Magnetic Girl

The trick is more effective if three men try to hold the chair down, because of their divided effort and the tendency, where more than one is opposing her, for them really to oppose each other, rather than her. She will be perfectly powerless, however, should even a single person sit listlessly in the chair, with no thought of opposition.

Let us now consider experiment no. 2, where a strong man endeavors to oppose her efforts to move him. While holding a stick horizontally in his two hands. She places the palms of her hands on the ends of the stick and by pressing, first gently and then more forcibly, in a given direction on one end of the stick, she compels him, at great mechanical disadvantage, to oppose such pressure. Thus while she is exerting but very little force, he, having the short end of the lever, may be exerting himself nearly to the utmost. When she realizes this, she suddenly gives in to him and even adds her own slight effort to his, and the stronger he is and the heavier, the harder he throws himself. When he has once done this, the girl has him completely at her mercy, for she keeps him off his balance and he exerts himself only to throw himself the more. With two men, or three, holding the stick, the trick is quite as easy or even easier, for there is never exact unity of action in such cases, and the men will frequently oppose each other and thus, at times, materially assist the girl.