amongst the audience.
The "time-coding" method consists of silently counting by the agent and
percipient at the same rate, starting from a preconcerted signal and
ending at another preconcerted signal. The performer amongst the
audience has in his hand a piece of paper on which is written the number
that he wishes to silently convey to the other blindfolded performer on
the stage. At the moment that he bends his head to look at the number he
begins silently counting at a certain rate; a confederate behind the
scenes begins counting at the same rate from the moment that the
performer bends his head. When the performer lifts his head he ceases
counting, so does the confederate. Each number written on the paper is
thus conveyed, and the confederate communicates the total to the
blindfolded performer by means of an electrical apparatus or otherwise.
I have attended several performances in public halls in London at which
thought transference--so-called--was carried out by the above trick
methods.
Sir Oliver Lodge was present with me at one of the performances at which
the time-coding method was used. He has sent me the following note:--
"I was with Mr. Baggally on one of these occasions, and took
note of the fact that he could often guess what was being
transmitted by the performers quite as well as they could
themselves. We sat in a box looking at them, and he often
told me before they had spoken what they were going to say
(or words to that effect).
"I perceived even without his assistance that the
performance, which was stimulated by the success of the
Zancigs, was an exceedingly inferior imitation of what they
had achieved, and was manifestly done by a code of some
kind.
"O. J. L."
Some of the methods resorted to by public entertainers are so ingenious
that the spectator is led to believe that genuine thought transference
has taken place. The following correspondence, which appeared in the
spiritualistic weekly paper called _Light_, illustrates a case in point.
In the number of _Light_ of the 25th October 1902 there appeared this
letter headed "Thought Transference":--
"SIR,--A few years ago Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin gave the
following entertainment in almost every large town in the
three kingdoms. The public were invited to write any
question or questions they desired to have answere
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