Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/124

 SCIENCE.

��tVot. v.. So. lOBL 1

��uliair.

��ml thii liirection of motion was timt or

��Three men, or indeed as many sis could gel hold or the chair, were tben invited to liolil it still if they wuld. This was the most smusing ond exciting part of the 8|>ectHcle. The men tried in vain to hold the chair still, while Miss Lulu simply moved around in the quietest imaginable way, touching it with ber finger first here and then there, until finally ' the force became so great that the chair began to crnek, and seemingly almost pull itself to jiiecea. The explanation was, however, per- fectly obvious. There was »o concert of aulion among the four muscular holders, more than that eadi one tried to keep thi^ chair still b}' resisting any force which he felt it to exert. A few jerks in various' directions by the performer led them to begin resisting her motion by pulling the chair first tbia way and then that. It was of course impossible for any one holder to tell whether the motion came from the performer or from his compauiuns. The reanlt was, that they ail began to wreuch d^perately against each other iiulil the chair came to pieces.

The scienlific tests were productive of the usual result, — that ghosts, apirit^, and occult forces abaolutely refuse to perform their fimc- tiona in the presence of scientific parapherna- lia. A platform had been placed on rollers in the middle of the room, and Miss Ilurst was invited to set the rod in motion while she stood on that platform. Her parents were perfectly confident that she could do it, and she did go so far as to commence one feeble attempt; but the forces refused to operate, or rather the platform i^ersisted in rolling about, and the attempt had to be given up. She tben stood u|K>n the platform of a pair of scales, the counterpoise of which was so adjusted, that. when she eseited a lifting-force exceeding forty pounds, the arm would be raised. A spectJilor sat in the chair in front of the scales. It was soon found, that, owing to the platform being some six inches above the floor, the chair was lower tlian she had been accustotned to have it: it was therefore set upon a li'.tle platform of the same height aa that of the scales, so that the position was the same as if both stood on the floor. The performer pi-essed her bauds against the sides of the back of the chair, accoi'diug to custom. The motion was long in commencing, and, when it began to appear, click; went the lever of the scales, showing that a force of more than forty pounds was exerted. This seemed to demoralize the perfonner. and, notwithstanding a great deal

��of chiding from her parents, nothing more could be doue while she stood in this position.

From various allusions in the public press. it would seem that the wonderfbt *' magnetic girl ' has not yet ceased to draw full houses. The editor of the Chicago Inter-ocean made a carefiil investigation of the cose, and showed that it could not possibly be electricity which caused the motion ; but he docs not essay an explanation of what the force was.

Although it would be unjust and pretentious to say that no one sees the absurdly simple character of the performance, it would appear that there are many who are mystified by it, and that, should we accept the existing testi- mony on the subject as complete, we should be compelled to admit that some new form of force had been discovered. It is indeed possible that the absurd simplicity of the iiflkir may help to give it vitality; for, as already indicated, not only is there no m,vstery or concealment, but there is not eveu a resort to the tricks of legerdemain, which consist very lai-gely in distracting the observers' at- tention at the critical moment. The assump- tion, that, because Miss Lulu begins by touch- ing the articles deftly with her fingers, she never takes them with a firm grip, is one which the si^ctator takes upon himself with- out any eflTort on the performer's part to caase that illusion.

This account is presented to the readers of Science, because, taken in connection with de- scriptions of the performance given by thou- sands of spectators, many of them critical observers, it affords the basis of a reply to those who have seen chairs, tables, and pianos dance without human agency.

S. Xewi'omb.

��THE NANTUCKET MUSEUM.

Tilt; little town of Nantucket, on the island of that name off the southern coast of Massa- chusetts, boasts a little museum sui generis. The first thing which strikes a visitor is the extremely heterogeneous character of its collec- tions. It is certainly amusing to see, side by side with specimens of rare interest and scien- tiGc value, such entirely valueless things as pieces of melted gloss from the Chicago fire, and bits of wood from the frigate Consljtutiou ; but most of the ' curiosities' have some local value, being connected with the past whale-fish- ery, and were collected by the whalemen of the town in their wide wanderings. Hanging on the walls, lying on the tables and even on the

��I

��i

�� �