Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/280

224 tales, down to the ‘Presto’ of our modern conjurers, all are survivals of the same ancient idea.”

FASCINATION AND HYPNOTISM.

To the Editor of.

,—In reading M. Tuchmann’s exhaustive papers in Mélusine on Fascination (the Evil Eye, etc.), an idea has occurred to me, which I have no time to work out, but which may possibly be of use to folk-lore students. Were the old folk so entirely in the wrong in attributing special influence to particular persons? Do we not see the same thing at every hypnotic séance? In short, may not the whole subject be summed up in the formula, La fascination c’est l’hypnotisme?

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