The popular journalist knows practically nothing many subjects on which he writes, but he disguises the fact from those who are equally ignorant under an interesting style of writing. Advertisers, salesmen, and politicians puff and discourse on any and every matter with the least possible backing of facts, if they think it to their advantage. They have learnt how to gain attention and support by either appealing to people’s frailty or frightening them over the alleged terrible consequences of not following their advice. It is just the same with the showman.
S. H. Sharpe, Good Conjuring (1936)
So far as conjuring is concerned, he may know next to nothing about magic and be feeble so far as technical skill is concerned, yet be able to persuade “the public”’！which, I repeat, are those persons whose knowledge of magic is negligible-to credit him with the title ” Great” by his impudence and self-confident bluff.
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