This is always considered very remarkable because of the enormous amount of weight lifted clear of the floor by a slender and small of stature woman. It is accomplished merely by placing the palms of the hands against the back of the rear upright posts of the chair in which the weight rests. It’s a true example of the “force” acting in conjunction with other animate beings – men and women.

Get clear in your mind the exact position of the parties sitting in the chair (Figure 3), and your position (the lady) in making the lift. The first person takes his seat in the chair and places his feet firmly on the floor at A B, grasps the chair seat on either side as shown at D, and tilts the chair back so as to throw all his weight on the rear legs of the chair at G and H. Everybody seems to think this a proper position to throw all the weight onto the performer making the lift.

Now a second person is requested to sit on the first man’s lap, or astraddle of his legs, and not allow his feet to touch the floor. Then a third person is requested to mount the shoulders of the second man, as illustrated. Thus, about 550 pounds aggregate are in the chair.

The performer places her open palms against or behind the upper part of the rear post of the chair on each side, as shown at C, and the lift is made without grasping the chair in the least. It appears that the performer has lifted the 550 or more pounds, muscularly or otherwise, by the contact of the palms – has annihilated this large weight by some miraculous process, or has done it by some intangible, unseen, unknown force, which is “occult”, “spiritualistic”, “psychic”, “odic”, or supernatural.

However, it is solved in the line of the lever and the fulcrum. The principle of leverage is the secret. Instead of lifting, when the performer’s palms are against the chair post, she presses these FORWARD, and the chair, with its entire weight, comes up six inches or more, leaving nothing touching the floor except the first man’s feet.

What happens? The forward push at C shifts all the weight from the fulcrum at G H and it is thrown forward upon the fulcrum at A B, which really constitutes the point of the lever. The amount of push at C necessary to do this is small, compared to the amount of weight which apparently is lifted.

This may be tried out only with the first man in the beginning. With the other two persons in place as shown, most of their weight will be thrown at A B. This additional weight at this point tends to lessen the weight thrown at G H. The man in the chair does most of the lifting, and the performer simply manipulates the compound lever composed of the chair back and rear posts and the man’s legs. Also what is known as the principle of Resultant Force comes into play in this test, for when the performer pushes forward one lever at C, the spectator is pushing backward at A B, and these two forces coming together make a Resultant Force, operating in a perpendicular direction and carrying the chair and its weight upward.

A pressure of about 20 pounds, applied to the chair post on each side at C, should raise a weight in the chair amounting to 600 pounds.

In tests 4, 5, 6 and 7, there are several more elements and forces that enter into them than concerned the preceding ones, which have been demonstrated. These elements and forces are so complicated and far-reaching, so remarkable and psychological, that they will be more difficult to obtain except through careful adherence to instructions.

And here it is a good time to quote Miss Hurst. “The people, who came on the stage, as subjects, to take part in these tests, unconsciously performed a large part of what was done, made a considerable part of the exhibition, and furnished the greatest cause of all the wonder, merriment and fun. The force put in motion by me simply provided the starting point – furnished the pivot – as it were, for them to revolve upon, and they did the rest. Nine-tenths of my subjects came to my tests with a pall of mystery draped over their minds, and their thoughts and faculties shackled with a blind expectancy and anticipation that some weird, occult, wonderful force was to take possession of them, and cause them to do my bidding.”