PROFESSOR RICE'S MIND READING PERFORMANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 76, 8 April 1885, Page 2

PROFESSOR RICE'S MIND READING PERFORMANCE.

Tin-: lirnt public exhibition in Auckland of mindroading by Professor A. E. Kico was given in the Theatre Royal last night. After an overture by tho Italian quartotto, tho Profossor stepped forward, and in tho coureo of a fow preliminary remarks said ho claimod to bo ablo to look into a man's skull and discover what he was thinking about, provided that tho eubjoctof thought wan Homothing which formed a picturo on tho mind, that is, eomo tangible object, not a more idoa. Spiritualistic mediums profoseed to do tliofo things by tho asaistonco of spirits, but ho considered all such porsons to be frauds. "While ho was a beliovor in tho immortality of tho soul, and believed, too, in tho genuineness of many of the phonomona which took placo, ho regmdod nn-callod modern Spiritualism as humbug. Tho Professor's first porformanco was tho convorsion of wntor into wfno, and tho reconversion of the latter into water, a foat which Miss .lonny Holmon, an American medium, profossos to accomplish with tho aid of hor " spirit friondH." Bo promised to fully explain this trick next Monday evening. After Mrs Rico had eung "At tho Kerry," for which sho was encored, giving in rosponso "How I Lovo to Flirt," tho I'rofo.iHor commenced bis thought-read-ing, and invitod a committee of doubtors to como on tho stage and tost his powers. Two of tho thought-reading tests wore Bcccossful, and four failures or only partial uccosboh. Thono experiments wero interrupted by the alarm of firo. Tbo Profossor attributed his failures, as oxercisiog a disturbing intluenco on his mind, partly to this fact, and partly to the conditions generally not being favourable He premised to bo moro successful to-night. Ho also stated that hid cabinet would bo roady, and ho would give somo exhibitions of so-called spiritualistic manifestation, introducing tbo ghost Bcone. After delineating the characters of several of tho audience, and performing a clover slight-of-hand trick with a handkorchiof, the entertainmont concluded with another song by Mrs Rico.