The Mystic Clayton

Mind reading and predictions.

The Mystic Clayton, dressed as is the crystal gazer character in "Eyes of Youth" and carrying a crystal, states to the audience he does not do mind reading and does not resort to supernatural aid, basing his knowledge upon psychology, spiritualism and crystal gazing. It's quite a load of information to impart to an audience that will stand for this kind of stuff anyway, so when Clayton is finished with his discourse to the house he's just the same, a mind reader, but not a woman mind reader with a male spieler. Clayton works alone, carries two boys as attendants and has a bare full stage setting with a table and a couple of incense burners going. His style of working varies somewhat with the familiar. The boys collect the questions written on the pads. Clayton does not confine the audience to the pads. Anyone may write on his own paper. Each question is numbered. They are returned to the table on the stage, when Clayton starts crystalizing. He calls out "No. 32"? "Will No. 32 kindly hold up their hand?" "Mrs. Mulvey?" and so forth. Clayton does not run rampant in his answers and seems inclined to give the house the best of it, though picking a mark here and there for comedy. Monday night he rung in a very delicate answer before a mixed audience and he might have done it to make comment in the neighborhood. During his talk, he rebuked a box party of women for carrying on a conversation. He speaks of Indian and "religious experiment," says he is "scientific," assures the audience no one will be embarrassed and lets loose so much rot he makes it too difficult. Clayton or anyone else doing this stuff can only seriously appeal to the most ignorant and this keeps nearly all of them on the small time. As seasons pass and mind readers come and go, there is still the worried class, of low intelligence, who seemingly never fail to look for relief through this means. If the theatres don't care, no one else need worry. Clayton can probably do 18 or 35 minutes. At the 125th Street he was held over for the full week after the opening day, through the replies received in answer to his offer to impart private information. Clayton sums up as ordinary as a mind reader, but looks rather well as an act for small time.

Variety, 53:8 (01/24/1919)