Once a Week (magazine)/Series 1/Volume 3/Spirit-rapping made easy. I.

by Henry Novra

SPIRIT-RAPPING MADE EASY; OR,
HOW TO COME OUT AS A MEDIUM.

BY ONE WHO IS IN THE SECRET.

 

The writer of the present paper is induced to proffer his explanation of the phenomena produced by the so-called Spirit Mediums, from two or three circumstances peculiar to his own experience. He is disposed to look at the performances of the Spirit Mediums from a point of view somewhat different from that of their ordinary audience. In fact, he considers them as professional imitators, and would even regard them as professional associates, if they had but the honesty to acknowledge their craft. It is his inclination, under any circumstances, to watch them very closely; and, though he cannot allow their title to the rank of honest conjurors, he is interested in observing the means by which they produce their little results. So satisfied is he that his inferences are, in the main, correct, that after he has stated them, he is disposed to withhold his name, for the simple reason that, if it were known, he believes there would be no more spirit manifestations in his presence ever after. It would be just as impossible for him, as it proved for Robert-Houdin, on a certain well-known occasion, to communicate with the capricious spirits through the ordinarily successful medium Mr. Home. To make a free observation of the spirit world it will be found that we require an incognito; for the spirits are shy, the spirits are fastidious, the spirits are averse to every overture, if it comes from a suspected, because suspicious, inquirer. The spirits would not shake hands with me, for the spirits have no professional esprit de corps; and therefore it is that professional vigilance is not only alive to the mode of their manifestations, but takes an interest in drawing out these retiring shadows, and exhibiting their real pretensions to the public.

Another circumstance which induces me to take them by the hand was an incident in which I myself participated; I might say with whom, and when, and where; but that I have no inclination, as I said before, to exclude myself for ever from the spirit circle. It happened that I was present at a certain exhibition of two of the most popular Mediums of the day, and, after watching intently their whole performance, I ascertained the agencies by which it was accomplished. At all events, I was enabled at a subsequent performance to detect the spirits in a very palpable trick, resulting in their exposure and discomfiture (see fig. 10), and having since experimented, I can now perform all that they then exhibited to sight, hearing, or touch. I am confident I could tell, with a little further trouble, the means by which Mr. Home astonished the writer of a recent article in the “Cornhill Magazine;” and, possibly, I may do this hereafter, if it should appear to be wished for. For the present, however, I confine myself to the practice of the other Mediums on whose intercourse with the “sperrits” I have already experimented.

As a preliminary I have to make this general remark, that the means by which the “sperrits” usually manifest themselves, are far more simple than readers anticipate. When a witness experiences anything he cannot account for, it is natural that he should refer this to some elaborate machinery adequate to what he considers the startling result. Let the reader, however, discard this impression at once, for it has a certain tendency to mislead his judgment. It is really the object of Mediums to depend on machinery as little as possible, for machinery is not only unintelligent, it may not only fumble and make mistakes, but it precludes that triumph of a medium’s art, the submitting to the preliminary or subsequent test of an examination. The “lazy tongs,” as they are termed, are far less serviceable and less frequently used, than the natural aptitudes of the human body, when these are above the natural average, or are carefully developed by discipline and education.

The first requisite, no doubt, is an impassive countenance, exhibiting no sense of shame, or fear of detection,—a natural, or acquired brass, the perfection of which will depend, of course, upon the morale of the performer.

After this, the secret of the Medium’s power is the flexibility of her lower limbs. Her legs must do the work of arms, and her feet must be educated to act like hands. Any one who doubts this potentiality of the human frame knows nothing of its relation to the Quadrumana, or of the feats of the Indian jugglers. The Indian jugglers, as is known to the initiated, produce their most extraordinary effects by this very capacity. And therefore, we say, it is no use to contemplate coming out as a Medium unless you are provided with flexible legs and manipulative feet and toes.

The Medium so qualified must go through a course of gymnastics to enable her to move her lower limbs with pliancy, and especially to enable her so to move them without corresponding movements of the head and shoulders. She should even be able to perform the opera-dancer’s feat of holding her hand above her head, and kicking the palm with her toe, as exhibited in the vignette to the popular “Memoirs of Mademoiselle Rigolboche;” which practice will enable her when standing on one foot to raise her knee nearly as high as her shoulder, as thus:—

Fig. 1.

The tendons of the knee, foot, and ankle, should next be strengthened by accustoming her, when seated on a chair, to raise great weights with her foot; the leg acting as a lever, the other knee, over which it is crossed, acting as a fulcrum, thus:—

Fig. 2.

The feet from the ankle must be rendered peculiarly flexible, and able, in conjunction with each other, by placing the sole of one over the top of the other, to hold and snatch away with rapidity heavy and light articles, such as slates, books, &c.

Fig. 3.

Acting in a similar manner, they must be accustomed to seize and nip substances between their sides, so that apparel can be pulled and pinches inflicted with the sharp edges of the two soles of the boots.

The feet must also be practised to clasp objects between their upper surfaces, by crossing the legs, so that, the soles of the boots not being felt, they may produce the sensation of a grasp by a hand.

Fig. 4.

I would recommend to the observant, a remarkable phenomenon which I myself perceived to be the consequence either of this facility or of the friction consequent upon other operations at the base of the table; viz., that the boots of Mediums are unusually worn in the upper leathers. I must add my conviction, however, that this indication of their activity will be carefully repaired after this communication.

The toes should also be exercised so as to enable the Medium to rap with them as easily as other people can rap with the fingers, on which accomplishment it may be as well to consult “Fox’s Confessions” in Professor Anderson’s work on “Spirit-rapping.”

Fig. 5. Section showing the Position of the Foot in the Boot.

The Medium must also practise writing with her feet by holding a lead or slate pencil between them. This can be easily done up to a certain point, though not to the perfection attained by the accomplished Miss Biffin. Such perfection in this really difficult operation is, however, unnecessary, as any kind of scribbling will pass for spiritual handiwork.

For the manipulation with the hands, very little practice is required, except in the production of surface raps, or rather the sounds which so nearly resemble them.
Fig. 6.These can be produced (I am stating a fact) by pressing the tip of the middle finger firmly on the polished surface of the table, and letting it start forward in short unobtrusive jerks. (Fig. 6.) If her hand be not naturally dry, the Medium should lightly rub the finger-tips with bees’-wax, or powdered resin, both of which are imperceptible at the first glance. When, however, by constant practice, the finger has become corned, this addition will not be found requisite.
Fig. 7.

If the Medium thinks that the corn on her finger may tell tales, she may make the spirits rap by another method; that is to say, by using the surface of the nail of the first finger doubled sharply under it, and pressed heavily, at the same time that it is worked backwards and forwards, thus. (Fig. 7.) In either case she must not hold her hands apart, but close together; one slightly covering the other to hide the movement, as in fig. 8.

Fig. 8.

To get up an effective séance, the Medium should procure an assistant to engage the attention of the sitters while she manipulates.

Great care must be taken to preserve a natural manner, yet the Medium must never be off her guard, and never make a slip. She must never admit that any of the phenomena emanate from herself, but continually protest that she has no hand in the matter.

Whenever she is asked if she can do anything, she must carefully and invariably reply in the negative.

She must never give a promise that anything will positively take place, but say the phenomena are influenced by the weather, or a thousand other causes. This will assist her, should she be enabled to detect the presence of any whose penetration she fears may be too much for her. Thus, as I stated, when Robert-Houdin was summoned before the Emperor of the French to see Mr. Home, no manifestation took place.

After these preliminary remarks, let me instruct the Medium

HOW TO CONDUCT HERSELF PROPERLY IN A SÉANCE.

Get your company into conversation, endeavouring to glean from their remarks whether they are penetrative or quite the reverse; treasure up any stray piece of information that may reach you, and use it up in the course of the evening; but your principal work must be that of drawing the long bow.

You and your assistant must relate the most extraordinary narratives conceivable. Small fibs are useless. A lie obtains credence in proportion to its enormity; for, though the statements you make are difficult to believe, it is still more difficult to conceive a woman audacious enough to invent them. Accept it as an axiom, that “society,” as it is called, is highly credulous, and, as Locke says, “He who is disposed to believe is already half convinced.”

You will find plenty of weak-minded people who will help you out by relating anecdotes of their own self-deceptions which will carry additional weight from the position they hold in society, whilst nothing will be deducted for their want of penetration; a faculty which everybody believes he possesses, but to which none can attain in perfection, without a considerable amount of patience and study.

When you judge that you have worked the majority of your company into a proper state of mental perplexity, seat yourselves at a large round table (pretty nearly 4 feet diameter, with a centre column and three feet), the specific gravity of which is small in proportion to its immense leverage. Whip off the cloth; ask if there are any spirits present, and reply in the affirmative by surface rubs.

Having stated yourself to be en rapport, to all questions asked by the sitters you reply also by surface-rubs—three indicating an affirmative, one negative, and two, when your information is imperfect, or your nail or corned finger fails to bring out the sound.

Now state that the spirits will dictate the particular place each person is to occupy. Rap accordingly, placing the suspicious ones at a distance, and the sympathetic close to you, and tell them all to place their hands on the table; for this you have a double reason, first to give a mysterious aspect to the séance, and last, though not least, to keep their hands out of mischief.

During the séance you need not confine yourself to the particular knocks already described, you may give others with the sharp edge of the sole of your boot against the foot, or kicks straight up against the bottom of the table. Any mysterious noise that you can succeed in making—by creaking the leather of your boot against the wood—will pass for a rap. When your audience is pretty far gone, you may trust to chance inspirations.

By making the raps louder or fainter, they will appear to come from different parts of the room, provided you have first indicated the quarter from whence they are to be expected.

This is difficult to believe, but you or the pensive reader may be easily convinced by the following experiment: Place a glass tumbler and a shilling on the table, having another tumbler and a shilling concealed in your lap; hold the shilling between the thumb and finger, make three feints at the one in view, and three corresponding bonâ fide blows on the concealed tumbler; then ask the spectator how many times you struck the tumbler on the table; he will unhesitatingly reply three, and will refuse to believe you when you state that you did not strike it even once. This is simply a type of an infinite series of similar deceptions.

Fig. 9.

When you wish to answer questions with any degree of certainty, if you have not obtained private information, place an alphabet before the dupe, and tell him to point to the letters or repeat them aloud; you will easily, by acute observation, be enabled to detect a slight anxiety in tone or manner when the right letter is reached, and then rap accordingly.

Let us suppose that an individual requires the presence of his brother Charles’ spirit, the inquiry will proceed as follows: Q. Are any of my relations present?

A. Rub, rub, rub.

Q. Female?—(calmly).

A. Rub.

Q. Male?—(anxiously).

A. Rub, rub, rub.

Q. Will you spell your name?

A. Rub, rub, rub.

Q. A, B, C?—(interrogatively).

A. Rub, rub, rub.

Q. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H?—(pauses).

A. Rub, rub rub.

And so on until you have made him spell the entire name, to which in most cases he will assist you, though a choice of names written out is infinitely less tedious.

A wary person may, however, easily frustrate this process by running through the alphabet, and studiously avoiding all emphasis, or by designedly emphasising, which is worse, the wrong letter, so that you find you are compounding utter nonsense,—that, in fact, he is leading the spirits by the nose to a brick wall. Of course you get out of this difficulty by saying that the spirits are uncertain or capricious, or that, for the sake of mere fun, they wilfully perplex you.

As soon as the spirits decline to rap correctly, or earlier, if you please, you may suggest to the company that they may even be touched by spirit hands. To indicate their power, place a hand-bell underneath the table and ring it with your feet; then commence (by the methods already described) pulling the ladies’ dresses and gentlemen’s trousers, pinching their feet and ankles, and even lifting their legs off the ground, by clasping them round the ankle, as in figure 4. To operate upon each person with equal facility, frequent change of place will be necessary, and as it would not do for you to leave your seat, you rap out C, H, A, N, G, E, when this is desirable.

You may next invite a person to throw down a pencil, and hold a slate underneath the table; snatch it from him with your two feet, in the mode shown in figure 3, and deposit it on the floor, feel about for the pencil with your feet, pick it up, and commence scratching on the slate to the best of your ability, relying on the sound to affect the company, while they are in a state of absurd suspense. If the writing be illegible, as it is nearly sure to be, say that it is very bad to-night, but that, on other evenings, the spirit autographs were remarkably clear, in proof of which you will exhibit some specimens written by hand and kept for the purpose. You can even assert that communications are frequently made in the hand-writings of different members of the company, and so avail yourself of a fib which none of the present company can contradict.

You may next place a Bible under the table for the spirits to turn over the leaves; of course you can kick them over with your feet, or as the book, on account of its thickness, refuses to keep open in one place, you can put your foot aside, and invite the sitters to look under the table, and see the leaves turning over without your assistance. When the company have resumed their original positions you may slip your right foot under one leaf, place your left firmly on the page, and lifting the toe of your right boot, turn up the corner and tread it sharply down; then shut the book with your foot, lift it with both feet, thrust it into your neighbour’s lap, and rap out that he is to open it. He will of course find the leaf turned down, and will be cudgelling his brains to find an application of the particular text. While he or others are thus occupied, you may, if the opportunity present itself, seize a man’s foot under the table and bend it backwards and forwards; but should previously satisfy yourself (this is very material) that he has on leather, and not dress boots with silk tops, or he will be enabled to detect, with painful certainty, that he is seized not by a single hand, but by a pair of feet encased in women’s boots, and those boots without a doubt yours. After this he will cease to wonder at the sharp pinches inflicted on his ancles, or the facility with which you snatch articles from people’s hands under the table.

You may now proceed to your crowning experiment, which consists in making the table rise clear off the ground, still maintaining its upright position. As a preliminary, you make it go through some extraordinary evolutions by alternately pressing and pushing the top with your hands, contrary to Michael Faraday’s theory, by voluntary and not involuntary muscular action. You then allow the agitated table a little respite while you cross the right leg over the left knee, and insert the end of your right foot under the base which supports the column; maintain the pressure of your hands as you straighten your leg, and the table will rise perpendicularly about two feet from the ground.

Before, however, attempting this astounding feat, care should be taken that no wary person is sitting within reach, or he may dash out his foot, as a friend of mine did, and catch yours under the ancle, pinning you to the table with your leg in the air, as in the illustration below, a position from which you will find great difficulty in extricating yourself, without bringing the séance to an ignominious termination.

Fig. 10.

You will probably be asked, if the spirits will rap when your feet are in full view; of course you will answer in the affirmative, though knowing well they will not, unless you can get some one to hammer in an adjoining room. In this case you should take away the hammer when you leave, especially if it does not belong to the house, and should not leave it to tell your secret, as it did in the case I refer to.

You should also avoid the experiment of making an old pianoforte, with open lattice-work, play when closed, in the presence of similar wary people, or they will surely walk up to it and tap on the wires through the very same holes, producing similar results.

The foregoing suggestions are an exact transcript of the deceptions practised by two well known London Mediums in the presence of the writer, whose name, together with those of the gentlemen who were present at the exposure, the Editor is empowered to publish should he think proper.

Incidentally, the writer would say a few words to some persons in private life, who, actuated by no other motive than a pure love of mischief, practise similar deceptions on their unsuspecting friends. As the latter can imagine no interested motive, they blindly believe in the supernatural origin of the phenomena, and consequently circulate reports which obtain credence on their authority. The practical jokes, which have so deluded them, may appear harmless; but should the deception remain undiscovered, it is likely to implant in many a weak mind the germ of insanity, which all future explanations will fail to eradicate.

To the professional Mediums, I say, I am watching their performances, and, if necessary, will offer them some further instructions hereafter.

Katerfelto.