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vol. title: vol. period: 1879-1880 pages in vol.: 577 |
The Testimony of Conjurors
To the explicit testimony of Bellachini and Jacobs, and to the admissions of Houdin and Maskelyne, may now be added the following from Mr. W. Irving Bishop, the master, as he tells us, of Mr. Stuart Cumberland, in the art of “exposure.” He administers a snub to the latter for wishing to produce the impression that all the phenomena are mere conjuring. “This,” says Mr. Bishop, in a letter to the Echo of September 11th, “is not the case....In over ten years’ experience of mediums and Spiritualists, with all sorts of conditions and facilities for studying these phenomena, I admit that there are certain genuine manifestations. These, however, I undertake to explain, although not on the basis of jugglery, which, indeed, in some cases would be wholly irrelevant and inapplicable. Hitherto, I have not been able to expose every professional medium and reproduce all spiritualistic experiments, and I am still anxious to discover whether there is any truth in the claims of the Spiritualists.” It is as well to make a note of these admissions by experts of reputation, as I observe that a writer in the Saturday Review, (September 11th,) who appears to be an amateur conjuror, is still of opinion, after reading Zöllner’s book, that this art is adequate to the explanation and reproduction of all the manifestations. Some years ago the opponents of fact declared that they would accept the evidence of nobody but men of science. When this was forthcoming in some abundance, it was discovered that physicists were particularly incompetent for the investigation. Only the conjurors could detect the modus operandi. This fraternity are willing enough to accept and make the most of the advertisement. Give them their own conditions and they are quite ready to describe their tricks as an exposure of Spiritualism. But there happen to be some among them who know the truth of the matter, and who prefer integrity to popularity. Thus we have the most distinguished professor of the art in Germany publishing <... continues on page 10-467 >
Editor's notes
- ↑ The Testimony of Conjurors by Massey, C.C., London Spiritualist, The, No. 423, October 1, 1880, pp. 157-59
Sources
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London Spiritualist, No. 423, October 1, 1880, pp. 157-59