"Fluid Influence", Magnetism, Clairvoyance, and Chewing Gum (1910)

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I was quite taken with the sign behind the preacher in this picture. The photograph decorated the front page of the Illustrated London News, December 17, 1910, and showed the healing/clairvoyant "Antoine the Healer", with a definite Rasputin-ish look to him. His deal was "fluid influence" in the good and evil fluid influence of magnetism, of reckoning the good/bad magnetism between people, and of course communicating with the good fluids in people.  Or something like that--I have no idea what he was talking about with the fluid/magnetism stuff.  In any event he collected 160,000 signatures of the faithful and whomever to present to the government of Belgian the case for Antoine and his fluids and Antoinettes as a recognized religion.

"Antoine's followers obey him unhesitatingly in everything. In appearance he is a tall, rather round-shouldered man, with grey hair; he wears a black frock coat, but is always without a hat. He chews gum continually."--The World's News, January 14, 1911, pg 13. [Source: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/128264839]

In any event it was the enormous sign behind Antoine that attracted my attention--the fluid magnetism stuff is not so interesting, or attractive. 

Comments

[Ray Girvan]

Trove is a wonderful resource - I've found stuff syndicated here, including Maxwell Gray work, that's been rounds in in UK newspapers but hsd never been findable online. - Ray

[Ray Girvan]

Pre-WW1 there was a whole circuit of healing / memory power charlatanry floating about: Pelmanism, etc.