Electricity." There are men who are 
 able to make the crowd around them do their bid- 
 ding — they are able to work their Will upon the mass 
 of people. These men are seen to possess a strange 
 power, but very few understand it. It is entirely 
 different from the fascinating, alluring, charming, at- 
 tractive personality of the "Magnetic" man, for it 
 
Establishing a Mentative Centre 179 
 
 forces, and compels by sheer force of character and 
 Will, instead of drawing and attracting. You will 
 see why I have spoken of these two phases as Mascu- 
 line and Feminine respectively when you consider 
 their different manner of manifestation. 
 
 THE ELECTRO- MAGNETIC INDIVIDUAL. 
 
 But, while both of these forms of Power, the "Mag- 
 netic" and the "Electric," have their strong points 
 and advantages, I hold that the highly developed In- 
 dividual must have both of these phases developed 
 highly. In short, instead of being merely a very 
 "Magnetic" individual, on the one hand, or a very 
 "Electric" individual, on the other hand, the ideal 
 man must be an ELECTRO-MAGNETIC INDI- 
 VIDUAL. In other words, he must have both sides 
 of his Mentative Energy highly developed and in full 
 operation. In this way he is able to manifest a com- 
 bined influence which will make him a very giant of 
 Mentative Energy. 
 
 FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE. 
 
 Now I have said enough about the theory of the 
 thing. I shall ask you to read over what I have said 
 above several times — in fact re-read it until you thor- 
 oughly understand.it. And then I shall take you on 
 to the practical work and exercises calculated to de- 
 
180 Mental Fascination 
 
 velop in you the qualities mentioned. Taking it for 
 granted that you have carefully considered what I 
 have just said, I shall ask you to perform the fol- 
 lowing exercises, etc.: 
 
 FIRST EXERCISE FOR REALIZING THE CENTRE. 
 
 Exercise I. In order to realize the reality of the 
 statement that you are a Centre of Mentative Power 
 you must first enter into a realization of the existence 
 of a Great Ocean of Mentative Energy itself. Do 
 not pass over this lightly, for it is most important. 
 You must begin to create a Mental Picture of the 
 Universe as a Great Ocean of Living Energy, vibrat- 
 ing with Life and Force and Power. Endeavor to 
 make this Mental Picture so clear that you can "see 
 it with your mind's eye," and until it becomes a real- 
 ity to you. Picture yourself as alone in the Universe 
 and surrounded on all sides with a vibrating, pulsat- 
 ing sea of Energy, or Power. See that ALL POW- 
 ER is locked up in that ocean, and that the ocean ex- 
 ists EVERYWHERE. Cut out from your Mental 
 Field all other persons, things or conditions. Imagine 
 yourself as alone in the great Ocean of Power. You 
 must practice frequently upon this Mental Picture 
 until you are able to visualize it distinctly. This does 
 not mean that you have to actually see it, just as you 
 do this printed page; but that you should be able to 
 actually feel it. You will begin to understand just 
 
Establishing a Mentative Centre 181 
 
 what I mean after you have practiced this a little. 
 This Great Ocean of Universal Power must become 
 REAL to you — and you must practice until it does 
 so become. 
 
 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EXERCISE, 
 
 The importance of the above exercise may be un- 
 derstood when I tell you that it will be impossible for 
 you to manifest more than a moderate degree of 
 Power until you are able to realize yourself as a real 
 Centre. And it will be impossible for you to realize 
 yourself as such a Centre until you realize the exist- 
 ence of the Ocean of Power itself. For how can you 
 think of yourself as a Centre of Power, in an Ocean 
 of Power, until you realize the existence of the Ocean 
 itself? The Universal Ocean of Mentative Energy 
 contains within itself all the Power, Force and En- 
 ergy that there is. It is the source from which all 
 forms of Energy arise. It is filled with an infinite 
 number of tiny Centres of Energy, of which YOU 
 are one. And in the degree that you draw upon it 
 for Strength, so will you receive Strength. By all 
 means endeavor to clearly visualize this Great Men- 
 tative Ocean, for it is the source of all the Force 
 with which you are filled and which you hope to ac- 
 quire. Enter into this Great Realization, friends, for 
 it is The First Step to Power. 
 
i&2 Mental Fascination 
 
 SECOND EXERCISE FOR REALIZING THE CENTRE. 
 
 Exercise II. The second exercise, which will tend 
 to increase your vibration as a Centre of Force, is as 
 follows: Picture yourself clearly as a Centre of 
 Force in the Mentative Ocean. While seeing the 
 Ocean on all sides of you, you must see yourself as 
 the Centre of it. Do not be frightened at this idea, 
 for it is based on the Truth. The highest Occult 
 Teaching informs us that the Great Mentative Ocean 
 has its centre Everyzvhere and its circumference No- 
 where. That is, that being Infinite in Space, there 
 is no finite spot that is really its Centre, and yet, on 
 the other hand, every Point of Activity may be called 
 its Centre. Being extended in every direction infin- 
 itely, its circumference is nonexistent. Therefore you 
 are entitled and justified in considering yourself as 
 a Centre of the Ocean of Power. Each Individual 
 is such a Centre, and each has his world circling and 
 revolving around him. Some have a small world, 
 and some have mighty ones. There are Centres so 
 mighty and exalted that the human mind cannot 
 grasp their importance. But even the tiniest . Point 
 of Activity is a Centre in Itself. So hesitate not, but 
 begin to form a Mental Picture of yourself as a CEN- 
 TRE OF POWER. 
 
 A FOCAL POINT OF FORCE. 
 
 Practice this exercise until you can clearly feel 
 
Establishing a Mentative Centre 183 
 
 yourself as a Centre of Power. You must learn to 
 think of yourself as a Focal Point of Force in the 
 Great Mentative Ocean. Just as the great body of 
 Electricity manifests itself in tiny points of activity, 
 so does the Mentative Energy so express itself in 
 YOU who are a Point of Activity within Itself. In 
 urging you to perfect yourself in this realization I 
 would impress upon you the fact, known to all ad- 
 vanced Occultists, that in the measure of your realiza- 
 tion of this Real Nature of the Ego will be the measure 
 of the Power possessed by You. All of the Strong 
 Men of our times, and of all ages, had this realization, 
 intuitively or instinctively; that is, although they did 
 not know the philosophy or science of the matter, they 
 still felt, and feel, this sense of the Power of the Ego 
 in themselves, which gives them the confidence to do 
 things and the Will-Power and Desire-Force to carry 
 out their undertakings. It is this feeling of Inherent 
 Strength that makes men Strong and Successful and 
 Positive. And this feeling and realization may be de- 
 veloped and unfolded within any one, providing he 
 ivants it "sufficiently hard." By the exercise of your 
 Desire and Will you may build up this realization of 
 Power, and in the building up there will come to you 
 a constantly increasing stream of Desire and Will. 
 In the measure of your Expression will be the meas- 
 ure of your Impression from the Source of All Posi- 
 tive Impression. 
 
184 Mental Fascination 
 
 THIRD EXERCISE FOR REALIZING THE CENTRE. 
 
 Exercise III. The third exercise consists in the 
 realization of the Nature of the Force. This Force, 
 Energy or Power with which you are being filled, 
 and which you are now attracting toward your Cen- 
 tre, consists of the Electrical Manifestation of Will- 
 Power and the Magnetic Manifestation of Desire- 
 Force. These two constitute the Dual Phases of the 
 One Force. And, therefore, you must begin to realize 
 that these qualities are within you in order that you 
 may be able to express the same and thus gain the 
 addition and increased Force that comes to those who 
 Express the same. You must begin to realize that 
 you have a WILL which is capable of impressing it- 
 self on the things, persons and circumstances of your 
 world — and you must begin to realize that you have 
 a DESIRE which attracts to you the things, people 
 and circumstances of your world, and which, in fact, 
 draws to you the very material from which your 
 world is made. When you realize this dual force 
 within you, it will begin to express itself automatically. 
 The act of realization causes the mental machinery to 
 begin to work smoothly and effectively. Therefore 
 picture to yourself this Dual Force within you. See 
 yourself as influencing, and acting upon the world 
 around you. See yourself as a Power in the land. 
 And also see yourself as an Attracting Force, drawing 
 
Establishing a Mentative Centre 185 
 
 to you that which you need and want and require, con- 
 sciously and unconsciously. Picture yourself as an 
 Electro-Magnetic Individual You are an Individual 
 because you are a Centre of Power. You are Elec- 
 tro-Magnetic because you possess the Electric Will 
 and the Magnetic Desire. 
 
 A STRONG STATEMENT. 
 
 Carry with you this thought constantly and repeat 
 it often to yourself and you will find it a source of 
 Strength — you will find the Strength pouring into you 
 when you say or think it. When you feel weak, or 
 when you feel the need of additional Strength, use 
 this Statement of Strength: 
 
 "I AM A LIVING ELECTRO-MAGNET." 
 
 And when you say it, or think it, you must picture 
 to yourself just what you mean by the statement, 
 hence the importance of knowing just what is meant. 
 Do not pass over this Statement of Strength as un- 
 important, but try it in actual practice and you will 
 soon see what a Battery of Strength it will be for 
 you. And those around you will soon become aware 
 of a new sense of Power Within you. 
 
 don't lean on others — don't let others lean 
 
 ON YOU. 
 
 Keep this Statement to yourself. Do not invite the 
 
1 86 Mental Fascination 
 
 ridicule of those around you by telling them the 
 Source of your Strength. Do not bother about them 
 — if they are Individuals themselves they will under- 
 stand without being told ; and if they are not, why, all 
 the telling in the world would not make it clear to 
 them. Hoe your own row and mind your own busi- 
 ness — and let them do the same. No one can build 
 up his Individuality except from Within. And each 
 must work out his own salvation and climb the Lad- 
 der of Attainment for himself. And the sooner that 
 people learn this the better will it be for all. Don't 
 be a Leaner, or a Leaning-post. Don't lean on any- 
 one else — and don't let anyone lean on you. 
 
 LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE AND LET OTHERS LIVE THEIRS. 
 
 There has been too much of this fool business about 
 living other people's lives for them, or letting other 
 people live your life for you. Each man or woman 
 must grow into an Individual by his or her own work 
 and life. There is no such thing as vicarious Indi- 
 viduality. Don't be afraid to "assert the I" — to claim 
 your rightful heritage and birthright to be an Indi- 
 vidual, and not a Parasite. And don't be afraid to 
 shake off and trim off the parasitic persons that have 
 encumbered your own unfoldment toward Individ- 
 uality. Let the Parasites take root in the earth, just 
 as you have done; let them fasten their roots in the 
 great body of Strength and Power instead of in the 
 
Establishing a Mentative Centre 187 
 
 mental body of someone else; let them stop their 
 second-hand nourishment and learn to draw from 
 the First Source. This is the only way, and the 
 lack of the knowledge of it is filling the world with 
 weaklings instead of with Individuals. 
 
 Therefore think of these things; hold them well in 
 mind when you make your Statement of Strength: 
 
 "I AM A LIVING ELECTRO-MAGNET." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PERSONAL ATMOSPHERE. 
 
 The Mentative Force emanating from each indi- 
 vidual creates a Mental Atmosphere around him 
 which often extends a considerable distance from his 
 body, especially in the case of strong individuals, 
 whose Mental Atmosphere is felt when they enter a 
 room or public place. Persons whose personality is 
 weaker have a Mental Atmosphere extending only a 
 few inches from their bodies, and which is scarcely 
 perceptible to those coming in contact with them. 
 
 THE POSITIVE AURA. 
 
 The man of Positive Individuality — our man who 
 feels himself to be a "Living Electro-Magnet" — car- 
 ries with him an aura of Mental Atmosphere of Posi- 
 tive Strength, which is plainly felt by those coming in 
 contact with him. People say about such a man that 
 he "has something about him" which impresses them, 
 but which they fail to understand. It will be worth 
 your while to study this Mental Atmosphere of some 
 strong man with whom you come in contact, for now 
 
 188 
 
Personal Atmosphere 189 
 
 that you have the secret of the matter you may take 
 some valuable lessons from him. 
 
 THE "AIR ABOUT" STRONG INDIVIDUALS. 
 
 As I have said in my "Mental Magic:" "I cannot 
 very well describe this 'air' to you, for unless you 
 have met a man of this kind you will not understand 
 it. But it is a very different thing from the pompous, 
 self-sufficient, self-important, fussy air and demeanor 
 manifested by the cheap imitators of these great men. 
 The Magnetic Man does not tell you how great, or 
 smart, or important he is — he leaves that for his 
 cheap imitators ; he makes you feel his strength by his 
 very manner and atmosphere, without saying a word. 
 He has that 'something about him' that people notice 
 and wonder at. And that 'something' comes from 
 his conscious or unconscious relation to the Universal 
 Will." 
 
 INDIVIDUALITY NOT PERSONALITY. 
 
 In the above paragraph I have pointed out to the 
 student the kernel of the matter. The "little fellow" 
 who thinks he is one of the "big ones" believes that 
 his strength comes from his Personality, and sooner 
 or later he trips himself up because of this error. But 
 the real "big ones" of life know better ; they may not 
 understand it all, but some way they feel that there 
 is a "Something" back of them from which they are 
 
190 Mental Fascination 
 
 able to draw Strength and Power, and believing this, 
 they are filled \wth Courage and Daring and radiate 
 their Strength^ on all sides. They may talk of their 
 "lucky star" or "special providence," or else believe 
 themselves to be "specially favored of God" (as is 
 the case with at least one of the "big men" of modern 
 finance), but no matter what may be their special in- 
 terpretations of this "Something," they all recognize 
 its existence and trust to it. And this conviction and 
 realization gives to the strong individuals that air of 
 calm, positive Power and Self-Confidence that im- 
 presses those with whom they come in contact and 
 which forms their Mental Atmosphere. 
 
 BACK TO FIRST PRINCIPLES. 
 
 And in giving you instructions in the art of build- 
 ing for yourselves a positive Mental Atmosphere I 
 can do no better than to refer you back to first prin- 
 ciples and again bid you to realize that you are a Dy- 
 namic Focus — a Centre of Force — in the great Uni- 
 versal Will, having the dual attribute of Will-Power 
 and Desire-Force. In short, that you are A LIVING 
 ELECTRO-MAGNET. 
 
 REALIZATION BRINGS POWER. 
 
 If you will but get this realization firmly fixed in 
 your mind you will automatically create for yourself 
 a most positive Mental Atmosphere that will be felt 
 
Personal Atmosphere 191 
 
 by all with whom you come in contact. So first, last 
 and all the time build up this Realization. Say to 
 yourself, "I am a Living Electro-Magnet;" think it 
 out ; dream it out ; act it out. And, of course, always 
 realize what all this means. You are the Electro- 
 Magnet through which is pouring the Universal Will- 
 Power, and in the degree that you allow the current 
 to so How through you, so will be the Power you are 
 able to manifest. 
 
 HOW TO USE THE REALIZATION. 
 
 When you wish to manifest a special degree of 
 Power just let this Statement flame out in vivid let- 
 ters in your mind. When you feel that you are be- 
 ing approached by some other person of strong will, 
 whom you do not wish to influence you, just bring this 
 Statement into effect, and you will actually see the 
 effect of it upon the other person. He will feel your 
 strong Mental Atmosphere and will cease to try to 
 affect you. And even when there is no special need 
 for making the Statement of Power it will be well 
 for you to keep it burning bright within you, for by 
 so doing you strengthen your realization, and your 
 Mental Atmosphere reflects the inner mental state. 
 
 SPECIAL MENTAL ATMOSPHERES. 
 
 So much for the General Mental Atmosphere. As 
 we proceed we shall see that the Electro-Magnetic In- 
 
192 Mental Fascination 
 
 dividual creates special Mental Atmospheres around 
 him by his Mental States, depending upon his Will 
 or Desire at the time. Not only does his Will and 
 Desire affect other persons directly by means of Men- 
 tal Currents, but Mentative Induction is also set up 
 by the Mental Atmosphere, without any special ef- 
 fort on his part. 
 
 MAINTAIN YOUR POSITIVITY. 
 
 In this place I wish to call your attention to the 
 importance of always maintaining your Positivity as 
 a means of Mental Training. Do not allow yourself 
 to become negative to others, even where there is 
 nothing lost by so doing, for by this neglect you cre- 
 ate a negative habit which will cause you trouble to 
 overcome later. If a person comes into your pres- 
 ence whose personality seems likely to dominate or 
 overpower yours, by all means interpose a mental re- 
 sistance right then and there. It is not necessary for 
 you to manifest the same in words, for that would 
 make you ridiculous in many cases; nor is it neces- 
 sary for you to give any special physical expression 
 to your mental state. Simply look the person in the 
 eye, carelessly and without any special effort, at the 
 same time making the mental statement, "I Am A Liv- 
 ing Electro-Magnet," and you will find that your 
 Positivity will rise until it is equal with his, and your 
 feeling of negativity will disappear. In exceptional 
 
Personal Atmosphere 193 
 
 cases you may add mentally, "I am as Positive as 
 You." 
 
 HOW TO CREATE POSITIVE AURAS. 
 
 It will be well for you to practice the creation of 
 special mental Atmospheres in order to establish the 
 habit and thus render it easier to avail yourself of the 
 same on special occasions. Opportunities of all kinds 
 will present themselves to you in everyday life. The 
 gist of the matter is to surround yourself with a Men- 
 tal Aura of such a nature that people will act toward 
 you as you wish them to do. A few examples may 
 help you to get a clearer idea of what I mean, so I 
 herewith give you the same. 
 
 AN INTERESTING EXAMPLE. 
 
 I know a lady, living in Chicago, who was con- 
 stantly complaining that people were "always running 
 over her" on State Street (the crowded retail street 
 of the great Western metropolis). She said that they 
 were always crowding her off the sidewalk and push- 
 ing, bumping and jostling her in a most annoying 
 manner. She asked me for instructions as to what 
 thought she should use to prevent individuals from 
 so acting. I answered that I did not think it was 
 necessary to consider the separate individuals in the 
 case, but that she should "treat" the crowd as a whole, 
 by means of a protective Mental Atmosphere. I then 
 
194 Mental Fascination 
 
 advised her to build up a Mental Atmosphere around 
 this Statement : "People respect my rights ; they will 
 not unduly impose on me in the street; I deny the 
 Power of the Crowd to impose on me." And she fol- 
 lowed this advice, and in a short time had built up a 
 Protective Mental Atmosphere which acted almost 
 magically upon the crowd, who stepped aside and 
 gave her a full right-of-way on the pavement. She 
 would simply go on her way calmly, serenely and un- 
 disturbed, and the crowd let her alone. I must add 
 that I think that the original trouble arose from a 
 subconscious dislike to the crowds and an extreme 
 shrinking from people, the result being that this dis- 
 like acted almost as does Fear, and really attracted 
 to her the interference of people. The new Mental 
 Atmosphere dispelled the old one and gave her an ad- 
 ditional Positivity besides. 
 
 FEAR AS AN ATTRACTING FORCE. 
 
 In this connection I would call -your attention to 
 that remarkable psychological fact that Fear acts as 
 an attracting force, in a negative way. If you want 
 a thing very much you attract it to you — and. if you 
 fear it very much you do likewise. This apparent 
 contradiction has bothered many students of the sub- 
 ject, but it seems very plain to me. I think the ex- 
 planation is that in both cases a vivid Mental Picture 
 is held, and the attraction results along the line of 
 
Personal Atmosphere 195 
 
 Visualization, which always tends to Materialize the 
 Mental Image. Do you see what I mean? Think 
 over it a bit and you will see it plainly. 
 
 THE TRANSFORMATION OF A "HUMAN DOOR-MAT." 
 
 Another case, from actual experience. Another 
 lady, also a resident of Chicago, complained that the 
 clerks in the great department stores would not treat 
 her courteously, but would keep her waiting without 
 paying her any attention, and in other ways would 
 treat her like a "human door-mat." She said she 
 would not have minded this so much if other women 
 were treated likewise, but that while she was ignored 
 others would receive the greatest attention, the clerks 
 "falling over themselves" to wait upon them. T told 
 her that she had gradually built up around her a 
 Mental Atmosphere of Expectancy — that she had 
 fallen into the habit of expecting such treatment, and 
 consequently she got what she expected. I think that 
 in the beginning she had manifested a timid, "hum- 
 ble," meek, "worm-of-the-dust" state of mind when 
 she entered the big stores, which somewhat over- 
 awed her. And then, after this drew upon her the 
 neglect of the clerks, who seem very ready to wipe 
 their feet on human door-mats, she grew to regularly 
 expect the shabby treatment. It was not a matter of 
 dress, or anything of that kind, for she dressed well 
 — and, for that matter, I know women who dress 
 
196 Mental Fascination 
 
 poorly who never get any such treatment, for they 
 understand the underlying mental laws too well for 
 that. It was simply a matter of a Negative Mental 
 Atmosphere, as many of you will clearly see. 
 
 HOW THE CHANGE OCCURRED. 
 
 Well, I told her to "brace up" and create a new 
 Mental Atmosphere, around this general Statement: 
 "The clerks like me; they like to wait on me; they 
 give me every attention; they do this because they 
 LIKE me, and also because I INSIST UPON IT as 
 my Right !" The charm worked in a short time, and 
 now the good lady reports that the clerks not only 
 treat her well but even take the trouble to call her at- 
 tention to desirable selections, special bargains, and 
 all the rest of it. The cure was perfect. 
 
 AN ANALYSIS. 
 
 I call your attention to the above Statement — please 
 note that the first part of it operated along the lines 
 of Desire-Force, and the latter part along the lines of 
 Will-Power. The Statement of the first-mentioned 
 lady (the one who objected to street-crowding) was 
 altogether along the lines of Will-Power. I ask the 
 students to study and dissect each of these cases, be- 
 cause by so doing they will be able to apply the prin- 
 ciples in cases [coming under their own observation, 
 and also in their own cases. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 DIRECT PERSONAL INFLUENCE. 
 
 In the last chapter I spoke of the effect of Mental 
 Atmospheres with which people may and do surround 
 themselves. You will notice that in my discussion of 
 that part of the subject I spoke only of the general 
 influence exerted upon others, and not of the Direct 
 Personal Influence exerted by one man upon another 
 in personal intercourse. The present chapter, and 
 those following it, shall be devoted to the part of the 
 subject just referred to — the Direct Personal Influ- 
 ence. 
 
 THE SILENT MENTAL CONFLICT. 
 
 As I have told you elsewhere, every time two people 
 meet there ensues a silent mental conflict, or struggle 
 for supremacy, from which one or the other emerges 
 a victor, and which victory is fully recognized by both 
 of the parties to the proceeding. This mental strug- 
 gle is usually the combat between the general mental 
 powers of the two, without regard to special mental 
 states induced at the time. But, the man who is skilled 
 
 205 
 
206 Mental Fascination 
 
 in the art of Mental Fascination goes further than 
 this, for he recognizes that he may concentrate his 
 Mentative Energy into definite shape and form, and 
 focus the force of his Mental Imagery direct upon the 
 other person, with such force and power that the 
 second person will have a similar mental state induced 
 in him, along the lines familiar to the students of this 
 book. 
 
 THE LINES OF OPERATION. 
 
 This Direct Personal Influence operates along the 
 lines of both Desire Force and Will Power, of course. 
 I have explained elsewhere how the Will Power may 
 be used to awaken Desire in another ; and how it may 
 also capture the Will of the second person. I have 
 also explained how Desire-Force induces a similar 
 Desire in the second person; and also how it is often 
 used to captivate the Will of the other person. It is 
 not necessary for me to repeat these things — you are 
 supposed to be fully acquainted with them, from your 
 study of this book and "Mental Magic." And so I 
 shall proceed to a consideration of the Instruments of 
 Expression of Personal Influence, and the methods 
 usually employed by those using it. 
 
 THE INSTRUMENTS OF EXPRESSION. 
 
 These instruments of Expression may be classified 
 as follows: 
 
Direct Personal Influence 207 
 
 1. Suggestive Instruments, consisting of (a) The 
 Suggestive Manner, and (b) The Suggestive Tone, 
 and (c) The Suggestive Word, 
 
 2. The Instrument of the Eye; 
 
 3. The Instrument of the Touch; 
 
 and all of these three forms are, of course, merely the 
 Instruments by which, and through which, the Mind 
 expresses itself — the channel through which pours the 
 Mentative Energy. Let us consider them in the above 
 order. 
 
 SUGGESTIVE INSTRUMENTS. 
 
 I will ask you now to turn to my chapter on "Men- 
 tal Suggestion," in my work on "Mental Magic." 
 You will see therein stated the active principles of 
 Mental Suggestion, with which you should thoroughly 
 familiarize yourself, for I shall not repeat the instruc- 
 tions in this book. You will see there that Suggestion 
 is the outward symbol of the inward Mental State, 
 and that it is the inner state that gives vitality to the 
 Suggestion. Get this idea fixed firmly in your mind, 
 and always think of the Force behind the Suggestion. 
 I have explained to you, also, that when one receives 
 a Suggestion through a Physical agent, he has induced 
 in himself the mental state corresponding to the one 
 originating that Physical Suggestion. For example, 
 if you feel yourself filled with Confidence, Energy and 
 Fearlessness, your outward appearance will reflect 
 
208 Mental Fascination 
 
 that inner state, and the outer appearance will become 
 a Suggestion to others. These others will instinctively 
 feel that your inner state is as I have stated. And, 
 this being so, a Physical Suggestion made stronger 
 than usual will produce a deeper impression on others 
 than would any ordinary suggestion. 
 
 THE SUGGESTIVE MANNER. 
 
 In view of the above, you will see why it is that 
 those familiar with the subject deem it important to 
 cultivate the Suggestive Instruments. Beginning with 
 (a) the Suggestive Manner ] you will see why it is 
 that we are impressed with the manner of a man who 
 manifests Energy, Self-Confidence, and Power in 
 every motion. And also, why we have confidence in a 
 man whose manner indicates that he is a person used 
 to being trusted by others — accustomed to having con- 
 fidence reposed in him. And so I might mention hun- 
 dreds of examples tending to show that if a man's 
 manner conveys the impression that he is used to 
 being treated in a certain way, and that he is accus- 
 tomed to acting in a certain way, we are very .apt to 
 accept the Suggestion of Manner, and fall into line 
 with the rest of people. And if the man happens to be 
 a good actor, we may be imposed upon and fooled by 
 his Suggestive Manner. 
 
Direct Personal Influence 209 
 
 THE RULE WORKS BOTH WAYS. 
 
 Not only does this law hold good in the case of the 
 manner and appearance of Success, Strength, Confi- 
 dence, etc., but it also operates along the lines of the 
 appearance and manner of Failure, Weakness, and 
 Distrust. Do you not know of cases wherein you 
 have felt that certain persons were not worthy of Con- 
 fidence ; or were not to be depended upon where 
 Strength of Character was required ; or were not likely 
 to Succeed? Of course you have, and you acted upon 
 the Suggestion, too. 
 
 AN ILLUSTRATION. 
 
 In illustrating this point, I have frequently used 
 the illustration of the two dogs, the one carrying him- 
 self in a manner betokening Self-Respect and an abil- 
 ity to prevent and resent undue liberties, and the other 
 carrying his tail between his legs, in a manner and 
 appearance indicating that he expected to be kicked 
 and -cuffed. The first dog is almost invariably treated 
 with respect, even by the most mischievous young- 
 sters; while the second one almost always invites to 
 himself the kicks, tin cans and brick bats of the young 
 hoodlums of the neighborhood. And this illustration 
 is as true in the case of people as in the case of dogs. 
 Better take the hint ! 
 
2io Mental Fascination 
 
 HOW TO ACQUIRE THIS MANNER. 
 
 But, you may say, how is one to acquire the proper 
 Suggestive Manner? My answer is that there is but 
 one sure way, and that is to begin to Think Out the 
 Park; Visualize it; and Act it Out. You will see the 
 philosophy of this in my lesson on "Mental Architec- 
 ture," in my work on "Mental Magic." In other 
 words, if you wish to convey a Suggestive Manner of 
 Confidence, you must begin to THINK "Confidence" 
 from morning until night. And you must also begin 
 to Visualize "Confidence" when you have the chance 
 to do so — that is, you must make a Mental Picture of 
 yourself as manifesting Confidence. And you must 
 also begin to ACT OUT THE PART. 
 
 ACTING OUT YOUR PART. 
 
 Now about this Acting Out, I would say that I 
 mean not only the "playing the part" in your inter- 
 views with people, but I also mean an actual series of 
 rehearsals in private, just as you would do if you were 
 preparing to play a part on the stage, in public. You 
 must form a Mental Image of how you would look 
 and act if you were filled with Confidence, and were 
 approaching people. You will find that practice will 
 improve you very much in this way, and that you will 
 soon acquire a manner that will be like second-nature, 
 and will really serve to give the Suggestion of your 
 
Direct Persona! Influence 211 
 
 Manner to others with whom you come in contact. 
 And, more than this, it will actually tend to build up 
 confidence in yourself. Imagine yourself as approach- 
 ing strange people, and then act out the part the best 
 you know how, improving a little in ease, and smooth- 
 ness of action each day. Think of how the actor on 
 the stage impresses you — and then remember that the 
 manner was acquired by constant practice, and work. 
 And you may do the same, and may manage to im- 
 press other people just as the actor does you. And 
 what is true in the case of "Confidence" is true regard- 
 ing any Character that you wish to play. Any and all 
 Characters may be played out in this way, and an 
 appearance and manner acquired which will give the 
 Suggestion to others. I wish I could make you realize 
 how much there is in this method. If you could 
 realize how some men have used it to acquire qualities 
 that have enabled them to prey upon the public, you 
 would realize how important it might be for you for 
 legitimate and honorable use. 
 
 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. 
 
 In this Acting Out, you must remember that the 
 practice will make you so perfect that the part will 
 appear natural when you play it in public. But with- 
 out practice, an attempt to play it in public will make 
 one ridiculous. Remember the illustration of the real 
 actor, and you will have the secret of Acting Out. 
 
212 Mental Fascination 
 
 And also remember this, that in the measure that you 
 "throw your mind" into the part, so will be your suc- 
 cess. When you practice, you must throw your mind 
 into the acting, just as you would if you were in earn- 
 est. It is the Mind back of it all, remember. 
 
 THE SUGGESTIVE TONE. 
 
 The second Suggestive Instrument is the Suggestive 
 Tone. This, too, may be acquired by Acting Out. 
 You must practice until you are able to express your 
 meaning with "feeling" that all who hear may be im- 
 pressed. You should begin your practice by choosing 
 some simple words in every-day use — "Good Morn- 
 ing !" for instance. Try it now, and see how roughly, 
 clumsily and crudely you give the morning greeting. 
 Then try to imagine that you are full of good cheer, 
 energy, and brightness, and then throw your feeling 
 into your "good morning," and see how different it 
 .seems. Practice this awhile and you will soon acquire 
 a natural, cheery, bright, and invigorating tone when 
 you say "good morning." You will not need a teacher 
 in elocution to tell you how to do this. Try to FEEL 
 the part, and you will express it naturally. Make your 
 Feelings more flexible, and your Tones will reflect 
 them. After you have mastered the simpler terms 
 of expression, work up to larger sentences, and 
 speeches. Try them on the chairs in your room, in 
 imagining that people are seated therein; speak to 
 
Direct Personal Influence 213 
 
 them feelingly and with expression, until you acquire 
 the art. You will not realize how much you may gain 
 by such practice, until you actually try it. I wish that 
 you could hear the testimony of some people to whom 
 I have taught this thing. 
 
 THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. 
 
 There is nothing more important in Personal Influ- 
 ence than a good Suggestive Tone. Think of the 
 people that you know, and then remember what an 
 influence their voices have on you. Not only the qual- 
 ity of the voice, but the Tone. You readily recognize 
 the difference between the tone of the hesitating, timid, 
 self-doubting person, and that of the confident, self- 
 reliant individual. There is a subtle vibration about 
 the tone of the latter that causes one to feel confidence 
 and respect, and which exacts obedience in a quiet, 
 calm way, devoid of bluster or rant. Read what I 
 have said on this subject, in my lesson on "Personal 
 Influence" in my work on "Mental Magic." 
 
 EXAMPLES OF ITS USE. 
 
 If you will read the part of the present book dealing 
 with Psychological Experimentation, you will see that 
 much depends upon the Tone. You will see that 
 when you say to a subject, "You CAN'T," the tone 
 in which you say "CAN'T" goes a long way toward 
 producing the response. And so it is with the Sug- 
 
214 Mental Fascination 
 
 gestive Tone, no matter what it is made to express. 
 It always impresses upon one that the speaker using it 
 means what he says. And that is why many public 
 men practice year after year in mastering this Instru- 
 ment of Influence — the Suggestive Tone. Again 
 would I refer you to the example of the Actor — see 
 how he manages to throw FEELING into his Tone. 
 And you may do likewise, if you will but practice 
 in earnest, and throw your mind into the work. Think 
 of the thing you wish to express — visualize it — and 
 then act it out in your Tone. You will be surprised 
 at the rapid progress that you will make. Remember 
 always, though, the Tone is but the Instrument of 
 Expression of the MIND back of it. 
 
 USE NERVES, NOT 'MUSCLES. 
 
 Many people make the mistake of "speaking with 
 the muscles instead of with their nerves," as one writer 
 has expressed it. In other words, they seem to throw 
 muscular force into their tones, instead of nervous 
 energy, and in so doing they make a great mistake, 
 for the former has a dull, non-penetrating effect, 
 whereas the latter vibrates subtly and reaches the feel- 
 ing part of one's mind. FEEL, FEEL, FEEL, when 
 you wish to speak impressively, and your Tones will 
 reflect the same, and induce a corresponding feeling in 
 others. 
 
Direct Personal Influence 215 
 
 THE SUGGESTIVE WORD. 
 
 The Third Form of the Suggestive Instrument is 
 The Suggestive Word. I may be able to explain this 
 more clearly when I call your attention to the 
 fact that EACH WORD IS A CRYSTALLIZED 
 THOUGHT. In every word there is an imprisoned 
 Thought. And when you lodge a Word in the mind 
 of another person, the crystal covering is dissolved, 
 and the released thought manifests itself. And, this 
 being so, it becomes important for one to carefully 
 choose the crystallized thoughts, or words, which he 
 wishes to implant in the mind of another. I have 
 spoken of this in my larger work, in my lesson on 
 "Mental Suggestion," to which I refer you. But I 
 wish here to say to you, again, that you should study 
 words until you are able to distinguish between those 
 which carry a live, active, feeling thought, and those 
 less strong. 
 
 EXAMPLES. 
 
 Take the word "STRONG," for instance. Does it 
 not make you feel Strength when you hear it forcibly 
 and feelingly pronounced? Take the word "KIND," 
 and see what feelings it arouses in you. Pronounce 
 the words "LION" and "LAMB," and see the differ- 
 ent feelings you experience from the differing sounds. 
 Take the word "CRASH," and see how it suggests 
 
2i6 Mental Fascination 
 
 the crashing, crunching, tearing, startling thing for 
 which it stands. Compare the sound of the words 
 "ROUGH" and "SMOOTH"— and you will see what 
 I mean. The only way that I can point out to you to 
 acquire the use of Suggestive Words is to study 
 Words themselves. Listen to the words used by 
 others, and note their effect on you. Take a small 
 dictionary and run over its pages, and you will soon 
 have a collection of good, strong, effective terms for 
 handy use when occasion demands. A man does not 
 have to be "highly educated" in the usual sense of 
 that term, in order to use Strong Suggestive Words. 
 Some instinctively choose vital words, charged with 
 feeling, and such make their words felt. Think over 
 this matter. 
 
 NUTSHELL INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 In the use of all the three Suggestive Instruments, 
 remember that the object is to make others FEEL the 
 Mental State you are expressing. That is the whole 
 thing in a nutshell. 
 
CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 EYE-EXPRESSION. 
 
 Next in order in our list of Instruments of Menta- 
 tive Expression is The Eye, that most wonderful of 
 all the human organs, and which is as much an instru- 
 ment for the Expression of Mentative For^'as it is 
 an instrument for receiving the sense-impression of 
 Sight. Let us consider it in its former aspect^ 
 
 THE EYE AS A SUGGESTIVE INSTRUMENT? 
 
 In the first place, the Eye is one of the most, potent 
 and effective instruments of Suggestion, although I 
 have not included it in that class. The expression of 
 the eye will induce mental conditions in others along 
 the lines of Suggestion, and those who understand and 
 have mastered this art of using the eyes have .at their 
 disposal a wonderful instrument of Suggestive Influ- 
 ence. Those of us who have ever met a very "mag- 
 netic" man, or a "charming and fascinating" woman, 
 have carried away with us a lively recollection of "the 
 expression of the eyes" of such a person. Actors and 
 public speakers, as well as those whose business it is 
 
 217 
 
218 Mental Fascination 
 
 to meet and impress people, often make a close study 
 of eye-expression in order to produce a heightened 
 effect along these lines. While this phase of the sub- 
 ject belongs more properly to the various "Schools of 
 Expression" in various parts of the country, it may 
 be worth while to pause a moment and examine some 
 of the leading principles of this Art of Eye-Expres- 
 sion, considered without reference to the phase of 
 Mentative Energy. 
 
 EXERCISES IN EYE-EXPRESSION. 
 
 Begin by studying your eyes in a mirror. You will 
 see that in the center of the eyeball there is a black 
 spot ; this is called the "Pupil" of the eye. The larger 
 circle surrounding the Pupil is called the "Iris." The 
 white of the eye surrounds the Iris. The upper eye- 
 lid moving over the eyeball produces a variety of ex- 
 pressions, each giving to the face a totally different 
 appearance, expression of suggestive meaning. We 
 all recognize the meaning of these different expres- 
 sions, but very few of us understand the mechanism 
 producing the expression. Standing before your mir- 
 ror, study these various expressions. The following 
 exercises may help you. 
 
 EYELID EXERCISES. 
 
 I. Hold the upper lid in such a position that its 
 
Eye-Expression 219 
 
 edge rests half-way between the pupil and top of the 
 iris. This gives an expression of Calmness. 
 
 2. Rest the edge of the upper eyelid at the top of 
 the pupil. This gives an expression of Indifference. 
 
 3. The edge of the eyelid resting at the top of the 
 iris gives an expression of Strong Interest. 
 
 4. The edge of the eyelid resting half-way over 
 the pupil gives an expression of Deep Thought. 
 
 5. The edge of the eyelid resting just above the 
 edge of the iris, and thus showing a narrow strip of 
 white between the edge of the lid and the edge of the 
 iris, gives an expression of Emotional Activity. 
 
 6. The above position, exaggerated so as to show 
 as much of the white as possible between the edge of 
 the iris and the edge of the lid, will give an expression 
 of Emotional Excitement. 
 
 HOW TO PRACTICE THE EXERCISES. 
 
 Teachers of the Art of Expression instruct their 
 pupils to practice the above expressions and positions. 
 They find that with a little practice nearly every one 
 may easily acquire the art of expression in the first 
 four exercises, but that the last two are more difficult 
 of acquirement. The last exercise — Emotional Excite- 
 ment — especially is found to be quite difficult of at- 
 tainment, and teachers claim that but a small percent- 
 age are able to produce the expression without consid- 
 
220 Mental Fascination 
 
 erable practice. Practice these movements until you 
 can reproduce them without the aid of the mirror, 
 just as a man may learn to shave without a mirror, 
 by constant practice before one. The exercises will 
 not only enable you to express the different mental 
 states easily and freely, but will also tend to strengthen 
 the muscles and nerves of the eyes themselves, pro- 
 viding that you proceed gradually and do not overtask 
 the eyes at the beginning. Do not scowl, or contract 
 the brows in the practices. A few minutes at a time 
 is all that you should use in practicing. 
 
 THE SEVENTH EXERCISE. 
 
 When you have mastered the above exercises, espe- 
 cially Nos. 5 and 6, you may try the following, which 
 is the most difficult of all : 
 
 7. Rest the eyelid in the position of Strong Interest 
 (No. 3), and then at the same time lift the edge of the 
 under lid to the lower edge of the pupil. This position 
 gives the expression of Close Scrutiny. 
 
 THE POWER OF EXPRESSION. 
 
 You will be surprised at the added Power of Ex- 
 pression that the careful practice of the above exer- 
 cises will give you. You will be able to manifest 
 more Suggestive Feeling, and will induce Emotional 
 States of Feeling in others. A little practice will give 
 you such convincing proof of this that you will not 
 
Eye-Expression 221 
 
 need urging to further perfect yourself in them. The 
 Expressions of Emotional Activity and Emotional Ex- 
 citement especially will produce a startling result if 
 used on appropriate occasions when you wish to ex- 
 hibit the appearance of the deepest Emotional Excite- 
 ment and Force. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT EXERCISES. 
 
 The following Development Exercises are highly 
 recommended by teachers who have devoted years of 
 study and practice along these lines : 
 
 1. Open the eyes quite widely, but not so widely 
 as to strain them, and hold them in that position for a 
 few seconds, gazing into your mirror, which must be 
 directly in front of you on a level with your eyes. 
 While gazing open them a trifle wider still, without 
 straining, and throw an intense expression into them. 
 Do not move the eyebrows, but allow them to remain 
 normal. 
 
 2. Resume the above position, and then change to 
 the expression of Strong Interest (see previous exer- 
 cises), looking at yourself in the glass just as you 
 would in looking at another person with that ex- 
 pression. 
 
 3. Resume position 1, and then gradually change 
 to the expression of Emotional Activity (see previous 
 exercises), gazing at yourself in the mirror. 
 
222 Mental Fascination 
 
 4. Resume position 1, and then gradually change 
 to the expression of Emotional Excitement (see pre- 
 vious exercises) gazing at yourself in the mirror. 
 
 5. Resume position 1, and then gradually change 
 to the expression of Close Scrutiny (see previous ex- 
 ercises), gazing at yourself in the mirror. 
 
 In the above exercises you must act as if the reflec- 
 tion of yourself in the mirror were in reality an- 
 other person whom you wished to influence. The bet- 
 ter you act this out, the better will your results be. 
 
 6. Practice the expression of Strong Interest on 
 persons to whom you are listening, until you feel that 
 you have awakened a response in them. I may add 
 that the expression of Deep Interest consists of but 
 the same expression heightened by more feeling be- 
 hind it ; and the expression of Loving Interest is the 
 same, "only more so." This "more feeling" may be 
 either real or assumed, as in the case of the good actor. 
 
 7. Practice the expression of Close Scrutiny upon 
 other persons upon appropriate occasions in which you 
 desire to appear as taking a deep, critical interest in 
 some proposition, undertaking, theory, etc. Many per- 
 sons have built up a reputation for being "good listen- 
 ers" and "keen observers" by this practice. I mention 
 it for what it may be worth to you. I am merely 
 giving you the "rules of the game," not necessarily 
 advising you to play it. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE FASCINATION OF THE EYE. 
 
 And now I have reached that part of my subject in 
 which I must speak of the Power of the Eye to convey 
 Mentative Force. Owing to some law of nervous 
 mechanism not fully understood as yet, the eye is one 
 of the most effective mediums for the passage of 
 Mentative Currents from one person to another. I 
 shall not attempt to indulge in any special theory on 
 the subject, but shall proceed to the description of 
 the facts of the case. I may add, however, that ad- 
 vanced occultists inform us that portions of the hu- 
 man brain, during a manifestation of strong emo- 
 tional effort, or exercise of Will, resembles an incan- 
 descent surface, glowing and phosphorescent. And 
 that also there are seen great beams of this incan- 
 descent energy streaming out from the eyes of the 
 person, and reaching the mind of other persons. And 
 more than this, these "beams" of energy transmit 
 mental states, thoughts, etc., of the person, just as 
 scientists have found that "beams of light" will carry 
 waves of electricity, and have thus been able to send 
 
 223 
 
224 Mental Fascination 
 
 telegraphic, and even telephonic messages over such 
 beams of light. 
 
 MENTATIVE BEAMS OF ENERGY. 
 
 One who has mastered the Fascination of the Eye, 
 is able to convey most readily to others the Menta- 
 tive Currents which tend to produce similar mental 
 states by Mentative Induction, as explained elsewhere 
 in this book, and in "Mental Magic." If you will but 
 remember the above illustration of the "beam of 
 light" along which the electric and magnetic currents 
 travel, and will form a Mental Picture of these Men- 
 tative Beams from the Eye, you will understand the 
 process much better, and you will at the same time 
 tend to give to your own Mentative beams a substan- 
 tial reality, along the lines of Visualization. That is, 
 when you wish to use these Mentative Beams, you 
 should imagine them as actually existing in full force 
 and reality — this will tend to cause to give them a 
 material reality, and thus render them a highly effi- 
 cient medium for the passage of your Mentative Cur- 
 rents. 
 
 THE FASCINATING GAZE. 
 
 And now, right here is the best place to instruct you 
 in the proper use of the eye in what has been called 
 "The Magnetic Gaze," but which would be more prop- 
 erly styled the "Fascinating Gaze." There has been 
 
The Fascination of the Eye 225 
 
 much nonsense written on this subject, and in some 
 of my own earlier writings I gave directions along 
 these lines which I am now able to replace with more 
 approved methods, and later discoveries coming from 
 the study and experimentation of myself and others 
 along these lines. I am willing to improve upon my 
 own methods as well as upon those of others — I have 
 no false pride upon this subject, and if tomorrow I 
 find that I can improve upon my work of today, I 
 will do so and give my students the benefit of the 
 change, instead of stubbornly "sticking to it," just 
 because I had once stated a theory, fact, or result. 
 There is no standing still in scientific work — he who 
 stands still really goes backward. 
 
 THE FORMER METHOD. 
 
 The former instructions regarding the "Magnetic 
 Gaze" told the student to concentrate his gaze "at the 
 root of the nose" of the other person, that is, right 
 between his two eyes. Now this was all very well, 
 but there is a far better plan. This focusing the gaze 
 between the eyes of the other person, really results in 
 "crossing" your gaze, and thus robbing it of a portion 
 of the direct electro-magnetic power that it possesses. 
 You may prove this by holding up a pencil before 
 your eyes, and focusing your eyes upon it as you draw 
 it nearer and nearer to your eyes. The nearer you get 
 to the pencil, or to the other person, the more will your 
 
226 Mental Fascination 
 
 gaze be "crossed" and the effect impaired. A gaze 
 from a pair of "crossed eyes" is not nearly so Fasci- 
 nating as one from a pair of straight eyes, giving out 
 a direct, forceful impression. 
 
 THE NEW METHOD. 
 
 The new "Fascinating Gaze" is performed as fol- 
 lows: You do not focus your gaze at a point between 
 the two eyes of the other person, but, instead, you 
 gaze directly and straightly into his two eyes with 
 your two eyes. You will find this difficult, and tiring, 
 if you perform it in the ordinary way — and herein 
 lies the "secret." Instead of focusing your eyes upon 
 his, as if you really wished to see the color of his eyes, 
 you must so focus your eyes that you are really gazing 
 through him, as if he were transparent and you wished 
 to see something beyond him. A little practice before 
 a mirror will show you what I mean better than I can 
 explain it to you in words. Practice at "gazing 
 through" objects will aid you in acquiring this gaze. 
 Try for instance focusing your eyes upon the wall op- 
 posite you as you raise your eyes from this page; Then 
 as you look at the wall, slowly pass your hand before 
 your eyes at a distance of about two feet, but don't 
 change your focus — don't see the hand plainly, but 
 keep your gaze focused on the wall, as if you could 
 see it through the hand. 
 
The Fascination of the Eye 227 
 
 HOW TO PRACTICE. 
 
 This gaze must not consist of a blank, vacant, stu- 
 pid state, but must be intense and earnest. Practice 
 on objects as above stated, and with your mirror, will 
 aid you in perfecting the gaze. It will help you if you 
 have some friend with whom you can practice it. 
 
 THE EFFECT UPON OTHERS. 
 
 The other person will not be aware that you are not 
 "seeing" him, and are "gazing through" him — to him 
 it will appear that you are giving him a very deep, in- 
 tense, steady, earnest glance. He will see your pupils 
 dilate, as they always do when looking at a distant 
 object, and your expression will be one of calm, se- 
 rene power. 
 
 IT DOES NOT TIRE THE EYES. 
 
 And another important point about this gaze is that 
 you may maintain it a long time without tiring the 
 eyes, and without the eyes watering or blinking. You 
 may out-stare another person, or animal, in this way, 
 without fatigue, while the other's eyes grow tired and 
 weak. So much is this true that the results of my 
 own investigation of the subject have convinced me 
 that the animals who manifest the Fascinating Gaze 
 (as mentioned in a previous chapter) really focus 
 their eyes beyond the object in just this way. If ever 
 
228 Mental Fascination 
 
 you get a chance to observe an animal fascinating an- 
 other, you will see that I am right in this theory. 
 
 THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION. 
 
 This "gazing through" the other person is accom- 
 plished by a certain "accommodation" of the eye, as 
 oculists and opticians call it, and while you are per- 
 forming it you cannot examine distinctly, or "see" 
 distinctly the eyes of the other person, because your 
 focus is different. To show you why you are able to 
 maintain this gaze such a long time without tiring 
 your eyes, I would remind you of the ease with which 
 you may maintain the expression of being "wrapped 
 in thought," "day-dreaming," "lost in a brown study," 
 "just thinking about things," etc., with which you all 
 are familiar. In such a mental state you are able to 
 "gaze into space" for a long time without the slight- 
 est fatigue, while a few seconds' focusing your eyes 
 upon a near-by object will tire them very much in- 
 deed. And then, again, you know how long you are 
 able to gaze at an object far out at sea, or far across 
 the desert, or far down or across the mountain, with- 
 out tiring your eyes. The whole secret is that short- 
 range focusing upon an object tires the eyes much 
 more than does "long-range" gazing into space. This 
 being the case, it will tire you far less "seeing 
 through" a person, than gazing at him and "seeing" 
 him at short range. 
 
The Fascination of the Eye 229 
 
 RULES FOR PRACTICE. 
 
 In practicing the maintaining of the gaze for a long 
 time, I would advise against tiring the eyes by gazing 
 at short-range objects. Better practice at gazing at 
 distant objects until you are able to maintain the gaze 
 a long time, as you will be able to do after a little 
 practice. In fact, I advise you to practice the "gazing 
 into space," because proficiency in that will enable you 
 to perfect the Fascinating Gaze. After you have prac- 
 ticed this "gazing through" method a bit, you will be 
 able to look at an object a couple of feet away, and 
 gaze right through it — that is, you will not consciously 
 "see" it objectively, although apparently staring hard 
 at it. 
 
 MAKE HASTE SLOWLY. 
 
 Avoid all exercises tiring to the eyes, and proceed 
 slowly, working from trifling successes to more impor- 
 tant ones. You will be surprised how a little intelli- 
 gent practice along these lines will give you a pene- 
 trating glance, firm, earnest, and full of "magnetism" 
 and Fascination, without the slightest sense of strain, 
 fatigue or effort. You have long wished for such an 
 expression — here it is for you. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE USE OF THE MENTATIVE INSTRU- 
 MENTS. 
 
 In the use of the Eyes for the purpose of conveying 
 Mentative Currents, you should always remember 
 that the FEELING is the real power behind these 
 currents of Force, and that the Brain is the Dynamo 
 from which the currents originate. The Brain, you 
 know, is the great Transformer, or Converter of the 
 Mentative Energy, and acts just as does a Dynamo in 
 the direction of sending forth great waves of Force. 
 Consequently, if you wish to send out Mentative Cur- 
 rents for the purpose of inducing feeling in others, 
 you must first have FEELING generated in your Men- 
 tal Dynamo. 
 
 VALUABLE EXERCISES. 
 
 It will be well for two people to practice the Eye 
 Exercises together, but in the absence of a friend in 
 whom you have confidence, you may obtain excellent 
 results by practicing before your friendly mirror. In 
 either case, you must first arouse in your mind the 
 
 230 
 
Use of Mentative Instruments 231 
 
 Feeling that you wish to express in Mentative Cur- 
 rents. Put your Feeling into your glance, and it will 
 be felt. 
 
 Exercise i. Look into the eyes of your friend (or 
 your own in the mirror) and then say mentally "I am 
 Stronger than you." Throw into your glance as much 
 of the feeling of Strength as you can. 
 
 Exercise 2. Say mentally, "I am more Positive 
 than you — I am outgazing you," throwing as much 
 positivity as possible into your gaze, the same being 
 inspired, of course, by your Feeling. 
 
 Exercise 3. Say, and feel, "You are afraid of me 
 — I am making you feel my Strength," throwing the 
 feeling into your gaze. 
 
 ACTUAL PRACTICE. 
 
 After you have acquired the faculty of making your 
 strength felt by the above exercises you may use same 
 uppn other people when the occasion renders it ad- 
 visable. If you are addressed by some person whom 
 you think is trying to master you mentatively, or 
 whose strong influence you wish to ward off, you may 
 use the above method on him. As a rule the person 
 who is doing the talking has a slight advantage over 
 the listener, all else being equal. The speaker is the 
 more positive because he is expressing more Energy. 
 But you may counteract this, if you are the listener, 
 by simply sending him a glance, accompanied by the 
 
232 Mental Fascination 
 
 Feeling of '7 scatter your Force into bits — you cannot 
 affect ME!" 
 
 POINTS OF PRACTICE. 
 
 In resisting an attack of this sort, keep your mouth 
 closed, with the teeth touching, for this "bite" denotes 
 Strength and Firmness, and brings into play the parts 
 of the brain manifesting these qualities, and thus 
 charges your Mentative Currents with these feelings. 
 At the same time gaze firmly and steadily into the eyes 
 of the other, using the Fascinating Gaze. I would 
 bid you remember my remarks in "Mental Magic" 
 about the person standing having the advantage of the 
 one sitting. Avoid the sitting position when the other 
 person is standing — do not give him this advantage, 
 but take it yourself if you can. 
 
 MENTAL COMMANDS AND REFUSALS. 
 
 In speaking to persons and requesting them to do 
 something, you should accompany the verbal request 
 by a Mental Command. For instance, if you say "You 
 will do this for me, won't you?" (this is the Suggestive 
 Form of Questioning, remember) you should accom- 
 pany the question with the COMMAND (made men- 
 tally) with the proper glance, "You WILL do this." 
 If you are the person requested to do something that 
 you do not wish to do, you should answer, "No, I do 
 not care to do this," or "I do not see my way clear to 
 
Use of Mentative Instruments 233 
 
 do it," or "I am unable to oblige you," etc., etc., but at 
 the same time you must send the mental answer, with 
 its accompanying glance, "I WILL NOT do it, and 
 you cannot make me." 
 
 CERTAIN DANGEROUS TEACHING. 
 
 A well-known teacher along these lines several 
 years ago, taught his pupils to gaze into the eyes of 
 persons whom they wished to affect, at the same time 
 saying mentally : "I am looking at you. I am looking 
 through your eyes into your brain. My will power 
 is stronger than yours. You are under my control. I 
 will compel you to do what I wish. You must do what 
 I say. You shall do this. Do it at once." It will read- 
 ily be seen that this will generate a powerful Menta- 
 tive Current, if there is a sufficiently strong Feeling — 
 Will and Desire — behind it. But right here I shall 
 give you an Antidote for this kind of Influence. In all 
 cases where you are attacked mentally in this way 
 you may dissolve the Force by a POSITIVE DE- 
 NIAL. 
 
 THE POSITIVE DENIAL. 
 
 The POSITIVE DENIAL is the powerful Force 
 that scatters into tiny bits the Force directed against 
 one. It is a destructive agent, just as is the POSI- 
 TIVE STATEMENT a constructive or creative one. 
 
234 Mental Fascination 
 
 One who understands the scientific use of this destruc- 
 tive force may undo the mentative work of others, to 
 a surprising degree. Some day I shall have more to 
 say regarding these two warring forces, along the 
 broader lines of the entire subject of Telementation, 
 but at present I shall confine myself to their use in Per- 
 sonal Influence. By a Strong, Positive Denial, You 
 may scatter and disintegrate any Mentative Influence 
 directed against you. This formula will give you a 
 general idea of it. Suppose that you are repelling a 
 Statement such as given above. In that case you should 
 say mentally, accompanying it with the proper glance, 
 with Feeling back of it: "I DENY POSITIVELY 
 your power over Me. / Deny it out of existence. I 
 WILL NOT do your bidding, and I DENY your 
 right and Power to command me. I DENY your 
 power, and I affirm my own." 
 
 HOW TO CULTIVATE THIS POWER. 
 
 You may cultivate this power to use the POSITIVE 
 DENIAL by practicing on an imaginary person whom 
 you may suppose is trying to influence you. Imagine 
 the strong, positive person before you, trying to in- 
 fluence you and then start in to practice the Positive 
 Denial on him, until you feel that you have beaten 
 him off, and have sent him flying away in retreat. 
 These imaginary mental battles will develop a great 
 power of mentative resistance in you, and I advise you 
 
Use of Mentative Instruments 235 
 
 strengthen yourselves along these lines, if you feel that 
 you are weak. You may improve on the above exer- 
 cise, by imagining that after your enemy is in full re- 
 treat you follow him up and pour Statement after 
 Statement into him, changing your position from a 
 defender into an attacking force. 
 
 MENTATIVE FENCING LESSONS. 
 
 These imaginary rehearsals will do more for one 
 than people think possible. They are like stage re- 
 hearsals that make perfect the actors. They are the 
 fencing lessons from which the swordsman gains skill, 
 and strength. Practice, practice, practice makes per- 
 fect in everything — in Mentative work as well as phys- 
 ical. There are good psychological and occult rea- 
 sons behind this method and practice, but I shall not 
 enter upon that field at present — this book is intended 
 to give you the "how" of the subject, rather than the 
 "why." 
 
 THE SECRET OF EFFECTIVE SPEAKING. 
 
 In personal conversation with another you will find 
 it of the greatest value to see as clearly as possible a 
 mental picture, chart or map, of what you are saying 
 to him. By so doing you will impress most forcibly 
 upon his mind that which you wish him to see, and 
 feel. In this statement is compressed the Secret of 
 Effective Speaking. In the degree that YOU see and 
 
236 Mental Fascination 
 
 feel the thought that you are expressing in words, will 
 be the degree of Impression made upon, and Menta- 
 tive Induction produced in, the other person. The se- 
 cret of course lies in the Law of Visualization as ex- 
 plained in "Mental Magic" and in this book. 
 
 PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 You may find an evidence of your increasing Men- 
 tative Influence by trying the psychological experiment 
 of "Willing" people to move this way or that way, by 
 gazing intently at them. In this experiment it is not 
 necessary for you to gaze into their eyes. Gazing at 
 their back, preferably at the upper part of the neck, 
 at the base of the brain, will answer. You may try 
 "willing" persons to look around on the street, or in 
 public places, etc. Or you may "will" that they turn 
 to the right or left of you, when approaching each 
 other on the street. Or, in stores you may "will" that 
 a certain clerk, from out of a number, will step for- 
 ward to wait upon you. These and many similar ex- 
 periments have an interest to the majority cf students, 
 and are accomplished with comparative ease, after suf- 
 ficient practice. The whole theory and practice con- 
 sists of a steady gaze, and the Mental command, and 
 will, that the person will act so-and-so, together with 
 the earnest expectation that they will obey the com- 
 mand, and the mental picture of their doing so. That 
 is all there is to it. 
 
Use of Mentative Instruments 237 
 
 GENERAL ADVICE. 
 
 f In the use of the Eye as a Mentative Instrument, re- 
 member first, last, and all the time, that DESIRE and 
 WILL are the phases of the Mentative Energy, and 
 that in the degree that Desire is kindled, and Will is 
 exerted, so will be the Power expressed by yourself, 
 and impressed upon others. Read "Mental Magic" 
 over a number of times, until you have fully grasped 
 the underlying principles. Then re-read the present 
 book, and commit its exercises and instructions to 
 memory. Then practice frequently, and perfect your- 
 self in the methods pointed out, until you render them 
 "second nature." You will be conscious of a grad- 
 ual growth and development, along the lines of Men- 
 tative Power and Influence. The flame of Electro- 
 Magnetic Power once lit will never die out — tend the 
 flame carefully, keep the wick trimmed clean, and fill 
 the lamp with oil, and it will ever burn bright and emit 
 heat and light and Power. 
 
 THE MAGNETIC TOUCH. 
 
 The last Mentative Instrument mentioned in a pre- 
 vious chapter is the Touch. There was a time, in my 
 early stages of experimentation and psychological re- 
 search, when I laughed at the idea of the Touch play- 
 ing any real part in the work of Mental Influence. Of 
 course I saw the effect of the Touch in certain phases 
 
238 Mental Fascination 
 
 of psychological work, but I believed that it was all 
 "merely suggestion/' but I soon learned that the 
 Touch was really a most potent Instrument of Menta- 
 tive Energy. I now explain it by the idea of the 
 nerves being like the wires upon which the electric 
 current travels. The Brain is the Dynamo, or Con- 
 verter of the Energy, and while the latter travels in 
 waves and currents without any wires (just as does 
 the wave of the wireless telegraph) still if there is a 
 wire to be had, then it follows the lines of least re- 
 sistance and takes advantage of the nerve-wire. Cer- 
 tain parts of the body have nerve-cells very highly de- 
 veloped in them — are in fact miniature brains. In the 
 cases of some persons of sensitive and trained touch, 
 there exist little clusters of nerve cells at the ends of 
 the fingers, that act like miniature brains. The lips 
 are also highly developed in this respect, as the well 
 known phenomena of "kissing" evidences. The fingers 
 and hand are excellent polar mediums for conveying 
 the Mentative Energy that pours down over the nerves 
 from the Brain, and through which it passes to the 
 other person. 
 
 HOW TO USE THE HANDS. 
 
 The use of the Touch of the hands as a channel for 
 conveying Mentative Energy depends greatly upon 
 the development of the hands by the individual. Those 
 who understand this matter, develop the conductivity 
 
Use of Mentative Instruments 239 
 
 of the hands by "treating" them, as follows : Think of 
 your hands as excellent conductors of Mentative En- 
 ergy, and imagine that you can feel the Energy pour- 
 ing down the nerves of your arms, and out of your 
 hands, obeying your Will, when you shake hands with 
 people. You will soon develop your hands to such a 
 degree that some sensitive persons will actually "feel" 
 the current passing into them. Always accompany the 
 passage of the current with the thought or feeling that 
 you wish to induce in the other person, just as you do 
 when you use the Fascinating Gaze. In fact, the Gaze 
 and the hand clasp should be used together, when pos- 
 sible, for by so doing you double the effect. 
 
 THE MAGNETIC HAND-CLASP. 
 
 When you shake hands with a person throw Mind 
 and Feeling into it, and do not fall into the mechan- 
 ical, lifeles method so common among people. Throw 
 your Feeling down to your hand, and at the same time 
 make a mental command or statement appropriate to 
 the case. For instance, grasp the person's hand with 
 Feeling, and interest, saying, mentally, at the same 
 time: "You Like Me." Then, when you draw your 
 hand away, if possible let your fingers slide over the 
 palm of his hand in a caressing manner, allowing his 
 first finger to pass between your thumb and forefinger, 
 close up in the crotch of the thumb. Practice this 
 well, until you can perform it without thinking of it— 
 
240 Mental Fascination 
 
 that is, make it your natural way of shaking hands. 
 You will find that this method of shaking hands will 
 open up a new interest in people toward you, and in 
 other ways you will discover its advantage. You 
 never knew a "fascinating" person who did not have 
 a good hand-clasp. It is a part of the fascinating per- 
 sonality. 
 
 OTHER USES OF THE HANDS. 
 
 There are many persons, well grounded on the 
 psychological principles underlying Mental Fascina- 
 tion, who use the hands as a medium for Mentative 
 Energy, without shaking hands. For instance, they 
 sit near the other person and place their hands so that 
 their fingers will point toward him, at the same time 
 willing that the current flow through the fingers and 
 toward the other. They also use their hands in con- 
 versation so as to have the tips of their fingers point- 
 ing toward the other. This last plan becomes highly 
 effective when used with the appropriate gestures, 
 for it is akin to the mesmeric "pass" of the hands. In 
 this connection I would say beware of the person who 
 is always trying to put his hands on you — beware of 
 the "pawing over" process. Avoid it in the ordinary 
 way, if possible, or else deliberately practice the POS- 
 ITIVE DENIAL toward the person, holding the idea 
 and mental statement that "I DENY the power of your 
 magnetism — I scatter it by my Denial." 
 
Use of Mentative Instruments 241 
 
 A WARNING TO WOMEN. 
 
 In concluding this chapter, I would especially cau- 
 tion young women and older ones, for that matter, 
 against allowing men to be familiar with them in the 
 direction of ''holding hands," or similar practices. Not 
 only does this "familiarity breed contempt" but there 
 are good psychological reasons why the practice is to 
 be condemned. You have seen what part the hands 
 play in "magnetizing" as it is called, and is it not 
 clearly discernible how one may use the hands in this 
 "petting," and all that sort of thing, in order to 
 psychologically affect another person ? I am not speak- 
 ing now of the caresses indulged in by honorable true 
 lovers — for all the talk in the world would not change 
 that sort of thing — but I am alluding to the indiscrimi- 
 nate "pawing over" on the part of strange men that 
 some young girls allow. There is a danger in this sort 
 of thing, and I want you to know it. If you have 
 daughters, or young female relatives, warn them 
 against this thing, and tell them the reason why. 
 
 A CAUTION TO MEN. 
 
 And the same thing is true of the man who is always 
 patting other men on the shoulder, or resting his arm 
 around them, or else "taking hold of them" in a 
 friendly caressing way during a conversation. Such 
 men may not know the psychology of the thing, but 
 
242 Mental Fascination 
 
 they have found out that this sort of "patting up" 
 makes other men more impressible, and amenable to 
 their influence, and so they practice it. Make them stop 
 it, either by moving away, or by POSITIVE DE- 
 NIAL. 
 
 THE PROTECTIVE ARMOR. 
 
 Now, once more, remember the power of this POS- 
 ITIVE DENIAL as a disperser, and disintegrator of 
 Adverse Influence. If this book taught you nothing 
 else, it would still be "worth while" to you because of 
 this one point of instruction. For this Positive De- 
 nial is a Mentative Armor that will protect you — a 
 Mentative Sword that will defend you — a Mentative 
 Lightning Flash that will clear the Mental Atmosphere. 
 Learn the Secret of Positive Statement, and Positive 
 Denial, and you are clad in an invulnerable armor and 
 are armed with the weapon of Strength — and so you 
 may, like the "Warrior Bold" go "gaily to the fray." 
 May the Victory be yours ! 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CONCLUDING INSTRUCTION. 
 
 We have now reached the end of our consideration 
 of the subject of "Mental Fascination," in this book. 
 But you have reached only the beginning of the sub- 
 ject, when you close these pages, for the real subject 
 rests in the action of the principles in real life. 
 
 THE EFFECT OF THE INSTRUCTION. 
 
 Though you may not feel disposed to put into oper- 
 ation much of the instruction given herein, yet, from 
 your very acquaintance with what has been taught in 
 these pages, you will be compelled to see the opera- 
 tion of the principles in the everyday life around you. 
 You will see them in operation on every side, now 
 that you are familiar with their laws of operation. 
 And you will find yourself instinctively guarding 
 against its influence, just as you would guard against 
 a threatened physical blow. And you will be surprised, 
 and perhaps pained sometimes, at seeing people try- 
 ing to influence you in this way, whom you would not 
 have suspected of doing so. On the whole, you will 
 
 243 
 
244 Mental Fascination 
 
 be a much stronger man or woman by reason of the 
 information herein given you. And you will have the 
 advantage of knowing how to resist, defeat and dispel 
 the adverse influences that may be used to influence 
 you. Remember the assertion of the Positive Will, 
 and the use of the Positive Denial! 
 
 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. 
 
 There is one thing more that I wish to call your 
 attention to, before closing, although, strictly speak- 
 ing, it forms part of the subject of Telemental Influ- 
 ence rather than that of Mental Fascination. I have 
 mentioned this matter in my work on "Mental Magic," 
 in my lesson on "The Science of Telementation." I 
 allude to the use of Telementation for the purpose of 
 Mental Fascination, which is performed by some per- 
 sons who have become acquainted with the subject. 
 
 DISTANT FASCINATION. 
 
 The person wishing to influence another at a dis- 
 tance, just as he would in the case of a Personal Inter- 
 view, forms a Mental Image of the person whom he 
 wishes to influence, and then proceeds just as if the 
 person was actually before him, according to the 
 methods mentioned in this book. I know of at least 
 one teacher who advises his students to "treat" pros- 
 pective customers, and others with whom they expect 
 to have dealings, or relations, as follows: "Imagine 
 
Concluding Instruction 245 
 
 your prospective customer, or other person, as seated 
 in a chair before which you are standing. Make the 
 imagined picture as strong as possible, for upon this 
 depends your success. Then proceed to 'treat' the 
 person just as you would if he were actually present. 
 Concentrate your will upon him, and tell him just 
 what you expect to tell him when you meet him. Use 
 all of the arguments that you can think of, and at the 
 same time hold the thought that he MUST do as you 
 say. Try to imagine him as complying with your 
 wishes, in every respect, for this imagining will tend 
 to 'come true* when you really meet the person. This 
 rule may be used, not only in the case of prospective 
 customers, but also in the cases of persons whom you 
 wish to influence in any way w hat so ever." 
 
 HOW TO COUNTERACT THE INFLUENCE. 
 
 Now, all this is very plain to the student of this 
 book, and of my work on "Mental Magic," for the 
 principles employed are familiar to my students. The 
 result of a practice like the above would undoubtedly 
 tend to clear a "mentative path" in the other person's 
 mind, and make easier the effect of a subsequent in- 
 terview. For the other person would be thus accus- 
 tomed to the idea, thought or feeling, and the work 
 of clearing away the mental underbrush would be 
 done in advance. But, fortunately for us all, we have 
 the Antidote for this Bane, if we have acquainted 
 
246 Mental Fascination 
 
 ourselves with the underlying principles of the sub- 
 ject. So important do I regard this matter of Self- 
 Protection against this Telemental Influencing that 
 I purpose adding to my remarks on this subject sev- 
 eral paragraphs from my book on "Mental Magic," 
 which, although you have already read them, should 
 appear right in this place, in order to be impressed 
 upon your mind in connection with what I have just 
 said. I want you all to read again what I have said 
 on this subject of Self-Protection. So here is the 
 reproduction of a few rules to use on occasions when 
 you think that someone is trying to so "treat" or "in- 
 fluence you. Better study them carefully. Here they 
 are: 
 
 VALUABLE RULES. 
 
 i. In the first place, steady your mind, and calm 
 your feelings. Then pause for a moment, and say 
 the words, "I AM," calmly and forcibly, at the same 
 time forming a mental picture of yourself as a Centre 
 of Force and Power in the Great Ocean of Mind. 
 See yourself as standing alone and full of Power. 
 Then mentally form a picture of your Aura, extending 
 about a yard on all sides of you, in an egg-shaped 
 form. See that this Aura is charged with your 
 Will-Power, which is flowing outward repelling any 
 adverse mental suggestions that are being sent to 
 you, and causing them to fly back to the source from 
 whence they came. A little practice will enable you 
 
Concluding Instruction 247 
 
 to perfect this picture, which will greatly aid you in 
 creating a strong Positive Aura of Will, which will 
 prove to be a Magnetic Armor and shield. 
 
 A USEFUL AFFIRMATION. 
 
 The affirmation "I AM" is the strongest known to 
 Occult Science, for it is a positive statement of Actual 
 Being. You may use the following Affirmation also, 
 if you please — it has helped many: "I assert my 
 Individuality as a Centre of Force, Power and Being. 
 Nothing can adversely affect me. My Mind is mine 
 own, and I refuse admittance to unwelcome sugges- 
 tions for influences. My Desires are my own, and 
 refuse to admit undesirable vibrations by Induction or 
 otherwise. My Will is my own, and I charge it with 
 Power to beat off and repel all undesirable influences. 
 I am surrounded by an Aura of Positive Will, which 
 protects me absolutely." 
 
 A USEFUL DENIAL. 
 
 The following Denial has proved of the greatest 
 value to many : "I DENY, to all or any, the power 
 to Influence me against my best interests — / Am my 
 ozvn Master." These words may seem simple, but if 
 you will use them you will be surprised at their effi- 
 cacy. You realize, of course, that it is the Mental 
 State aroused by the words, that "does the work," 
 
248 Mental Fascination 
 
 rather than any special virtue in the words them- 
 selves. 
 
 GUARD AGAINST "IMPULSES." 
 
 2. Guard yourself from acting upon "impulses." 
 When you feel a sudden or unaccountable "impulse" 
 to do this thing, or that thing, stop and assert your 
 Positive Individuality, and then drive out all outside 
 influences, by repeating the Affirmations, etc., given 
 above, and by creating the proper Mental Picture. 
 Then, when you have recovered your balance, con- 
 sider the impulse, and decide whether it is to your 
 best interests, or otherwise. You will be able to see 
 this clearly, by reason of your "mental house-clean- 
 ing" a moment before. Then, if the impulse seems 
 to be against your best interests, drive it from you, 
 saying: "I drive you away from me — you do not 
 belong to me — return to those who sent you," or 
 other words to that effect. This may be rendered 
 more forceful if you will but create a Mental Picture 
 of the discarded idea flying away from you in the 
 shape of a tiny thought-wave. These Mental Pictures 
 aid one very materially in such matters, both in the 
 sending forth of an idea, as well as in the discarding 
 of one. 
 
 THE POSITIVE AURA. 
 
 3. Cultivate the picture and idea of a Positive 
 
Concluding Instruction 249 
 
 Aura, and always think of yourself as being encased 
 
 in such a one. See yourself as a strong Positive "I" 
 
 a Centre of Power — encased in an Impregnable 
 Sheath of Auric Force. You will thus be able to 
 build up yourself into a mighty Centre. You will be 
 surprised at the confused manner of people who try 
 to influence you, when they come in contact with this 
 Aura, and find their Suggestions and Mentative Cur- 
 rents being cast back upon themselves. Such people 
 find themselves "all broken up" when they meet a 
 condition like this, which they do not understand for 
 very few of them are practical occultists. The Mental 
 Picture of yourself as a Centre of Power, surrounded 
 with a Positive Aura, will, if persisted in, render you 
 extremely Positive, so that your influence is sure to be 
 felt by the world with which you come in contact. 
 
 AMUSING SEQUELS. 
 
 You will often be amused by occurrences following 
 after the rejection of these "stray impulses," etc. You 
 will find that if you have had an impulse to buy a cer- 
 tain thing, or sell a certain thing at a sacrifice, that in 
 a day or so, perhaps an hour or so, you will be ap- 
 proached by some person who will advise you person- 
 ally to do that same thing, the person being likely to 
 be benefited by the scheme or plan. I do not mean 
 that such person has necessarily tried to influence you 
 by Mentative Currents, for he may not have con- 
 
250 Mental Fascination 
 
 sciously done so, but nevertheless that is just what has 
 happened, and his Desire or Will has caused these 
 Currents to flow in your direction, and you have felt 
 them. Now that your eyes have been opened to this 
 fact, you will be amused and surprised to see hoW 
 many corroborative proofs you will receive. But 
 always assert your Individuality as a Centre of Power, 
 and all will be well with you in these matters. 
 
 THE PROTECTIVE AGENT. 
 
 I hope that the above reproduction of the advice 
 given in "Mental Magic" will do you good. And 
 once more remember the power of the POSITIVE 
 DENIAL as a Protective Agent. By its use you may 
 disperse and scatter the Mentative Currents of others 
 and surround yourself with an impregnable armor of 
 Mentative Energy. And also remember this, which I 
 have not said elsewhere, that the Law of Life is con- 
 cerned with the Protection of the Individual, and 
 gives to each the weapons with which to preserve his 
 Individuality. So true is this that occultists know 
 that there is the greatest difference in the use of the 
 Mentative Power as an Attacking Force, and as a 
 Protective Force. I will illustrate this briefly. 
 
 PROTECTIVE INDIVIDUALITY. 
 
 A man's Mentative Force is immensely more pow- 
 erful when he uses it to Protect his Individuality than 
 
Concluding Instruction 251 
 
 when he uses it to Attack the Individuality of another. 
 In fact, if everyone understood the laws of Mentative 
 Defence, and would avail himself of the information 
 given by me under this head, there would be almost 
 a total absence of Mentative Attack, for the futility 
 of the same would soon be recognized. The only 
 reason that the Strong Individuals are able to affect 
 the weaker ones so frequently is because the other do 
 not know their inner Power, and make no defense — 
 in fact, the majority of people do not know of these 
 laws at all ; and, if one tells them, they sneer and smile 
 knowingly, tapping their foreheads to indicate that 
 their informant is "just a little off." Poor sheep, and 
 geese, they are so happy in their ignorance and conceit 
 that it almost seems a pity to disturb them. 
 
 nature's protective power. 
 
 But to return to my subject. You will find that it 
 will require a much less effort of Will to protect your 
 Individuality than it will to attack the Individuality of 
 another. You will find that the Law is on your side 
 when you say, "I WONT be influenced— I DENY 
 the power of another to weaken my Individuality," 
 for you have then called into operation that Law of 
 Nature which is always in operation, and which she 
 gives to her creatures in the way of an instinctive 
 protective force. So there is no occasion to be afraid— 
 
252 Mental Fascination 
 
 you are immune from attacks if you will but assert 
 the Force within you. 
 
 THE GLORY OF INDIVIDUALITY. 
 
 And now, friends, in conclusion I beg of you to re- 
 member that you are Individuals — Centres of Mind, 
 Power, Force and Energy, yes, Centres of LIFE, in 
 the great Ocean of Being. Each of you is something 
 different from any other Centre, and the Law wishes 
 you to live your own life; develop your own indi- 
 viduality; assert your own birthright — and in the 
 measure that you so do, so will the Law be on your 
 side. Do not let the snare of Personal Pride trip you 
 up, and entangle you in its meshes, for it is but an 
 illusion. But glory in your Pride of Individuality, 
 and do not be frightened, coaxed, seduced, lured, or 
 driven by the Race-Thought into the condition of "the 
 worm-of-the-dust" person — do not be a "human door- 
 mat" — do not be a human sheep or goose, following 
 some fool leader in a stately goose-step, or the sheep- 
 like "follow my leader" fashion. Remember that you 
 are Men and Women — that you are Individuals for 
 which the cosmic machinery has been laboring for 
 ages in order to evolve. 
 
 THE STATEMENT OF INDIVIDUALITY. 
 
 The Statement of Individuality that "I AM HERE, 
 NOW," is a mighty one. It will always be "I Am" 
 
Concluding Instruction 253 
 
 with you — it will always be "Here" with you — it will 
 always be "Now" with you. No matter what state your 
 Individuality may reach ; no matter what point of space 
 you may occupy; no matter what period of time it 
 may be — it will always be true that "I AM, HERE, 
 NOW !" For it will always be your "I" that is speak- 
 ing — it will always be "Am" with you — everywhere 
 place will be "Here" to you — all time will be "Now" 
 with you. May you unfold into a perception of this 
 Statement of Individuality. For when you do, you will 
 have reached a mental plane where even the principles 
 herein taught will seem elementary to you — for you 
 will have soared above them and their operation. May 
 this and other works of mine be as ladders upon which 
 you may mount — and which you may then kick away 
 from under your feet as no longer needed. 
 
 Students, I thank you — and bid you Auf Wieder- 
 sehen! May the Law protect you till we meet again! 
 
 FINIS. 
 
* 2?j 
 
 82 
 
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