Interesting piece on dematerialisation was Houdini a Medium?

Material taken From
SPIRIT INTERCOURSE
ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE
BY
J. Hewat McKenzie 1917
(FOUNDER OF the British College of Psychic Science in1920 funding it from his own resources. His wife was also Secretary of the College whilst a Medium in her own right. He conducted research into many of the great Mediums of the time.)


DEMATERIALIZATION—THE PASSAGE OF MATTER
THROUGH MATTER.
Some readers, entirely ignorant of psychic science, may argue that the author makes statements of wonderful phenomena, much of which is procured in darkness and happens behind the closed doors of the psychic laboratory, and therefore require that his evidence shall be supported by the names of substantial witnesses whose testimony
can be relied upon. As previously stated, he refers his readers for such testimony to the vast amount of Literature already printed upon the subject, much of which can be seen in the libraries of occult societies, where names, dates, and places are supplied by persons of the most eminent reputation both in scientific and social life, who testify to having witnessed similar manifestations. The time has long since gone for ignoring the testimonies which have been piled one upon the other for the last fifty years, and something more important
is now required to place psychic science on a satisfactory footing before the public.

This book is written to supply a clear explanation of the laws underlying the phenomena. Some readers may say, "If these things are true, and are governed by known natural laws, why are they
not demonstrated upon public platforms and ocular demonstration of their reality given to the world?"
The author agrees that this is a most reasonable request, and hastens to add that not only is this being done in all the leading countries of the world, but that millions have witnessed them, and probably the very reader who asks for this demonstration has himself been an unconscious spectator. Houdini, of world-wide fame, previously mentioned, has for years demonstrated dematerializatlon,
and the passage of matter through matter upon the public platform, while Mrs. Thompson, of America, has demonstrated materialization.
Mrs. Zancig has, with her husband, publicly exhibited her psychic gifts, called "thought transference," which is purely soul projection, in all the leading world-centres. Miss Fay, and several well-known Japanese mediums, for years demonstrated the passage of matter through matter, and also materialization. These are only a few of the
many who might be mentioned, who demonstrate psychic gifts before the public. Such public mediums do not, of course, advertise themselves as performing their wonders by occult powers, or through the help of spirits, and the public are therefore left in ignorance of how they perform their marvellous tricks, as they are called. The author has tested each of those mentioned, by a personal experiment upon the stage, and several also in private, and can testify that they are mediums, performing most, if not all, of their great wonders entirely by spirit agency. They are naturally reluctant to acknowledge the fact, for the music-hall public would instantly resent any claim they might make that they performed their wonders by spirit power. Their audiences would regard such claims as "bunkum," and  probably subject them to insult, if not to ill-treatment, for the general public are entirely ignorant of such possibilities in the manipulation of physical matter as are related in this book, which a medium can develop with the cooperation of spirit entities. It can be left to the reader's imagination to picture the face of a music-hall manager if he were asked to allow upon the stage a demonstration of spirit powers. Horrors! The poor man would not be able to sleep for nights if he thought ghosts were working around his building or upon his stage.
Thus, knowing the mental attitude of men towards such things, these wonders of wonders are produced upon the music-hall stage as clever "mystery" tricks. The author does not wish his readers to suppose that the mechanical sleight-of-hand tricks carried out by Maskelyne and Devant and similar operators, have anything to do with mediumistic gifts, for they are but a mechanical copy of true magic. These tricks are performed with tons of machinery, whereas the genuine medium can produce his wonders, if necessary, naked, and in an empty room.


HOUDINl's DEMONSTRATION OF DEMATERIALIZATION.

The last occasion on which the author, under strict test conditions, saw Houdini demonstrate his powers of dematerialization, was before thousands, upon the public stage of the Grand Theatre, Islington, London. Here a small iron tank, filled with water, was deposited upon the stage, and in it Houdini was placed, the water completely  covering his body. Over this was placed an iron lid with three hasps and staples, and these were securely locked. The body was then completely dematerialized within this tank within one and a half
minutes, while the author stood immediately over iit. Without disturbing any of the locks, Houdini was transferred from the tank direct to the back of the stage in a dematerialized state. He was
there materialized, and returned to the stage front dripping with water, and attired in the blue jersey suit in which he entered the tank. From the time that he entered it to his appearance on the front  of the stage only one and a  half minutes had expired. While the author stood adjacent to the tank, during the dematerialization process, a great
loss of physical energy was felt by him, such as is usually experienced by sitters in materializing seances, who have a good stock of vital energy, as in such phenomena a large amount of energy is required. Dematerialization is performed by methods similar in operation to those in which the psycho-plastic essence is drawn from the medium. The body of the medium may be reduced to half its ordinary weight in the materializing seance room, but in the case of dematerialization the essence continues to be drawn until the whole
physical body vanishes, and the substance composing it is held in suspension within the atmosphere, much in the same way as moisture is held by evaporation. While in this state Houdini was transferred from the stage to the retiring-room behind, and there almost instantaneously materialized.
The speed with which this dematerialization is performed Is much more rapid than is possible in the materializing seance room, where time is required for the essence to be crystallized into psycho-plastic matter. Not only was Houdini's body dematerialized, but it was carried through the locked iron tank, thus demonstrating the passage of matter through matter. This startling manifestation of one of nature's profoundest miracles was probably regarded by most of the audience as a very clever trick.

It IS a trick which has been done many times by many magicians.

One wonders what Harry Houdini thought of this section of the book given his atitude towards physical mediumship.

Interesting book he wrote our copy is in poor condition but items like the one quoted raise some questions on his research. Clearly, however, he was a very influential figure of the past.