It is useless for a beginner to try to hypnotize a new subject in the midst of noise. Occasionally this can be done when the subject is very susceptible or when he sees before him a number of hypnotized persons and becomes convinced that he also must succumb.

Quietude is always to be desired, and a quietude that is so profound "that you can hear a pin drop" is best. In fact, a deathly stillness is one of the greatest aids to hypnotism when there is no object to distract the mind. Not infrequently it has been found difficult, if not impossible, to hypnotize a subject because little noises cannot be subdued. The creaking of a door on its hinges, the creaking of shoes, whisperings, ticking of a clock and any one of many other trifling noises, may completely undo the result of much patient work.

An operator wishing to hypnotize a new subject for the amusement of a party should not attempt to do so unless he can take the subject apart by himself so as to secure absolute quiet, otherwise he may bring upon himself unmerited ridicule for his failure. Of course, the members of such a party are all anxious to "see how it is done," but it is impossible to keep them quiet enough to warrant any attempt to hypnotize a new subject in their presence. It is better to refuse positively to entertain them than to run the risk of personal discomfiture.