PRACTICAL
MIND-READING

By WILLIAM WALKER ATKINSON

A COURSE OF LESSONS ON

THOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE,
TELEPATHY, MENTAL-CURRENTS,
MENTAL RAPPORT, &c.

CONTAINING

Practical Instruction, Exercises, Directions, etc., capable
of being understood, mastered and demonstrated
by any person of average intelligence

PUBLISHED AND SOLD BY

ADVANCED THOUGHT PUBLISHING CO.

168 N. MICHIGAN AVE., CHICAGO, ILL.

LONDON AGENTS:

L.N. FOWLER & CO.,

7 IMPERIAL ARCADE, LUDGATE CIRCUS, E.C.

(Practical Mind Reading)

Copyright 1907, by

THE LYAL BOOK COMPANY

Copyright 1908, by

ADVANCED THOUGHT PUBLISHING CO.

NOTICE—This book is protected by Copyright and simultaneous publication, in Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and other countries. All foreign rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson I—The Nature of Mind Reading 5

A plain, practical, scientific explanation of this Vast, Mysterious Subject, explaining the action of Mind upon Mind, and the Mental Wireless Telegraphy, according to the latest and best authorities.

Lesson II—The Proofs of Mind Reading 13

The result of the latest scientific experiments and investigations regarding this subject; practical proof and indisputable facts.

Lesson III—Contact Mind Reading 24

Full instruction regarding the "Nerve Currents" passing from the human Transmitter to the human Receiver; stated so plainly that any one may instantly grasp the theory and practice.

Lesson IV—Development Exercises 34

How to develop yourself; how to grow proficient in practice; how to find Locations; how to find Objects; how to perform the necessary elementary feats, and thus prepare for Public Work.

Lesson V—Simple Demonstrations 49

Public or Parlor Demonstrations. Fourteen Practical Demonstrations are explained; full directions for performing them are given, so that the student may reproduce the experiments and demonstrations.

Lesson VI—Difficult Demonstrations 66

Explanations and instructions given for their performance. The Banknote Test; the Blackboard Feats; Drawing Pictures; Telepathic Chess and Checkers, etc., described, explained, and full instructions given for their reproduction.

Lesson VII—Sensational Feats 79

The Driving Feat; the Combination Lock Feat; the Office Detective Feat; the Postoffice Box Feat, and many other sensational demonstrations explained, together with an exposure of "Fake Demonstrations."

Lesson VIII—Higher Phenomena 85

Demonstrations without contact. Development Directions. Long Distance Experiments. Automatic Writing. Valuable Suggestions and Advice.

LESSON I.

THE NATURE OF MIND READING.

Only a few years ago the general public was in almost total ignorance of the great truth of Thought Transference, Thought Projection, Telepathy, or Mind Reading. It is true that here and there were to be found a few scientists earnestly investigating and eagerly uncovering the hidden truths concerning the subjects. But the mass of the people were either entirely ignorant of the subject, or else were intensely skeptical of any thing concerning the matter, laughing to scorn the daring thinker who ventured to express his interest or belief in this great scientific phenomena.

But how different to-day. On all hands we hear of the wonders of Thought Transference, or Telepathy, as it is called. Scientific men write and teach of its fascinating manifestations, and even the general public has heard much of the new science and believes more or less in it, according to the degree of intelligence and knowledge concerning the subject possessed by the individual. Listen to these words from the lips of some of the greatest scientists of the day.

Prof. William James, the eminent instructor at Harvard University, says: "When from our present advanced standpoint we look back upon the past stages of human thought, whether it be scientific thought or theological thought, we are amazed that a universe which appears to us of so vast and mysterious a complication should ever have seemed to anyone so little and plain a thing. Whether it be Descartes' world or Newton's; whether it be that of the Materialists of the last century, or that of the Bridgewater treatises of our own, it is always the same to us—incredibly perspectiveless and short. Even Lyell's, Faraday's, Mill's and Darwin's consciousness of their respective subjects are already beginning to put on an infantile and innocent look." These remarks are doubly significant by reason of their having been made by Prof. James as the president of the "Society for Psychical Research."

The eminent English scientist, Sir William Crookes, in his address as president of the Royal Society, at Bristol, England, a few years ago, said: "Were I now introducing for the first time these inquiries to the world of science, I should choose a starting point different from that of old, where we formerly began. It would be well to begin with telepathy; with the fundamental law, as I believe it to be, that thoughts and images may be transferred from one mind to another without the agency of the recognized organs of sense—that knowledge may