path,page,folder,text
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,209,,"CONCERNING PATTER
193
great deal, and done very little, and that I had had
very little real magic for my money. On the other
hand, the loquacious doctor was always amusing,
and it must not be forgotten that to amuse, even
more than to puzzle, is the raison d'être of the mod-
ern magician. It seems to me therefore quite
legitimate to use, to a reasonable extent, the art
of the raconteur to supplement that of the
magician.
If my own patter is in some cases found super-
abundant, I have at any rate done my best to make
it amusing, and if the reader opines that I have not
paid sufficient regard to the late Mr. Ducrow's cele-
brated maxim, ""Cut the cackle, and come to the
'osses,"" he is quite at liberty to cut my cackle to
what he may consider more reasonable proportions.
No doubt, time would be saved thereby. If, for
instance, he were to cut out the little romantic
fictions with which I have introduced ""The Miracle
of Mumbo Jumbo"" and ""The Story of the Alka-
hest,"" and start ""right away"" with the bare per-
formance of the trick, both could be exhibited in
little more time than I have allotted to either alone.
Which treatment is likely to give the greater satis-
faction to his audience, he must decide for himself.
Where the performer has the gift (for a ""gift""
it undoubtedly is) of devising effective patter for
himself I am strongly in favour of his doing SO.
Borrowed patter may be likened to a borrowed
dress-coat. It is never likely to be an exact fit, and"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,210,,"194
LATEST MAGIC
a ""giant's robe upon a dwarfish thief,"" or the
reverse, cannot be expected to be a becoming gar-
ment. Every man has, or should have, a style of
his own, and it is rarely good policy to imitate that
of somebody else. If a low comedy man were to
essay to play Hamlet, or a tragedian, however
eminent, were to try to give an limitation of Harry
Lauder, the result would be likely to be disappoint-
ing.
The reader, undertaking to write his own patter,
and desirous of making it just what patter should
be, will find counsels of perfection in ""Our Magic,""
and the more nearly he can approach them the
better. As, however, all have not the good fortune
to possess that admirable work, I venture to indi-
cate what to my own mind seem to be the chief
points to be aimed at.
It is almost a commonplace to say that the main
object of patter is misdirection. As the term is
more usually applied, this means something said or
done midway in the course of a trick to draw away
the attention of the audience at some critical
moment, and to create what the French conjurers
call a ""temps,"" i.e., an ""opportunity"" for doing,
unnoticed, some necessary act. But misdirection
may very well start at an earlier stage than this:
in fact, well in advance of the actual execution of
the trick. Each trick should have some sort of
introduction, and the patter serving this purpose
should be such as to lead the mind of the hearer"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,211,,"CONCERNING PATTER
195
away from the true explanation of the marvel, and
to suggest, in a more or less plausible way, some
other, remote from the real one.
The suggested explanation may be either pseudo-
scientific, where possible based on some generally
accepted truth (and it is surprising what a long
way even a few grains of truth go in such cases) ; or
it may be downright ""spoof,"" delivered however
with due appearance of seriousness. The explana-
tions will naturally fall a good deal short of the
George Washington standard of truthfulness, but
the most tender conscience need not in such a case
have any scruples on the score of veracity. No
sane person expects truth in a fairy tale, and a
magical entertainment, from beginning to end, is
but a fairy tale in action. To put the matter in an
epigrammatic nutshell:
Truth is ""a gem of purest ray serene,""
A virtue always to be cultivated,
But such depends,-you'll gather what I mean,
On how you happen to be situated.
At home, abroad, wherever I may be,
I tell the honest truth, and shame the d-
.
But when you ask to be deceived. Good gracious!
You can't expect me then to be veracious.
In that case only do I make exception,
And most deceive when vowing ""no deception.""
This function of patter, the leading away the
minds of the audience from the true explanation of
the puzzle offered them, may be materially assisted"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,212,,"196
LATEST MAGIC
by the introduction, among the ""properties"" used,
of some object professedly essential to the trick,
but as a matter of fact having no real concern with
the effect produced. The audience take for
granted that it must have something to do with the
effect, or it would not be used, and are thereby led
away the more effectually from the actual explana-
tion. Numerous illustrations of the use of this
device will be found in the foregoing pages.
If, in the case of a given trick, the performer
is absolutely at a loss to produce a satisfactory
fable to introduce it, he may evade the difficulty
by stating that he is about to produce an effect for
which he cannot himself account, and inviting the
assistance of his audience in doing SO.
The second function of patter is the calling of
the attention of the audience to matters which you
desire them to take note of, and to give oppor-
tunity to do SO. There is small credit to be gained
by changing the ace of clubs into the ace of hearts,
or making a given article pass invisibly from one
spot to another, unless the spectators have been
first made to realise the original state of things, and
they must be allowed sufficient time to do SO. I
have more than once seen an otherwise brilliant
show spoilt by being rushed through at railroad
speed. The mind of the spectator had not been
allowed time to receive clear impressions. The
company in such a case disperses with a conscious-
ness of having had a rapid succession of surprises,"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,213,,"CONCERNING PATTER
197
but with only a cloudy recollection as to what they
were.
In devising, as is sometimes desirable, new patter
for an old trick, an endeavour should be made to
look at the effect from an entirely fresh point of
view, so as to make the trick practically a new one.
A remarkable instance of such a transformation is
furnished by an incident in the life of Robert-
Houdin. At one period of his career he was
entrusted by the French Government with a very
important mission. He was sent to Algeria, spe-
cially charged to ""astonish the natives,"" and by
his greater wonders to destroy their belief in the
pretended miracles of the Aissoua.
Among other surprises, he decided to make use
of his ""Light and Heavy Chest,"" a chest which, as
the reader is doubtless aware, became at command,
by means of an electro-magnet in the pedestal on
which it rested, so ""heavy"" that the strongest man
could not lift it from its base. This trick, pro-
duced at a time when the phenomena of electricity
were but little understood, has produced an
immense sensation at his Paris performances.
But the Master instinctively felt that the trick in
that shape would produce little or no effect on the
more primitive mind of the Arab. He would sim-
ply have taken for granted some mechanical means
of holding down the chest, beyond his own com-
prehension, no doubt, but by no means to be
regarded as miraculous. Robert-Houdin decided"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,214,,"198
LATEST MAGIC
to change the mode of presentation altogether, and
to make the illusion no longer objective, but subjec-
tive. He announced that by means of his magic
power he could take away the strength of the
strongest man, and render him weak as a little
child. The ""chest"" was in this case merely
brought forward in a casual way, as a convenient
object wherewith the assertion of the magician
could be tested. The strongest man in the com-
pany was invited to come forward, and try whether
he could lift that little box. Of course he could,
and did; a child could have done the same. ""You
lifted it because I permitted you to do.so,"" said the
magician. ""But I take away your strength. Try
to lift it now!'
Again the athlete tries his strength, but now he
fails. With teeth set, and every muscle tense, he
strains, and strains, but in vain, and he has to con-
fess that the infidel wonder-worker has, for the
time, taken away all his strength. Here was a
wizard indeed!
In arranging your patter, be humorous if you
can, but if, like the gentleman we have all heard
of, you ""joke with difficulty,"" don't force yourself
to be funny. That it is possible for a man lacking
humour still to be a great conjurer is proved by
the case of Hartz, who was notably deficient in this
particular, but by his excellence in other directions
won a place in the very first rank of his profession.
But if you cannot be humorous, at any rate be"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,215,,"CONCERNING PATTER
199
cheerful. Geniality of manner is one of the most
valuable assets of the conjurer. Above all, don't
be nervous. You may say ""I can't help it,"" but to
a great extent you can. It is largely a matter of
will. Start with the idea that all will go well, and
it will probably do SO. On the other hand, a low-
spirited conjurer always makes a low spirited
audience.
In any case, be sparing of puns, which have been
deservedly described as the lowest form of wit. A
single pun, if good enough (or bad enough) may
win a laugh, and score to your credit, but to pep-
per an audience with verbal shrapnel in the shape
of puns is an outrage on good taste.
Passing to the third function of patter, the mis-
direction of attention in the course of a trick, we
will assume that you have made a start in the right
direction at the outset, by suggesting some fanciful
explanation of the effect you intend to produce, SO
that your audience, starting from wrong premises,
do not know the points at which their too close
observation would be inconvenient. The best way
of diverting their attention at one of these critical
points is obviously to attract it to some other direc-
tion. A mere sentence, particularly if accom-
panied by appropriate action, will suffice. Sup-
posing, to take an elementary instance, that the
performer desires to drop unseen into the profonde
from his left hand some small article for which he
has just deftly substituted a duplicate, now exhib-"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,216,,"200
LATEST MAGIC
ited in the right hand, he has only to say, ""Now I
want you particularly to keep an eye on this""
whatever the article in the right hand may happen
to
be. All eyes are for the moment, instinctively
drawn to the object in question, and in that moment
the deed is done. The artifice is ridiculously sim-
ple, but it is effective, and it is on being fully pre-
pared with the right thing to say and do at the crit-
ical moment that the success of a magical enter-
tainment largely depends. Careful rehearsal, pre-
ferably before an expert friend, will furnish the
best hints as to the danger-spots in the working
of a trick, and how best to devise patter to meet
them.
A final word of advice-advice that has been often
given, but cannot be too often repeated if you
really aim to carry your audience with you. Never
lose sight of the fact that you are, in the words of
Robert-Houdin, ""an actor playing the part of a
magician,"" and take your office seriously. In par-
ticular, never before an audience use the word
""trick,"" which at once gives away all your preten-
sion to magical power. An actor never tells his
audience that he is an actor or that he is playing a
part. He does not call their attention to his
make-up, however excellent, or tell them that his
wig comes from Clarkson. On the contrary, he
does his best to make his audience for the time for-
get that he is Hubert de Barnstormer, or whatever
his stage name may be, and to keep up the illusion"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,217,,"CONCERNING PATTER
201
that he is actually the person whom he represents.
The modern magician should do the same. If he
has enough of the true artistic spirit to imagine,
when he steps forward on the platform, that he is
a magician, and that his miracles are genuine, he
will go a long way towards producing a like impres-
sion in the minds of his audience. Bearing this in
mind, describe what you propose to do as an
""effect,"" a ""marvel,"" an ""experiment,"" or a
""phenomenon""; never by any chance as a ""trick.""
It may be objected that I have myself repeatedly
used the obnoxious word in the course of the fore-
going pages, but that is another matter. This
book is written by a conjurer for conjurers: and as
between ourselves we are forced to admit, painful
though it be to do so, that our greatest miracles are
only tricks. But we need not tell the public SO.
Logically-minded persons know it well enough, if
they are allowed to think about the matter. Our
business is to make them, for the time, forget it.
A wise old Roman said: Populus vult decipi:
decipiatur. Your audience wish to be deceived; in
fact they have come together for that purpose. By
all means let them be deceived to the top of their
bent; and the first step towards effectually deceiv-
ing them, is to persuade them, if possible, that there
is ""no deception.""
The patter for a given trick, once composed, and
tested by a few performances in public, may
thenceforth, SO far as the professional is concerned,"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,218,,"202
LATEST MAGIC
be left to take care of itself. It should auto-
matically improve with each of its earlier repeti-
tions as good wine improves in bottle. Faults will
correct themselves, and being made perfect by
practice, the performer will thenceforth be able to
""speak his piece"" without effort, and devote his
whole energies to the actual working of the trick.
To the amateur, only performing on special occa-
sions, with perhaps considerable intervals between
them, I commend a plan from which I myself
derived great benefit, viz.: Write out from
memory the patter for each trick on the pro-
gramme a day or two before a coming performance.
After you have given your show, go through your
manuscript again carefully, noting and correcting
it in any point in which the patter failed to be ex-
actly right. The interpolation of a single sen-
tence, the transposition in point of sequence of two
movements, or the alteration of some trifling detail,
such as standing at a different angle to your table
at a given moment, may make all the difference be-
tween partial failure and complete success."
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,219,,"THE USE OF THE WAND
CLOSELY connected with the subject of patter is
the use of the wand, which in my own opinion can-
not be too sedulously cultivated. To the cases in
which the wand itself forms the prominent item
of the trick, I devoted a special chapter in ""Later
Magic."" To these therefore I need not further
refer. More important, however, is the part
played by the wand from the point of view of gen-
eral utility.
In the first place, it is the only remnant of the
traditional outfit of the magician. Time was,
when the regulation costume of the wizard was a
sugarloaf hat, and a robe embroidered with highly
coloured mystic symbols. Such a robe is still worn
as part of their make-up, by Chung Ling Soo and
a few other Orientals, but the orthodox costume of
the latter-day wizard is ordinary evening dress.
The wand alone remains; the symbol and the pro-
fessed instrument of his mystic powers, and from
its traditional connection with magic, there is a
special prestige attached to it.
For these reasons alone it would be desirable to
retain the use of the wand, but apart from them,
its practical uses are many and various. One of
203"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,220,,"204
LATEST MAGIC
the first difficulties of the novice, as he comes for-
ward to introduce himself to his audience, is to
know what to do with his hands. He can hardly
advance with hand on heart, within his vest, à la
Pecksniff. Held open, with arms hanging down
by the sides, the hands look too stiff, and to advance
with them in his pockets would hardly be good
form. By coming forward wand in hand, he
avoids these difficulties. The hand holding it auto-
matically assumes an easy and natural position,
and he ceases to think about the other. With the
wand held in the right hand across the body, its
free end resting on the palm of the opposite hand,
he is in an ideal attitude for delivering his intro-
ductory patter. Later on, by holding the wand in
the hand, he effectually disguises the fact that he
has some object, a card, a coin, or a watch con-
cealed therein. If he has occasion to call atten-
tion directly to any object, the wand forms the most
natural pointer. If he finds it necessary, for some
reason connected with the trick in hand, to make
a turn or half-turn away from the spectators, the
fact that he has left his wand upon the table affords
him the needful opportunity.
Lastly, if the wand is habitually used as the pro-
fessed instrument of a desired transposition or
transformation, a certain portion of an average
audience gradually becomes impressed with the
idea that there really must be some occult connec-
tion between the touch of the wand and the effect"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,221,,"THE USE OF THE WAND
205
produced. There is much virtue in what may be
called a magical atmosphere, and after the wizard
has proved his magical power by performing two
or three apparent impossibilities, the mind of the
spectator (though in his calmer moments, he
knows, or should know, better), is led to adopt in a
greater or less degree the solution ""forced"" upon
him by the conjurer. Habitual use of the wand,
with apparent seriousness, goes far to create the
desired atmosphere.
A good effect may be produced by ""electrifying""
the wand now and then, by rubbing it with a hand-
kerchief. The main uses of electricity are so
widely known, and so little understood by the mil-
lion, that they are quite ready to give it credit for
still more marvellous possibilities.
My friend Mr. Holt Schooling, mentioned in
connection with The Secret of the Pyramids, finds
an additional use for the wand. He uses, not one
only, but half a dozen, of different appearance, each
credited with some special magical virtue. At the
outset of his show these are arranged horizontally,
one above another on pins projecting from a small
sloping blackboard. For each fresh trick the
wand professedly appropriate to it is brought into
action, the one last used being at the same time
replaced on the stand. The spectators do not sus-
pect that behind each top corner of the board is a
small servante, enabling the performer, under
cover of the change of wands, to change a pack of"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,222,,"206
LATEST MAGIC
cards, or to effect some other substitution neces-
sary for the purpose of his next item.
Verbum sap, by all means cultivate the use of the
wand, and for the sake of effect, let it be of an ele-
gant and distinctive character. An office-ruler or
a piece of cane would serve many of its mechanical
purposes, but would lack the prestige attached to
what is, professedly, the genuine article.
One of the most striking proofs of the extensive
use and appreciation of the wand by modern
magicians is furnished by the remarkable collec-
tion of such implements got together by Dr. Saram
R. Ellison, of New York.
Dr. Ellison¹ is an eminent and popular phy-
sician, whose ruling passion is wanting to know
things, particularly things that other people don't
know. Such being his temperament, it goes almost
without saying that at an early period of his
career he became a Freemason. Having been duly
initiated into the mysteries of the ordinary lodge,
and learnt all it had to teach him, he still yearned
for ""more light,"" and accordingly worked his way
up step by step through intervening degrees in
masonry till he reached what is known as the
thirty-third degree, an order even more exclusive
than that of the Garter, and claiming to possess
secrets as to which the ordinary ""blue"" mason,
1 Since this was written Dr. Ellison has passed into the mysterious
beyond."
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,223,,"THE USE OF THE WAND
207
even though he be a Past Grand Everything, knows
no more than the veriest outsider.
When in this direction there were no more mys-
teries left for him to conquer, Dr. Ellison natur-
ally turned his attention to Magic: and in accord-
ance with his habitual determination to know all
that there is to be known with regard to his hobby
for the time being he began to collect books upon
the subject. At first there were but few to collect,
but the literature of magic has grown, and grown,
and side by side with its advance Dr. Ellison's col-
lection has grown larger and larger till it numbers
some hundreds of volumes. Harry Kellar, the
dean of American magicians, and himself an
enthusiastic collector, yearned to possess it, and
offered the doctor for it the handsome sum of two
thousand dollars, equivalent in English money to
about four hundred pounds. But Dr. Ellison was
not to be tempted. In order that the collection
should be preserved intact, he donated it, some
years ago, to the New York Public Library, also
providing a fund for its upkeep and further devel-
opment.
But Dr. Ellison's interest in, and services to
Magic did not end here. He has made a collection
of models, entirely the work of his own hands, of
the appliances for over sixty stage illusions.
Some are of full size, others quite miniature
affairs, but one and all exact to scale. Further, the
doctor has a special affection for souvenirs of"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,224,,"208
LATEST MAGIC
famous magicians, past and present, especially in
the shape of wands, as being the most characteristic
possession of the wizard. Accordingly, some
years ago, he began to collect wands, and he now
possesses more than eighty such, each a wand which
has been habitually yielded by some more or less
famous magician. By the courtesy of Dr. Ellison
I am enabled to furnish particulars of some of
them; as given in a very interesting pamphlet by
Epes W. Sargent, a well-known American writer.
The catalogue commences with a wand formerly
belonging to Professor Anderson, the once famous
""Wizard of the North."" Here are found also the
wands used by the two Herrmanns (Carl and
Alexander), Buatier de Kolta, Lafayette, Martin
Chapender, Carl Willmann and others who tread
the stage no more. As regards the living, there is
here a memento of nearly every English-speaking
conjurer of note: besides many others of cosmopol-
itan celebrity.
The wand here exhibited is not always the con-
ventional ebony and ivory affair, some of the speci-
mens being indeed of a highly original character.
For instance, the wand contributed by a Hindu
magician consists of the leg bone of a sacred mon-
key from the temple of Hanuman, the monkey
god, at Benares. The wands of Madame Adelaide
Herrmann and Chung Ling Soo take the shape of
fans. Horace Goldin's is a cut-down whip-handle,
and those of Clement de Lion and Imro Fox are"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,225,,"THE USE OF THE WAND
209
portions of one-while walking-sticks, promoted to
a nobler use. Mr. J. N. Maskelyne's ""wand"" is
an ordinary file, which, from the inventor point of
view, he regards as the greatest of wonder-work-
ing appliances.
My own contribution may claim to be of excep-
tional interest, not merely as being in itself a curio,
but as a memento of a very remarkable man, SO
remarkable, indeed, that a brief notice of his career
may be interesting. It was presented to me by
Professor Palmer, a gentleman who was not, like
myself, a bogus professor, but the real thing, and
withal an exceptionally eminent man. Skill in
sleight-of-hand was the least of his accomplish-
ments. He had a marvellous gift of tongue, there
being scarcely a European or Oriental language
with which he was not thoroughly familiar. He
was born at. Cambridge in 1840, and from his
earliest years showed indications of his peculiar
gift for acquiring languages. As a school-boy he
made friends among the gipsies, and learned to
speak their queer language so perfectly as to
deceive even those to whom it was their native
tongue. In later life it was a favourite joke of his
to saunter, in company with his equally accom-
plished friend, Leland, into some gipsy encamp-
ment where they were not known, and after pay-
ing their footing by having their fortunes told,
to ask some of the nomads gathered round the fire,
to talk a little Rommany for their benefit. Gip-"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,226,,"210
LATEST MAGIC
sies are chary of speaking Rommany except
among their own people, and the inquisitive strang-
ers were frequently told that there was no such
language; whereupon, one of them would turn to
the other, and in purest Rommany quietly express
an opinion that their temporary hosts were not
thorough-bred gipsies, but of some inferior stock.
This produced Rommany in plenty, and the visi-
tors were energetically taken to task for that,
being themselves gipsies, they should ape the dress
and manners of the Gorgio. A friendly explana-
tion made all end happily.
Palmer made his first start in life as a clerk in
the City of London, where in his spare time he
made himself master of French and Italian. A
little later he took up the study of Persian, Arabic
and Hindustani, and speedily conquered them:
In 1867, after taking his degree at the University
of Cambridge, he was elected a Fellow by his Col-
lege, an honour conferred on him in recognition of
his mastery of the Oriental languages. During
the years 1868-1870 he was employed on behalf of
the Palestine Exploration Fund, to make a survey
of Mount Sinai, in the course of which he became
upon friendly and indeed almost brotherly terms
with many of the wild Arab tribes, among whom
he was known as the Sheikh Abdullah. As in Eng-
land he had been made free of the gipsy tent, so in
Palestine he could drop in upon many a Bedouin
encampment, and be sure of a hearty welcome."
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,227,,"THE USE OF THE WAND
211
His skill in sleight-of-hand, which he had in the
first instance taken up merely as a pastime, proved
to be of immense service to him in his desert wan-
derings; adding not only to his popularity but fre-
quently gaining for him the prestige of a genuine
magician, and thereby increasing his influence.
In 1871 he was appointed to the professorship of
Oriental languages at Cambridge, his official title
being the Lord High Almoner's Reader of Arabic.
In 1882, in anticipation of the Arabi trouble in
Egypt, he was entrusted by the then Government
with the difficult and dangerous task of winning
over the Sinaitic tribes, and preventing the threat-
ened destruction of the Suez Canal.
His first trip, extending from Gaza to Suez, was
carried out successfully, but on penetrating farther
into the desert, he and his two companions, Captain
Gill, R.E., and Lieutenant Charrington, R.N.,
fell into the hands of a tribe to whom Palmer was
unknown, and were barbarously put to death.
Happily, their bodies were recovered, and received
from the nation the posthumous honour of burial
in St. Paul's Cathedral.
The wand presented to me by Professor Palmer
is a curiosity in many ways. It is made of acacia
wood (the ""shittim"" wood of the Old Testament)
brought by Palmer himself from Mount Lebanon.
Around it, in spiral form, is inscribed an invoca-
tion from the Koran, in Arabic characters. The
writing of the inscription is a genuine work of art,"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,228,,"212
LATEST MAGIC
having been executed as a special favour to Pal-
mer, by Hassoun, an eminent professional
""scribe.""
I am reluctantly bound to admit that the Pal-
mer wand, in my hands, did not exhibit any special
magical virtues, and when I ceased myself to use
it, it seemed to me that it could not find a worthier
home than in Dr. Ellison's fine collection.
Reverting for a moment to the subject of patter,
I will conclude by quoting, for the amusement
rather than the instruction of the reader, an ora-
tion which (with variations) now and then formed
my introductory boniment, and might on occasion
still serve, in default of better.
""Ladies and Gentlemen, and members of the
Royal Family, if any happen to be present, I am
about to exhibit for your amusement, a few experi-
ments in Unnatural Philosophy, otherwise Magic.
""Magic in the olden times was a very different
thing, as I daresay you know, from what it is at
present. In those days every respectable wizard
kept a familiar spirit: a sort of magical man of all
work. He cleaned the boots and knives, and
when his master gave a show, it was the familiar
who worked all his miracles for him. The
magician only did the talking, and pocketed the
takings. But the familiar did much bigger things
than that. If his master's next-door neighbour
made himself disagreeable, the familiar would"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,229,,"THE USE OF THE WAND
213
hoist him up and drop him in the water-butt, or
into the Red Sea, according to order. If the
magician wanted a week at the seaside, he had no
need to pay railway fare. The familiar would just
pick him up, house and all, and land him gently in
the middle of the mixed bathing. The only draw-
back was that, sooner or later, a time came when
there was no performance, because the magician
had been carried off by his familiar on a pitchfork.
""As the French say, nous avons changé tout
cela, Familiars are as extinct as the dodo. Per-
haps it's as well, but it makes it very much harder
to be a magician. In the first place you must know
all about astrology, anthropology, Egyptology and
all the other ologies. You must be well posted in
mathematics, hydrostatics, pneumatics and numis-
matics. You must know all about clairvoyance,
palmistry and thought reading, sympathy and
antipathy, magnetism, mesmerism, wireless teleg-
raphy, X rays and all the other kinds of rays.
Of course you must be well up in Greek and Latin,
and a little. Hebrew, not to mention a few other
things which I forget for the moment, but I won't
stop to think of them now. When you have stud-
ied these little matters fourteen hours a day for
nine or ten years, you will be as 'chock-full of
science' as old Sol Gills himself, and you will be
able to do all sorts of wonderful things, some of
which I hope to show you this evening.
""Before I begin, there is just one little matter"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,230,,"214
LATEST MAGIC
I should like to mention. You hear people talk
about the quickness of the hand deceiving the eye.
I don't know whether the quickness of the hand
ever does deceive the eye, but I want you to under-
stand that you must not expect anything of that
sort from me. I am naturally slow. I was born
twenty minutes after I was expected, and I have
been getting slower and slower ever since.
""To-night, I intend to do everything even more
slowly than usual: SO that you will only have to
watch me closely to see exactly how it is all done.
Then, when you go home, if you do as I do, and say
as I say, without making any mistakes, no doubt
you will be able to produce the same results. If
not, there must be 'something wrong with the
works.''"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,231,,"A FEW WRINKLES 1
EVERY conjurer who has in him, as all conjurers
should have, the creative instinct of the artist, and
aims therefore at putting something of himself
into his work, must of necessity be to some small
extent an amateur mechanic. The hints which fol-
low are addressed to the reader in that capacity.
I have no pretension to teach him how to do things
in the way of construction, but merely to make the
doing of them easier. Though relating to matters
in themselves small, the ""tips"" which follow may
safely be said to come within the scope of Captain
Cuttle's celebrated counsel, ""when found make
a note of."" It often happens that the amateur
mechanic has to take considerable trouble and
pains in procuring some special requirement,
while there is already on sale, at small cost, just
the thing he wants, if he only knew what to ask for,
and where to get it. The paragraphs which follow
will, in some at any rate of such cases, supply the
needful information.
1 This book having been written primarily with a view to British
readers, some of my recommendations will naturally be of no value to
my American friends, but I have not thought it necessary to delete
them. L. H.
215"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,232,,"216
LATEST MAGIC
1. For woodwork on a small scale, an old cigar
box will often be found suitable material. Where
such a box is not available or not suitable for the
particular work in hand, what is called ""three-
ply"" may supply the need. This consists of three
layers of thin wood glued together under pressure,
with the grain of the intermediate layer running
crossway to that of the other two, the tendency
to warp being thereby greatly reduced. Drawing-
boards are, for this reason, now usually made of
wood SO combined, and a drawing-board makes for
many purposes a good enough extempore work-
bench. For a finer class of work, the amateur
mechanic, if he is willing to take the trouble, may
make his own three-ply. For this purpose he
should procure a supply of what is called ""knife-
cut' veneer, i.e., thin sheets of walnut, mahogany,
satin,-0 other hard wood, and glue them together
with the white glue to be presently described. Ve-
neer merchants form a distinct trade, and are com-
paratively few in number, but the resident in Lon-
don can obtain veneer and thin woods of all descrip-
tions from Messrs. McEwan & Son, 282 Old Street,
E. C. In country districts the shops which hold
agencies for ""Hobbies' materials also sell planed-
up woods of various kinds, ranging like veneer
from one-sixteenth to half an inch in thickness.
2. As a handy substitute for glue, most people
are acquainted with the virtues of Seccotine, in its
way a most useful preparation. But there are"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,233,,"A FEW WRINKLES
217
many purposes for which Seccotine is too aggres-
sively viscous, while ordinary paste is not adhesive
enough. In such cases I can strongly recommend
Pastoid, a composition midway between glue and
paste. For all purposes for which paste (in small
quantity) is ordinarily used, Pastoid may be sub-
stituted with advantage. I myself came across it
accidentally two or three years ago, ""since when,""
like the gentleman in the soap advertisement, ""I
have used no other."" The maker is Henry Rob-
erts, Middlesborough, but it should be obtainable
of any up-to-date stationer or fancy dealer. It is
supplied in glass jars, at sixpence and a shilling.
3. Where an actual glue, of fine quality, is
needed, procure sheet gelatine, to be had of any
grocer. Cut into small pieces and melt in an
ordinary gluepot using water enough to make the
resulting solution about as thick as ordinary gum
water. It should be used as near boiling point as
possible, and the joined surfaces left to dry under
the heaviest pressure available. A joint made with
this glue is practically invisible.¹
4. For dividing up thin stuff (wood or card-
board), into rectangular slabs, the handiest tool
is the ""cutting gauge."" This is practically iden-
tical with the better known ""marking gauge,"" save
1 For the information contained in this paragraph, as also that re-
lating to the use of Veneers I am indebted to Mr. Holt Sehooling, who
is an expert in such matters. My own essays in the direction of fancy
cabinet-making have for the most part been limited to rough models to
be reproduced in finished shape by more practised hands."
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,234,,"218
LATEST MAGIC
that the ""marker"" is replaced by a little spade-
pointed cutter. This tool is only available for cut-
ting wood up to say eight inches in width, but to
the amateur attempting small work only, it will be
found invaluable.
5. For staining wood or cardboard a deep dead
black I have found nothing better than the ""Record
Jet Stain,"" manufactured by the Record Polish
Company, Eccles, Manchester. It is normally
designed for staining leather only, the makers not
having apparently realised its usefulness in other
directions. It is to be had of any dealer in leather
goods, in twopenny and sixpenny bottles. In
many cases I have found it best to rub it in with
a pad, rather than to apply it with a brush, but
this will of course depend largely on the nature
of the article to be treated.
6. An excellent polish for use after staining, or
for other purposes, is made by dissolving white
wax in turpentine, to the consistency of cream.
Applied sparingly, with plenty of friction to fol-
low, this produces a clean hard gloss, free from the
stickiness which is sometimes left after the use of
other polishes.
7. For enamelling small articles use Maurice's
Porceleine (the makers of which are Walter Car-
son & Sons, Grove Works, Battersea, S. W.) pro-
curable at ""oil and colour"" men in tins from three-
halfpence upwards.
8. For any article to be made of flat card or"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,235,,"A FEW WRINKLES
219
mill-board, without folding or bending, preference
should be given to ""Bristol"" board, sold by artists'
colour-men. This is somewhat more expensive but
is stiffer and harder and has a better surface than
the commoner articles.
9. For joining wood to wood without glue where
there is no great thickness to be penetrated,
""needle-points,"" procurable of any ironmonger,
will be found useful. These are stout eyeless
needles, of very brittle steel, about two inches in
length. To use them, bore with a fine bradawl a
hole partially through the wood, then drive in the
needle-point by gentle tapping with a hammer, and
when it has penetrated the desired depth snap off
all that remains above the surface.
10. Also useful for many purposes are what are
called by drapers ""blanket"" pins. These are of
brass, and a card of such pins in three sizes, rang
ing from two to three inches in length and varying
proportionately in thickness, may be bought for a
penny. Pins a trifle shorter and thinner than the
above are known as ""laundry"" pins. Apart from
their normal uses, pins of these kinds are very
useful for bending into hooks, or to cut up into
short lengths of stiff straight wire for pivots or
otherwise.
11. For all effects dependent upon a thread pull
use, in place of ordinary thread, plaited silk fish-
ing line. This is procurable of any sports' out-
fitter or fishing tackle dealer, in twenty and forty"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,236,,"220
LATEST MAGIC
yard lengths, and in half a dozen grades of thick-
ness, the finest being not much thicker than a hair
line. The breaking strain of this is much greater
than that of ordinary thread, and it has the fur-
ther advantage that being plaited instead of
twisted it does not unroll or ""kink"" in use. All-
cock, of Redditch, a name familiar to all anglers,
is a noted maker of such line, but he has no mo-
nopoly of its manufacture. It is usually sold
white, but may be easily dyed any desired colour.
For this last valuable ""tip"" I am again indebted
to my often-quoted friend, Mr. Holt Schooling,
who, as an enthusiastic angler, is an expert as to
lines of all descriptions. The reader will find
numerous instances of the practical use of such
line in the earlier part of this book.
A good way of dyeing line is to thread a needle
on to one end, and pass it by the aid of the needle
through one corner, moistened with the appropri-
ate dye, of a soft sponge, and then back again
through the dry part of the sponge to clean off any
excess of moisture. When dry, if necessary,
repeat the process.
12. Square envelopes, for the purpose of form-
ing ""nests"" or otherwise, are now and then needed
by the conjurer, but envelopes precisely square
(save the small variety known as ""pence"" envel-
opes) are not kept in ""stock"" by stationers in the
ordinary way. When such are needed the readiest
plan is to take an envelope of the long ""bag"" shape"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,237,,"A FEW WRINKLES
221
and shorten it to an exact square, closing the lower
end as before. Envelopes of the above kind are
procurable in many varieties of paper, and in
widths ranging by various fractions of an inch
from four inches upwards.
13. To make a line, thick or thin, run freely over
a pulley-wheel or through an eyelet, use as a lubri-
cant powdered talcum, otherwise known as French
chalk. This is equally useful for minimising fric-
tion between wooden surfaces, or between wood
and metal, say between a pulley-wheel and the
pivot on which it turns. Where the slight extra
cost is not an obstacle the use of ivory as the mate-
rial of a pulley-wheel secures the perfection of easy
running.
It is, I trust, hardly necessary to say that wher-
ever I have mentioned an article to be had by pur-
chase, my recommendation is based solely upon
practical experience of its merits. I have no inter-
est, direct or indirect, in any of the articles men-
tioned, and my knowledge of their manufacturers
is derived solely from their respective labels."
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,238,,"L'ENVOI
WITH these last lines I lay down my pen, as I
have long since laid down the wand. I do SO with
regret, for writing about magic has always been to
me a labour of love, but failing energy and failing
eyesight warn me that my day is over, and that
""the night cometh, wherein no man can work.""
When I first began to discourse of magic, I had
the whole field, in a literary sense, to myself. That
state of things has long since ceased to be. Fertile
brains and ready writers have taken up my task,
and magic has now a worthy literature, growing
day by day. ""So mote it be!""
Furthermore, if I may be allowed a word of ad-
vice, let me say that every lover of magic, be he
professional or amateur, should join a magical so-
ciety. No great work can be carried forward with-
out organization, and the success of such bodies as
The Magician's Club and the Magic Circle here,
and the Society of American Magicians over seas,
has proved that magic is no exception to the rule.
I must not close without a word of hearty thanks
to Harry Houdini, Oscar S. Teale and John W.
Sargent, of the Society of American Magicians, for
their generous offices in connection with the publi-
cation of my book. With this last legacy to the
friends, at home and abroad, who have derived
pleasure or profit from my writings, I bid them
a cheery farewell.
LOUIS HOFFMANN.
222
3477-3"
latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf,244,,"LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
1 029 714 238 0"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,1,,"GV 1547
P88
Copy 1"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,2,,"LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
GV1547
Cumprinty
Shel P.88
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,3,,"A
A
.
COCASA'"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,9,,"-
:
No.8. THE MAGNET NAND
Price Twenty-five Cents.
SUTD
NEW-YORK:
HURST & CO., PUBLISHERS."
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,11,,"THE
Practical Magician
AND
VENTRILOQUIST'S GUIDE.
A PRACTICAL MANUAL OF
FIRESIDE MAGIC AND CONJURING ILLUSIONS.
CONTAINING ALSO
COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACQUIRING & PRACTISING
The Art of
the
the
NEW YORK
HURST & CO., Publishers,
75 NASSAU STREET.
(Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1876, by THOMAS D. HURST, in
the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.)"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,12,,"7 V / = ,
P88
BEST BOOK ON THE ""BLACK ART.""
PARLOR PASTIMES.
A NEW BOOK ON
MAGIC, CONJURING, LEGERDEMAIN,
AND PRESTIDIGITATION.
BY THE CELEBRATED
PROFESSOR RAYMOND
This work is certainly the most exhaustive one on Magic that has ever
been issued. It exposes all the secrets of tho Wizard's Art. No trick or
illusion of importance is left unnoticed, and tho explanations are made in
so simplo a manner that any one of ordinary comprehension can readily
understand and perform them. The book thoroughly elucidates all tho
mysteries connected with
White Magic,
Galvanism,
Natural Magic,
Magnetism,
Jugglery,
Legerdemain,
Sleight-of-Hand,
Necromancy,
Electricity,
Fireworks,
Chemistry,
Mechanics,
Cards,
The Black Art,
1
Coins,
Prestidigitation.
It also contains a grand assortment of
RIDDLES, CONUNDRUMS, CHARADES, ENIGMAS, RE-
BUSES, TRANSPOSITIONS, ANAGRAMS, PUZZLES,
PARADOXES, ACROSTICS, AND PROBLEMS.
A stndy of this extremely interesting work would make any one thor-
oughly expert in the art of Amusing, whether in private or public. Tho
work may be consulted with profit either by the Amateur or Professional
Magician.
Price Twenty-Five Cents.
Sent to any address on receipt of price. Address
HURST & CO., 75 NASSAU STREET, New YORK."
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,13,,"PAGE
Introduction
8
Of palmistry and the passes
9
To command a dime to pass into the centre of a ball of wool,
so that it will not be discovered till the ball is unwound
to the very last of its threads
13
To change a bowl of ink into clear water with gold fish in it.
14
The dancing egg
15
The walking cent
16
Tricks with and without collusion
19
To make a quarter and a penny change places while held in
the hands of two spectators
23
Trick with the dime, handkerchief, and an orange or lemon
23
How to double your pocket money.
24
The injured handkerchief restored.
25
To make a large die pass through the crown of a hat with-
out injuring it.
26
To produce from a silk handkerchief bonbons, candies,
nuts, etc.
27
Practice
29
A sudden and unexpected supply of feathers from under a
silk handkerchief or cloth.
31
Heads or Tails ?
33
To cook pancakes or plumcakes in a hat over some candles.
34
To eat a dish of paper shavings and afterwards draw them
from your mouth like an Atlantic cable.
36
How to cut off a person's nose without injuring him
37
Tricks by magnetism, chemistry, galvanism and electricity.
39
The watch obedient to the word of command
41"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,14,,"CONTENTS.
iii
PAGE
A chemical trick, to follow one where a young friend has as-
sisted
43
To draw three spools off two tapes without those spools
having to come off the ends of those tapes, and while
the four ends of the tapes are held by four persons...
44
To restore a tape whole after it has been cut in the middle
46
On the continuity of tricks
49
The invisible hen, a very useful trick for supplying eggs for
breakfast or dinner
53
Tricks with a plain gold ring
56
Friendly suggestions.
59
The conjuror's ""bonus genius"" or familiar messenger.
61
The shower of money.
63
To furnish the ladies with a magic supply of tea or coffee,
at their selection, from one and the same jug
64
To furnish a treat to the gentlemen
66
Ventriloquism
67
Ventriloquism among the ancients
70
Modern professors of the art.
71
The theory of ventriloquism
76
The means by which it is effected
79
Practical illustrations.
81
Polyphonic imitations
87
A mountain echo
88
Points to be remembered.
88
Concluding remarks
90
To make the magic whistle
91"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,15,,"THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN
AND
VENTRILOQUIST'S GUIDE.
CHAPTER I.
""
INTRODUCTORY.
M' object in writing these hints on CONJURING is for the bene-
fit of amateurs to promote (lively and entertaining amuse-
ment for the home circle and social gatherings.
My large experience enables me to explain and simplify many
of the best tricks and illusions of the art. I present the key to
many of the mystical mysteries which have puzzled and bewild-
ered our childhood days as well as confounded us in our matur-
er years.
The young student can in a very short time, if he be in the
least of an ingenious turn, amuse and astonish his friends, neigh-
bors and acquaintances.
Preference has been given to those tricks which suggest
others, the more complete and difficult performances and
illusions have been passed by as being out of place ; I"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,16,,"6
THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
shall not, therefore, in these elementary papers advert to those
experiments which require ample resources, or a prepared stage,
for exhibiting them-or which can only be displayed to advan-
tage by consummate skill and the most adroit manipulation-
but confine my remarks at present to thosè branches of the art
to the performance of which a young amateur may aspire with
prospect of success.
A few hours' practice will enable the learner to execute the
simple tricks that I shall first treat of; and they will only re-
quire for their display such articles as are readily available in
every household. Most of them will be supplied by any com-
pany of a few friends, and if not in the parlor, can be brought
from no greater distance than the kitchen or housekeeper's
room ; such as handkerchiefs, coins, oranges, or eggs, a
glass bowl, etc., etc. There may only remain a few inexpensivo
articles to bo supplied from repositories for the sale of conjur-
ing apparatus, or they may be had direct from the publishers of
this work.
It may be well explicitly to avow that the time is quite gone
by when people will really believe that conjuring is to be donc
by supernatural agencies. No faith is now reposed in the
""black art of sorcery,"" or even in the art to which the less re-
pulsive name was given of ""white magic.' Many years havo
elapsed sinco conjurors have seriously assumed to themselves
any credit as possessing supernatural powers, or as enabled by
spiritual agency to reveal that which is unknown to science and
philosophy, or mysteriously to work astonishing marvels.
A well-marked contrast exists between the old school O. con-
jurors and those of modern times. The former, who used bold-
ly to profess that they employed mysterious rites and preter-
natural agency, designedly put the spectator upon false inter-
pretations, while they studiously avoided giving any elucidation
of tho phenomena, nor would ever admit that tho wonders dis-
played were to bo accounted for by the principles of science and
natural philosophy.
Modern conjurors advance no such pretensions. They use as
scientifically as possible the natural properties of matter to aid"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,17,,"THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
7
in their exhibition of wonderful results. They are content to
let the exhibition of their art appear marvelous They some-
times mystify the matter, and so increase the puzzle, in order
to heighten the interest and amusement of the spectators; but
they throw asido any solemn asseveration of possessing hidden
powers, or of ability to fathom mysterious secrets.
It may be admitted that proficients and exhibitors still adopt
language that has become current with conjurors, and in com-
mon parlance it may be asserted that the wonderful Mr. So-and-
So undertakes to pass some solid object through a wall or a ta-
ble ; to change black into white, and white into black; to place
rings in.closely-fastened boxes, or draw money out of people's
ears; and conjurors may with ridiculous humor distract the at-
tention of spectators, so that accurate observation is not fixed
upon the object that is to undergo before their eyes some sin-
gular transformation ; but no outrageous bombast or positive
falsehoods are commonly advanced. And the practical meaning
of any exaggerated pretension is clearly understood to mean no
more than that Mr. So-and-So undertakes to present before you
what, TO ALL APPEARANCE, is the conversion of black into white,
or vice versa and the audience aro clearly aware that no more
is assumed to bo presented to them than a very striking illu-
sion, undistinguishable from a reality and how this is effected
will bo in many cases wholly untraceable, and therefore the
trick is inimitable.
We may be permitted to feel some pleasure in the conviction
that tho exhibition of our art in its more striking exploits is
really marvelous, and very attractive; for we certainly havo
tho power of placing some astonishing phenomena before our
audience: and we may surely prize the estimation with which
tho uninitiated are disposed to honor us, but we erect no vain-
glorious assumptions upon these data, as we are quite contented
with fair praise intelligently-accorde to us. And so far from
closely concealing tho principles and arcana of our science, we
are ready plainly to avow that it all depends upon faculties that
all may attain by patient culture, and exhibit by careful prac-
tice. Undoubtedly thero are less and greater degrees of exoel-"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,18,,"8
THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
lence to be obtained by proportionate intelligence and dexterity.
There are attainments in the art, at which, by natural qualifica-
tion and peculiar adaptation, special study, practice, and expe-
rience enable somo few only to arrive. These qualifications
cannot be easily communicated to every one who might wish to
possess them; and therefore the highest adepts will ever havo
an incommunicable distinction. But this is no moro than is
the case in the medical, the legal, and any learned profession,
in all which the most eminent proficients reserve to themselves,
or unavoidably retain, an unquestioned superiority. At tho
same time there is much in our art that may be communicated,
and the present papers will show to our friends that we are will-
ing to impart to others such portions of our art as they are ca-
pable of acquiring; and we trust that what wo shall communi-
cate to them will furnish them much rational recreation among
themselves, and enable them to supply innocent and interesting
amusement to their friends and companions."
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,19,,"THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
9
CHAPTER II.
OF PALMISTRY AND PASSES
nature and limit of the art of Conjuring has now
defined-what it is that we assume to do, and
wherein we have discontinued the exaggerated preten-
sions of the conjurors of the old school and I have hinted in
what respects, and within what bounds, a young amateur may
gim at exhibiting some amusing experiments in our art. But
it remains for me to explain the grand pre-requisite for a novice
to cultivate before he should attempt to exhibit before others
even the simplest tricks of prestidigitation or legerdemain, to
which we at present confine our attention.
I have first to speak of PALMISTRY, not in the sense that the
fortune-teller uses the word, but as expressing the art of the
conjuror in secreting articles in the PALM of one hand while he
appears to transfer those articles to his other hand. It is abso-
lutely necessary that the young amateur should acquire the habit
of doing this so adroitly as to escape the observation of others
while doing it openly before their eyes.
The two principal passes are the following:
FIRST PASS or, method of apparently carrying an
object from the right hand to the left, while actually re-
taining it in the right hand.
The reader will please to observe that the illustrative sketches
depict the hands of the performer as seen by himself.
FIRST POSITION OF PASS 1.
The right hand, having the knucles and back of the fingers
turned toward the spectators, and holding openly a cent, or
some similar object, between the thumb and fore-finger, must
be moved toward the left hand.
The left hand must be held out, with the back of the hand
toward the ground, as exhibited in the illustration. (Fig. 1.)"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,20,,"10
THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
FIG. 1.
Ellie
First Position of Pass 1.
SECOND POSITION OF PASS 1.
The left hand must appear to close over the object that is
brought toward it, at the same instant that the right hand se-
cretes and withdraws that object.
The left hand that appeared to receive it must continue
closed. The right hand, though it actually retains the object,
must be allowed to hang loosely over it, so that it appears to
have nothing in it.
FIG. 2.
Second Position of Pass 1.
The performer then may blow upon the closed left hand, and
may say, ""Fly,"" or ""Begone,"" or any similar expression, and
then open his left hand, holding it forward. Of course there is
nothing in it, and the object seems to have flown from it, and
the spectators are much surprised.
SECOND PASS.-Method of apparently transferring
an object from the left hand to the right, while retaining
it in the left hand.
FIRST POSITION.
Let the left hand hold up the object in its open palm. The"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,21,,"THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
11
right hand is brought toward the left hand, but only appears to
grasp it.
Fig. 3.
First Position of Pass 2.1
SECOND POSITION.
The left hand secretes the object in its palm, while the fingers
are allowed to fall loosely down, appearing to retain nothing
under them. At the very same moment the right hand must be
closed, and remain in shape as if containing the object, with the
second joints of the fingers pointed toward the spectators, and
the back of the hand toward the ground. The performer then
holding his right hand forward, may blow on it and say ""Change
FIG. 4.
Second Position of Pass 2.
-fly,"" and opening that hand, the spectator deems the object
has passed away from it, though in fact it has remained all along
in the left hand.
The illusion in either of these passes is, that the spectator
seeing both hands move as if the object were passing from one
to the other, thinks it has done so ; whereas, in fact, the object"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,22,,"12
THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
always remains in the hand where it was first visible to the spec-
tators. The BACK of that hand where the object is first displayed
must afterwards be kept well toward the spectators.
Observe, the eye of the performer must rest always on the
hand or object at which he desires the spectators to look, and
whatever he wishes them not to notice, he himself must refrain
from looking at.
If it is not required that the very object that has been held up
in these passes be seen again by the spectators, the performer
must quietly pocket it, or drop it on a handkerchief on his ta-
ble, or inside a hat, or otherwise get rid of it as soon as he con-
veniently can.
On the contrary, if that very object must be again produced
or transferred to a person standing at some little distance, this
must be effected by one of the following methods :
Either you must take care beforehand to place adroitly in that
person's cap or pocket a double or similar object.
OR, you must walk up to him, and putting your hand on his
hair, sleeve, or pocket, quickly place there the object you have
all
along retained, and which you must pretend by this ma-
noeuvre to find in his possession.
Or, lastly, you will see in the first trick subjoined, a method
of substituting one object for another.
FIRST TRICK.-To command a dime to pass into the
centre of a ball of Berlin wool, EO that it will not be dis-
covered till the ball is unwound to the very last of its
threads.
REQUISITE PREPARATIONS, TO DE MADE PRIVATELY.
You will require a glass bowl or quart basin, and you must
have a flattened tube of tin about four inches long. It must be
just large enough to let a dime slide easily through it by its own
weight. Round the end on this tubo wind a ball of Berlin wool
of bright color, covering about two inches of the tube, and pro-
jecting about an inch bevond the end of it. Place this ball with
the tube in it in your right-hand pocket of coat tail, (or in the
left breast-pocket, if that is largo enough to hold it completely
left hand.
covered.) Lastly, place a dime concealed in the palm of your
Commence the exhibition of the trick by requesting one of the
spectators to mark a dime (or cent) of his own, so that he will
be sure to know it again. Then ask him to lend you that coin."
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13
Holding it up in your right hand, you may say, 'Now. ladies
and gentlemen, this is the marked dime which I shall experi-
ment with. The gentleman has accurately marked it, so that
there can be no mistako about its identity when reproduced.""
Then by Pass 1 pretend to transfer the marked coin to your left
hand, but in reality retain it in your right hand. Next, hand
with your left hand your own dimo (which had been secreted in
'hat hand) to some person. and request him to hold it. Chooso
for this person some one three or four yards distant from your-
self, and also from the person who originally marked the coin.
It is unnecessary to explain that you do so, lest the two should
compare notes. Of course, the person who is asked to hold it
will believe that it is the very dime that was borrowed.
Yon may proceed to say : ""Now we waut a ball of worsted.'
So, placing your right hand in your pocket, pretend to fecl
about for something in your pocket, and while doing so you
must place the dime in the top of the tin tube, and shako it
down. Then carefully draw the tube ont of the ball of worsted;
and leavo the tube in your pocket, bnt draw tho ball out of your
pocket, pressing it together whilo doing so.
Then request some one to fecl the ball in order to ascertain
that it has no opening towards its centre.
Yon mayhero mako some humorons remark about your having
such a ball in your pocket. As for instance: :
"": Ladies may think it od:l that I havo such a ball of Berlin
wool in my pocket. It was bought to please my consin Mary
Ann, or my Aunt Tabitha. Well, it will do very fairly for our
experiment.
Then request somo ono to hold tho glass basin containing the
woollen ball. Whilo you retain in your hand the end of tho
woollen thread, address the gentleman who has consented to
hold the dime, asking him to hand it to you. Tako it in your
right hand, pretend by Pass 1 to transfer it to your left hand,
but in reality keep it concealed in your right hand.
Holding up your closed left hand, (which in fact has nothing
in it.) yon may say :
""Now, dime, pass along this woollen thread into the very
centro of the woollen ball which is there held in tho glass bowl
or basin.""
Blow upon your left hand, and show that the dime is gone.
You must adroitly get rid of the dime, which has remained
secreted in your right hand, by placing it in your pocket or
sleeve while making somo humorous remark, or whilo asking
somo lady or gentleman to draw tho woollen thread till it is all
unwound. It will bo dono tho quicker by letting the ball bo
confined loosely in the bowl with two fingers preventing its
leaping out."
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
Draw attention to how completely the coin is wrapped up till
you arrive at the very last circles, when it will drop into the
bowl.
Hand the dime to the owner who marked it, and let him de-
clare whether he recognizes it as the very one he lent you.
His affirmativo will surprise the spectators.
SECOND TRICK.-To change a bowl of ink into clear
water, with gold fish in it.
REQUISITE PREPARATION, TO BE MADE PRIVATELY BEFOREHAND.
The same glass bowl as in previous trick. If your bowl has
not a foot to it, it must be placed on something that will hold it
high above your table. Some small fish, a white plate or sau-
cer, a piece of black silk just fitting the inside of your bowl, a
spoon of peculiar construction, so that in a hollow handle it will
retain about a teaspoonful of ink, which will not run out as long
as a hole near the top of the handle is kept covered or stopped.
A large tumbler and two or three minnows will do for a simpler
exhibition, but will, of course, not be so pleasing to the eye.
Place the black silk so as to cover the part of the bowl that is
shaded; when damp it will adhere to the glass. Pour in clear
water to fill the space covered by the black silk, and placo the
fish in the water.
Fig. 5.
Commence the trick in public thus: Holding the spoon-han-
dle slanting up and uncovering the hole in the handle, the ink
which you have placed in the handle will run into the bowl of
the spoon, and the spoon being held carefully to the surface of
the water, concealing the black silk, will give the spectators the
impression that you fill the spoon from the glass bowl.
Pour the spoonful of ink on a white saucer, and show it round
to convince the spectators it is ink. They will see it is undeni-
ably ink, and they will conclude, if the spoon were properly"
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15
inted out of the bowl, that the glass bowl contains nothing but
ink.
Borrowing a silk handkerchief, place it for a few seconds over
the bowl, and feigning to be inviting fish to come to the bowl.
exclaim Change! Then, placing your hand on the edge of
the bowl near yourself, draw off the handkerchief, and with it
take care to catch hold also of the black silk. The bowl when
uncovered will exhibit the fish swimming about in clear water.
While the spectators are surprised at the fish, return the hand-
kerchief, having first dropped out of it the black silk on your
side of the table. Decline giving any explanation, as people
will not thank you for dispelling the illusion.
THIRD TRICK,-The Dancing Egg.
REQUISITE PREPARATION TO BE MADE IN PRIVATE.
An egg-shell that has been blown (my young friends will know
that the way to blow an egg is to make a small hole at each end
of the egg. Then, by blowing at one end, the yolk will be
driven out, and the egg-shell be left empty.)
Make a hole also on the side of the egg, in which insert a
chip of wood, or a small pin, held by a fine black silk thread,
about twelve or fourteen inches long, which must have a loop at
the far end, which loop fasten to a button on the coat or waist-
coat and have on a dark vest, otherwise the dark thread be-
coming visible, will reveal the moving power.
FIG. 6.
a
Commence by borrowing two black hats. If there is an in-
strument in the room, ask some one to play a lively tune, as
"" eggs are fond ofglively music to dance to."" Then, with the
brim of a hat in each hand, interpose the round of each hat
successively under the thread that holds the egg, moving them
from your breast toward the egg. The egg will appear to move
of itself over the hats, as you place them under it."
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
You must not allow people to handle the egg on the thread af-
terwards, for when they see the simplicity of the process they
will undervalue the trick, whereas it appears marvellous as long
as they do not understand how the extraordinary movements
are produced. And in these illusions, as Hudibras expresses it,
Doubtless, the pleasure is as great
In being cheated as to cheat.
-
FOURTH TRICK-The Walking Cent.
PRELIMINARY PREPARATION IN PRIVATE.
Ask for a long dark hair from some lady's tresses. Have a
pin in shape of a hook, or a small loop affixed to the end of this
hair, and fasten a little piece of beeswax (less than a pea) at the
other end of the hair. Fasten the hair by the loop to a button
on your vest, taking care to wear a dark-colored vest. The
hair may be allowed to hang from your vest, with the bees-
wax visible. Have a glass of water or cup on the table.
Commence the exhibition of the trick by borrowing a cent.
While pretending to examine the cent to see if it is a good one,
press the waxed end of the hair firmly to the under side cf tho
cent, and place it about a foot from the edge of n table. Then
bid the cent to move toward you, to the right or to the left, and
by gently moving your body in whatever direction you name,
the hair will draw the cent in the same direction. You may
say, while your left hand is near the table, ""Now, cent, movo
up my arm. Advancing your a.m gently, the cent will appear
to move up to your elbow. It is your arm that moves, but it
will appear to the spectators as if the cent moved or you may
help it up the outside of the sleeve by interposing your right
hand under the hair, so as to draw up the cent, while appearing
to beckon it.
""Now, cent, as you have performed so well, you shall have a
bath."" Placing the tumbler near the edge of the table, draw
the cent into it. After exhibiting it in the water, say, "": Oh,
cent, you must not stay so long in the water."" Then jerk it out
upon the table. Detach the waxed end of the hair by your
nail, after which return the cent to the person who loaned it
to you.
When performing this trick, in order to keep the spectators at
a little distance, you must inform them that the cent is very
susceptible to magnetic influences, and request ladies not to ap-
proach too near it, as the loadstones of their eyes are the causo
of the magnetic attraction."""
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17
My young friends must remember that it is absolutely neces-
sary to keep up in spectators their belief in the niysterious, and
therefore must decline on the spot to give explanations before or
after the performance of this trick, however they may be dis-
posed to reveal the secret privately to any friend. A singular
instance is recorded of a person who was grievously disappointed
when by importunity he had received an explanation of this very
trick, which had appeared at first to him a most marvellous phe-
nomenon; and he was quite annoyed when the gilt was stripped
off his ginger-bread. It is said that a gentleman walked into a
FIG. 7.
00
coffee-room at Manchester, England, and was exhibiting to a
friend the above trick. A traveler at a table near them had his
attention drawn by their laughing discourse, while one of them
exhibited the trick to the other. The cold barrier of English
reserve was broken down, and he addressed one of the strangers,
requesting to be informed how the trick was done. For his part
he imagined it must be connected with some perfectly new phil-
osophical law of attraction involved in the experiment. "" Will
yon be kind enough to tell me I shall be happy to offer n fee
to learn it. I was about to proceed by the next train, but I will
gladly defer my journey to understand this, which appears so
unaccountable."""
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
The gentleman declined for a considerable time ; but at
length, being overcome by the importunity, in order to get rid
of the matter, assented. The time of the departure of the train
had arrived and passed by, and the aspirant offered two guineas
to learn the trick. The gentleman acceded to bis request on
condition that he should faithfully promise not to reveal it to
others, or to make public the mystery. ""Agreed,"" says tho
'traveler. The mail train was gone-the money paid-tho trick
exhibited and explained to him. ""Oh!"" cried the traveler,
"" how easy and plain it is. What a simpleton I have been to
lose my journey and spend my money only to learn how you-.""
""
Stop!"" cried the gentleman, ""remember you have promised
not to divulge the secret."" "" Yes, but how foolish to care for
an experiment which only depends on-. Stop, sir, stop.
Are you going to tell all the room ?"" and thus a good half-hour's
amusement was caused by the traveler fretting over his simpli-
city, and having relinquished an important journey for that
which, though marvellous while a secret, became so simple and
uninteresting to him after an explanation."
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19
-
CHAPTER III.
TRICKS WITH AND WITHOUT COLLUSION.
I'
resuming my hints to amateurs, I shall now offer some re-
marks upon two subjects.
Frrst.--] will notico the class of tricks th at are performed by
the collusion of a confederate. Old books on conjuring record
several of this description, and some conjurors still practise
them. But I do not advise the inexperienced frequently to ex-
hibit tricks of this sort, for the co-operation of assistants used
in them is liable to be traced by spectators, or to be divulged by
the person who has been employed to aid in the exhibition of
them. They may, indeed, be very well as a make-shift until
dexterity of hand is acquired; but they will always rank as an
inferior branch of the science of conjuring, and if the collusion
is discovered, it will throw discredit even upon those tricks
which the same performer may exhibit without such collusive
arrangement. An instance of the annoying failure of such de-
pendence upon confederates is recorded in ""Houdin's Memoirs.""
It is thero related that Torrini, at the commencement of his ca-
reer, was insidiously induced by an envious rival (Pinetti) to
undertako a public exhibition of his art before a very grand as-
sembly. Torrini was at the time diffident of his own attain-
ments, but he was persuaded to make the attempt by the assur-
ance of Pinetti that he would take care that several confeder-
ates should be present, and should help in carrying out sundry
illusions which he would have to display. One of these was,
that the conjuror, after borrowing a ring, was to restoro it magi-"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
cally into the possession of its owner. The ring was borrowed,
and some mysterious gesticulations practised; but instead of the
contemplated result being produced, the false confederate pro-
claimed aloud that he had lent a very valuable jewelled ring, and
had only received back a common copper ring. The audience
was of course disappointed at such words so derogatory to the
conjuror This unpleasant feeling was deepened by the malic-
ious meddling of another false confederate. Torrini had to
present some cards to the King of Naples, who was honoring the
assembly by witnessing the exhibition, and a card was selected
by his Majesty. Instead, however, of being pleased with what
he saw on the card, the king manifested intense disapprobation.
The confederate had written on the card words of disrespect and
insult, and Torrini had to retire amid the loud censures of the
enraged spectators. There may. be no danger of so disastrous
results to a young amateur; but dissatisfaction of a milder kind
will probably ensue whenever it is discovered that any trick has
depended upon the secret co-operation of an assistant among
the spectators.
The SECOND topic which I propose at present to discuss is the
employment of mechanism-such mechanical constructions as
boxes with false sides, cabinets with secret drawers, or double
compartments, etc.
It makes a great difference whether such arrangements are
used as subordinate aids, or as constituting the essence and sub-
stance of the illusion. In the former respect it is quite legiti-
mate to take advantage of any well-arranged mechanical aid su-
bordinately. In fact, nearly all tricks must be performed with
some modified aid of artistic contrivance, or with mechanical
implements adroitly used. The conjuror, thereforc, unavoid-
ably requires, and may advantageously employ, mechanical ar-
rangements to give greater effect to his illusions. I only wish
to dissuade the learner from relying solely upon mere mechani-
cal puzzles, or artistic contrivances, for furnishing an interesting
exhibition of the conjuror's art.
The fewer the contrivances which he employs of this sort, and
the more entirely the performance rests upon sleight-of-hand
the more lively will be the surprise of the spectators."
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21
I myself prefer doing without the aid of any confederate und
without mechanical aids ; but I must remember that I am writ-
ing for amateurs and novices in the art, and that, in proportion
as they are unpractised in palmistry, and in what the French
term prestidigitation, (preste digite, signifying ""ready fingers,"")
it will be desirable for them, at first, to have the assistanco
which mechanism will supply towards the exhibition of their
tricks.
Let them, however, keep such aids as subordinate and as se-
cret as possible. For instance, in the preparation for exhibiting
the first trick described on page 12, the small tin tube (which is
requisite for the performance of that trick) must not be seen by
the audience, either BEFORE or AFTER the trick is exhibited, but
must be kept secrêted in the pocket. Again, in Trick No. 4,
the preparation of the hair and beeswax must be made PRI-
VATELY beforehand; and these implements must vanish out of
sight when the trick is over. And the reader must observe that
in both the first and fourth tricks the mechanical aid employed
is the minor and subordinate part of the tricks, and that a suc-
cessful exhibition of either of thcm depends really on the dex-
terity of the passes, and of manipulations by the performer.
It may be admitted, then, that, with regard to the first topic
of our present paper, the young conjuror need not be restrained
from employing the subordinate aid of an assistant, so far as
this may carry him over difficulties which he cannot otherwise
surmount in the present stage of his im perfect skill.
And in regard to the second topic, the employment of me-
chanical contrivances, (though it may be well to begin with
those departments of the art which are easier, because aided by
mechanical apparatus,) it will be desirable for the amateur to
strive to get freo from dependence upon such aids. Mechanical
arrangements cannot be wholly discarded at any time, and the
conjuror will always require a few implements; but the more
he advances in dexterity of hand, quickness of eye, control of
his hand and eye, instantaneous adaptation of his words and
movements to contingencies as they arise, the more able will he
become to elude the observation of the most watchful specta-"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
tors, and to mislead their imagination, so that they shall fancy
that they see him DO things which he only APPEARS to do, and
shall blindly fail to observe actions and movements carried out
before their very eyes.
And here let me say, that I have, by long experience, come to
the conviction, that the simpler and more common the objects
are on which, and with which. a trick is performed, and the less
anything beyond dexterity of hand is openly used, the greater
will be the astonishment and the amusement of the spectators.
There are, it is true, some very striking and complicated illu-
sions which it is impossible to present without resorting to art-
istic contrivances of mechanical or scientific arrangement. On
these illusions, as being beyond the power of a young amateur,
I need not dwell. Nor need the preceding remarks be consid-
ered as any disparagement of the combinations and extrinsic aid
which are indispensable for developing such startling illusions.
The scope of my present remarks is simply to this effect, that
to depend mainly upon the co-operation of a confederate, or
upon mechanical contrivances, for what can be far better carried
out by mere sleight-of-hand, will not pass for a satisfactory ex-
hibition of conjuring now-a-days; and the amateur will find
that, as he advances in skill and dexterity, he will swim more
freely the less ho trusts to such unsubstantial bladders to uphold
him.
Having thus discussed my two topics I shall now add explana-
tions of a few more tricks, which the learner may practise with
the hope of making progress in the art of conjuring. The only
way to make such progress and gain high attainments in the art,
is to practise diligently over and over again the passes I havo
described in my former paper, and to learn to do a few tricks
neatly, and without hesitation or stumbling. I subjoin, there-
fore, some simple but effective tricks, in which they will do well
to perfect themselves."
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23
TRICK 5.-To make a quarter and a penny change
places, while held in the hands of two spectators.
PREPARATION.
Have a quarter of your own secreted in your right hand.
Then borrow two handkerchiefs, and a quarter and a penny,
from any one in the audience. Tell the lender to mark or accu-
rately observe them, so that he will know them again. In plac-
ing them on the table, substitute your own quarter for the bor-
rowed one, and conceal the borrowed one in your palm.
MEMORANDUM.
It is better to use things borrowed than coin of your own.
Still, the conjuror should provide himself with articles requisite
to display any trick, or otherwise much delay may occasionally
arise while borrowing them.
Commence the trick by pointing out where the quarter and
the penny are lying on the table. Take up the penny and show
it openly to all. Then take up one of the handkerchiefs, and
while pretending to wrap up the penny in it, substitute in its
place the borrowed quarter which you had concealed in your
palm, and ask one of your friends to feel that it is enfolded in
the handkerchief, and bid him hold the handkerchief enclosing
it above his head. Ask him if he has got the penny there safely.
He will reply that he has.
Then take up your own quarter which was laid upon the ta-
ble ; pretend to wrap it up in the second handkerchief, but
adroitly substitute the penny, (which you concealed in your
palm while wrapping up the first handkerchief.) Ask some
friend to hold it up above his head, indulging in some facetious
remark. Slip your own quarter into your pocket. Clap your
hands or wave your wand, saying, ""Change."" Tell your friends
to unfold their handkerchiefs. They will be astonished to find
that the quarter and penny have changed places.
TRICK 6.-Another trick with the dime, handkerchief,
and an orange or lemon
PREPARATION.
Have an orange or lemon ready, with a slit made in its side
sufficiently large to admit the dime easily ; and have in your
pocket a good-sized silk handkerchief with a dime stitched inio
one of its corners."
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,34,,"24
THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
Borrow a marked dime. Take out your handkerchief, and
while pretending to wrap this dime in the handkerchief, conceal
it in your palm, and take care that the one previously sewn into
the corner of the handkerchief can be felt easily through tho
handkerchief. Giving it to one of your friends, tell him to feel
that it has the dime in it, and to hold it up over his head firmly.
While giving these directions to your friend, the dime that is in
your palm must be transferred to your pocket, and introduced
into the slit of the orange. Then bring the orange out of your
pocket, and place it on a table you will keep the slit on the side
away from the audience.
Then make a few mesmeric passes over the hand of the per-
son that holds the handkerchief, saying, ""I will now destroy
the sense of feeling in your hands. Tell me, can you feel tho
dime ?"" He will say, .6 Yes."" You can reply, ""Oh, you must
be wrong, sir. See! I will shake out the handkerchief."" Tak-
ing hold of one corner of it, shake it out, saying, ""Observe,
nothing will fall to the ground. You see that you were mis-
taken about feeling it in the handkerchief.""
The fact is, the dime being stitched in the corner' could not
fall out, and you must take care not to let that corner of tho
liandkerchief hit against the ground. Put the handkerchief in
your pocket, and say, ""But I must return the borrowed dime.""
Exclaim : ""Fly, dime, into the orange on the table."" Cut up
orange, and show the dime concealed in it, and then restore it
to its owner, asking him to tell the audienco if he finds it to bo
his own marked dime.
TRICK 7.-How to double your pocket money.
The only preparation 1S to have four cents concealed in your
left palm.
Commence the trick by calling forward one of the spectators,
and let him bring up his hat with him.
Then borrow five cents, or have them ready to produce from
your own pocket should there be any delay.
Request your friend, while he places them one by one on a
small plate or saucer, to count them audibly, so that the com-
pany may hear their number correctly. Inquire, ""How many
aro there ?"" He will. answer, ""Five."" Take up the saucer and
pour them into your left hand, (where the other four are already
concealed.) Then say, ""Stay, I will place these in your hat,
and you must raise it above your head, for all to see that noth-
ing is added subsequently to them."" You will have placed
these nine cents in his hat unsuspected by him.
Borrow five cents more. Make Pass 1, as described on page
9, appearing to throw these five into your left hand, but really"
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25
retaining them in your right hand, which is to fall by your side
as if empty.
Afterwards get rid of four of the five cents into your pocket,
retaining only one in your right palm.
Hold up your closed left hand, and say, while blowing on it:
Pass, cents, from my left hand into the hat. Now, sir, be
kind enough to see if they have come into your possession.
Please to count them aloud while placing them in the saucer.""
He will be surprised, as well as the spectators, to find that the
cents in his hat have become nine.
You may then put on a rather offended look, and say: ""Ah,
sir ! ah ! I did not think you would do so ! You have taken
one out, I fear."" Approaching your right hand to his sleeve,
shake the sleeve, and let the one cent, which you have in your
own hand, drop audibly into the saucer. It will raise a laugh
against the holder of the hat. You can say : 'Excuse me, I
only made it appear that you had taken one. However, you see
that the original money is now doubled.""
TRICK 8.-The injured handkerchief restored.
PREPARATION.
Have a dime of your own wrapped in the centre of a piece of
cambric about five or six inches in diameter, the ends falling
down loose. Conceal these in the palm of your left hand.
Borrow a marked dime from any of the spectators, and a
white cambric handkerchief. Throw the handkerchief spread
out over your left palm, (holding under the handkerchief your
own dime wrapped in the small piece of cambric )
Openly place the borrowed dime on the centre of the spread-
out handkerchief. Keeping hold of that dime, jerk the ends of
the
handkerchief over, so as to fall loose down from the lower
side of your left hand. Draw out from between your thumb
and fingers (that is from the upper side of your left hand) about
two inches of the smaller piece of cambric, containing your own
dime. The spectators will naturally conceive the two pieces of
cambric you hold in that hand to be merely the cambric hand-
kerchief.
)
Call any of the spectators forward, and request him to mark
off with his knife the portion of the piece of calico which holds
your own dime, and whisper to him to cut it completely off, and
to let the dime drop on the table. The spectators will believe
that he has cut a hole in the handkerchief itself, and that the
dime falling out is the one you recently borrowed, whereas it is
in fact the other piece of calico that has been cut, and the bor-
rowed coin remains still wrapped up in the handkerchief."
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
Pretend to blame the person who cut the two inches off, say-
ing: ""Dear me, sir, what have you done ? You have quite de-
stroyed this nice handkerchief. Well, I hope, madam, you will
pardon the mistake, if I manage by magic to restore to you your
handkerchief in perfect order, and I request you to allow me to
try to do so. Carefully holding in the candle the edges of the
cambric, (both of the part cut off and of the portion from which
it was cut,) and letting the real handkerchief hang down from
the same hand, pretend with a conjuring wand to weld together
the edges of the cambric when they get hot, as a blacksmith
""welds metals together. You can prevent the flame from reach-
ing the real handkerchief by tightly pressing your fingers.
Then exclaim : ""Oh, where is the dime ?"" and while picking it
up from the table, get quietly rid of the pieces of cambric with
their burnt edges into a hat or some corner unseen by the audi-
ence.
Holding up the dime which you had just lifted from the table
say : ""But to complete my trick I must replace this dime in the
centre of the restored handkerchief, whence it was cut out.'
Make the Pass 1, appearing to pass it into the centre of the
handkerchief, but retaining it in your hand, and afterwards se-
cretly pocket it. The handkerchief has already the borrowed
dime in it. Say to the handkerchief: ""Change-restore !"" and
unfolding it, show the borrowed coin in it. Shake out the hand-
kerchief and show it is all sound and right, and restore it with
thanks, as well as the borrowed dime, to the owners.
TRICK 9.-To make a large die pass through the crown
of a hat without injuring it.
I will now give my young friends a nice, easy trick, requiring
very little dexterity, as the articles for its exhibition can be pur-
chased at any depot for the sale of conjuring apparatus there-
fore the most diffident amateur will be able to display this trick.
PREPARATION.
Have a die exactly like the common dice, only it may be about
two inches square. Have two covers for it, one of them exactly
resembling the appearance of a die, only hollow, except that
one side of it is open, so that it can easily be placed over, or be
taken off, the solid die.
The other cover may be of decorated material, and it is in-
tended to be placed over the first die-cover. Let this last cover
be made of some pliant material, so that by compressing gently
two of its sides with your fingers, while lifting it up, you can
lift up the first die-cover, which will be within it."
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27
Commence the trick by borrowing two hats place one with
its rims upwards on the table, and show that you place in that
hat the die with its first cover on it. But say, ""I forgot to ap-
peal to the company whether they will like to see the trick dong
visibly or invisibly."" They will most likely say, ""Visibly;' bnt
it is of no consequence which answer they make, for the process
of the trick is the same in either case.
Take out from the lower hat the first cover, which is painted
exactly like a die, and having placed the second hat (with its
rims downwards) on the other hat, display the first cover, and
openly place it on the crown of the upper hat. All the specta-
tors will believe it to be the solid die itself. Then take your
penknife; you may just thrust it into the crown of the hat, and
pretend to cut all round the die-cover there lying ; say-"" I
shall now bid it move into the lower hat, but it will not do so
while uncovered, so I must place this ornamental cover over it.""
Do so; show that you have nothing in your hands or sleeves;
then wave your wand or your hand, and say, ""Change, pass,
die, into the lower hat.' Give it a little time. Then, compres-
sing the outward cover gently, lift off also with it the painted
die-cover, which it has inside it. Lift up the lower hat, and
show the company the solid die lying in it. Show all that the
upper hat has received no injury.
The illusion to the audience will be that the solid die has pas-
sed through the crown of the upper hat without at all injuring
it. Return the hats to the owners, and show them to be unin-
ured.
TRICK 10.-To produce from a silk handkerchief bon-
bons, candies, nuts, etc.
PREPARATION.
Have packages of various candies, wrapped up in bags of the
thinnest tissne paper, and place them on your table rather shel-
tered from observation. Have also a plate or two on your
table.
-
MEMORANDUM.
It will be always desirable to have the table removed two or
three yards at least from the spectators, and of a height that
they cannot see the surface of it while sitting down in front of
it.
Gommence the trick by borrowing a silk handkerchief, or any
large handkerchief. After turning it about, throw it out on the
table, so as to fall over one of these packages.
Having carefully observed where the bag lies, place your left"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
hand so as to take up the bag while catching hold of the middle
of the handkerchief.
Taking the handkerchief up by nearly the centre, the edges
of it will fall around and conceal the bag make some pretended
wavings of your wand or right hand over the handkerchief, and
say, ""Tow, handkerchief, you must supply my friends with
some bon-bons."" Squeeze with your right hand the lower part
of the bag which is under the handkerchief; the bag will burst,
and you can shake out into a plate its contents.
Asking some one to distribute them among your young
friends, you can throw the handkerchief (as it were carelessly)
over another bag, from which you can in the same way produce
a liberal supply of some other sweetmeats, or macaroon bis-
cuits, etc., etc., all of which will be duly appreciated by the ju-
veniles, and they will applaud as long as you choose to continue
this SWEET trick.
'
-"
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29
CHAPTER IV.I
PRACTICE.
IN
conjuring, as in all other arts and sciences, perseverance is
requisite in order to become expert and successful. There
is no royal road, or possibility of acquiring the end, without ex-
ercising the means to that end. Let my young friends, then,
carefully practise over and over again the passes and the tricks
which I have already explained to them. It is the only way to
attain dexterity and confidence, without which they will never
be able to make any creditable exhibition of the art of conjur-
ing. After they have attained considerable skill and sleight-of-
hand in displaying a few tricks, they will easily extend the range
of their performances, and gradually rise to greater ability. I
may, therefore, parody an old injunction for obtaining success,
and say There are three rules for its attainment: The firstis
""Practice."" The second is Practice."" The third is ""Prac-
tice."" In a word, constant and careful practice is requisite, if
any wish to be successful as amateur conjurors. They should
never attempt to exhibit before their friends any tricks that they
have not so frequently practised that no bungling or hitch is
likely to occur in their performance of it.
Let no one be staggered by the simplicity of the processes
recommended in these tricks. The result will in fact be all the
more astonishing, the simpler the operations employed.
The great point is the address of the performer, and that will
carry through successfully the means employed. However sim-
ple and insignificant those means may appear to the learner
when they have been explained to him, if there is good address"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
and accurate manipulation, the astonishment at the result will
be infinitely greater than any one would imagine possible to be
produced by such simple means.
There is one help that I can suggest towards the better man-
agement of the hands in concealing or removing objects; it is
the use of a conjuror's rod or short magic wand. This is, now-
a-days, commonly a stick of about fifteen inches long, resem-
bling a common rule, or a partially-ornamented one. You may
often have observed this simple emblem of the conjuror's power,
and deemed it a mere idle or useless affectation. The conjuror
waves it mystically or majestically as he may be disposed. Of
course you are right in your judgment that it can do no good
magically; but it does not follow that it is useless. The fact is,
that it is really of considerable service to him. If he wants to
hold a coin or any object concealed in his hand, without others
observing the fact of his hand being closed, the wand in that
hand is a blind for its concealment. He may require to pick up
or lay down some object, and he can do so while openly fetching
or laying down his wand. If he wants to gain time, for any il-
lusion or process of change, he can obtain it while engaging the
attention of the spectators by some fantastic movements of his
wand. By the use of the wand, therefore, you will be able to
prevent the observation of your audience too pointedly follow-
ing the movements which you wish to carry on secretly. You
may also, at the same time, dispel their attention by humorous
remarks, preventing it from being concentrated on watching
your movements.
As a general rule, you must not apprise your audience of what
you are actually doing, but must often interpose some other
thought or object to occupy their mind. For instance : Do you
desire that a person should not examine too closely any object
which you place in his hand, tell him to hold it well above his
head. That takes it out of the range of his eyes. It would
never do to tell him not to look at it. He would then immedi-
ately suspect that you are afraid of something being observed.
Have you perchance forgotten to bring on your table any ar-
ticle requisite for displaying any trick, a feint must be made"
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31
that you must have more candles, or must remove some other
object, thus gaining the opportunity to fetch what you require
without naming it.
Do not even announce too fully or vauntingly beforehand
what is to be the result or development of any trick; rather
proceed with it, and let the audience come unexpectedly upon a
result which they had not contemplated. Their surprise will be
greater, and their amusement more lively, at such unexpected
result.
It is for this reason that it will be well to avoid the repetition
of the same trick in the same evening, though requested to per-
form it over again. The minds of the spectators have already
traced once the whole performance of it-the beginning, the
middle, the end. The zest of it, therefore, is gone off; their
minds are languid and disinterested about its second repetition ;
and the conjuror's art proportionately sinks in their estimation.
Having offered these general remarks, I will now invite the
attention of my young friends to another batch of interesting
tricks, which, with a little effort, they may succeed in exhibit-
ing.
TRICK 11.-A sudden and unexpected supply of feath-
ers from under a silk handkerchief or cloth.
PREPARATION.
Have ready a good supply of plumes of feathers. They may
be obtained from a fur or fancy store, or purchased there loose,
and tied up so as to lie thin and flexible where you wish to place
them. You may have at least four batches of them. The com-
mon hackle feather will do, stitched round a thin piece of whale-
bone. Teathers that are a little injured for sale as ornaments
may be picked up at little cost.
Take off your cont. You may then have one or more batches
of feathers placed round each arm ; the lower point of the stem
on which the feathers are fixed being near your wrist, and the
top of each batch of feathers confined near your elbow by a
slight worsted string. so that they do not stick out the coat
sleave too much. or slip down together if two batches are con-
ce led in the same sleave. Yon can have one or more batcher;
1 just within each side of your waistcoat, with the lower"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
point of the stem within easy reach of your hand-about four
inches below your chin. Then put your coat on.
Commence the trick by borrowing a large silk handkerchief or
cloth of the same size. Show it to be empty by holding out the
two top corners in front of your breast, and shake the handker-
chief while it falls loosely down over your vest. Then moving
the handkerchief toward your left, catch hold (with your right
thumb and finger) of the end of the stem ""of the plume, No. 1,
and draw it from under the left side of your vest. It will re-
main concealed behind the handkerchief while you move your
FIG. 8.
Position 1.,
Position 2.
two hands to the right, which will draw out the plume from un-
der your vest, then over the centre of your chest. Then toss
the handkerchief about, enveloping the first batch of feathers:
say, ""Handkerchief, you must supply me with some feathers.
In a minute or so, take off the handkerchief, and display the
plume to the spectators.
Show the spectators again that the handkerchief is quite
empty. Move your arms toward your right till your left hand
comes just over the edge of the right side of your vest. With
your left thumb and fore-finger catch hold of the stem of the
feathers there concealed, and by moving your arms back to-
wards the left, you can draw out without its being observed the
plume that had been concealed under the right side of your
vest. Toss about and display as before this second batch of
feathers, and then place them aside.
Then show to the company again that your handkerchief has
nothing in it, and lay the handkerchief over both your hands,"
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33
While waving it mysteriously about, exclaim that the handker-
chief must furnish you with some more feathers. Draw out of
the left sleeve one of the plumes, shake the feathers out while
taking off the handkerchief from this, which will be plume the
third.
Then, throwing your handkerchief over the hand, and clap-
ping your hands together, (with the left over the right hand,)
manage to catch hold of another point of a plume, and pull it
out from your right sleeve while waving about your two hands
with the handkerchief over them. You have now produced four,
plumes.
The exhibition may be continued to an increased number of
plumes, if you have more concealed in your sleeves, or else-
where; but four will probably be sufficient to manage at the
commencement of your career as an amateur conjuror.
TRICK 12.-Heads or Tails ?
I shall now give directions for reproducing, before a jnvenile
audience, a trick that will carry us back to the primitive style of
conjuring in old times. I cannot say that there is anything
very scientific or elevated in it, but, if neatly and adroitly exe-
cuted, it will tell very well with a youthful audience.
PREPARATION.
You must take care that your table be so placed that none of
the spectators can see behind yourself or the table. You must
provide yourself with some young pet of the juveniles, such as
a puppy, a kitten, or any other small pet. The performer must
either have some little bag hanging under his coat-tails, or some
provision for concealing the little animal behind him, or in a
drawer before him ; so that there will be no chance of any of
the audience seeing it before the proper time. He must have
ready also a penny, or any coin.
To begin the exhibition of the trick. Standing with all the
nonchalance you can assume, and placing one or both your arms
behind your back, you may say, ""For a variety, I will challenge
one of my young friends to come and try which of us will suc-
ceed best in a few tosses of this penny.""
Induce some young person to come to the front of your ta-
ble, and tell him to bring forward his hat. Ask him to tos3 first
with the cent and put the hat over it, while you will guess
""heads"" or ""tails."" Say it shall be seen who is most suceess-"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
ful
in
five
guesses.
After he has tossed up twice, you can take
the penny, and say, ""Now, I will vary the method of tossing.
You shall name now which you choose, 'heads' or ""tails.''
Toss up the penny, and while attention is occupied with this,
and he is looking to see which is uppermost, heads or tails, you
withdraw your left hand from behind you, holding the little an-
imal you have concealed, and slipping it into the hat, and turn-
ing the hat down over it, exclaim, 'Stay, I mean to pass the
penny through the hat upon the table, and the whole affair shall
be settled by the result of the present toss. You shall see the
heads or tails on the table.""
By Pass 1, pretend to place the penny on the hat, but retain
it in your right hand. Say, ""Fly, pass, and quickly."" Lift the
hat, and show both head and tail on the little animal or pet
there concealed.
If you should have had a Guinea pig, you must make the
guesses go on till your adversary guesses ""tails,"" and then it
will make a good laugh to say, ""He has won, and he had bet-
ter now take it up by the tail.'
TRICK 13 -To cook pancakes or a flat plum cake
in a hat, over some candles.
REQUISITE PREPARATION.
Have two gallipots or earthen jars, of a size to go easily into
a hat, but of such dimensions that the one reversed will fit
closely over the other. Tie worsted or a strip of linen round
the smaller gallipot, so as to insure the larger one holding firmly
round the smaller one. Have ready some thin, fluent dough,
some sugar, and a few currants, enough for two or three pan-
cakes or a small plum cake; also a spoon to stir the ingredients
up.
Have at hand two or three warm pancakes that have just been
prepared by the cook for you, with the same ingredients as men-
tioned above. Let them be firm and free from grease. Have
also at hand two small plates, with knives and forks.
Commence the exhibition by borrowing two hats, to give you
a choice with which to perform. You can remark that as you
should be sorry to injure your friend's hat, you will secure it
from being soiled by placing some paper in it as a lining. Hold
up the paper to show it is only paper, and then openly place it
in the hat, and lay the hat down on its side on the table near
you, having the brim towards you.
Have therready-prepared pancakes lying near you, and whilst"
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35
taking off the attention of the spectators by pretending to ar-
rang: the articles on your table, slip the prepared pa .cakes or
plum-cake into the hat.
Unobserved, also place the smaller gallipot in the hat, and
while doing so, if requisite, add some remorli, such as: ""Please
to shut, or op^n, that `oor."" or any word: that will draw off the
attention of the sp ctators from what you ero Coin, You
must
next, vith S me parade, mix the fluont loug? with the sugar
and currants, in t'.o lar yer gallipot. It must be fluent enough to
pour out lovly, upare .tly into the hiso, but really into the
smaller gallipot, which has been already nonccaled inside the.
hat. Shov 'ou have imptied the lar wor all but a little ;
then, placing it he sn .ller galliprit a in empty the very
last of it, und press the larger callipot firmly i wn over the
smaller onn. Then, inl it, lift th smalle gallipot also, with
its contents, whil you ippear only to talio bacl: the larger galli-
pot. Remove the gollipots, us supposed t be empte, out of
sight. ""Now, l.d.en und ;entlemen, I must request your pa-
tience a few minutes for the brocess of cooking.' "" Put two or
three candles near one wother, and move the hat at a safe dis-
tance above them for W or thr minutes, making in the mean-
time any langhabl. remarks that may occur to you, such as :
""
My young friends will find this ? capital way of supplying
themselves with a delicat dish when hoy havs lost their pud-
dings from being in the black books of their teacher or parents,""
,FIG, 9.
or any similar humorous remark; but take care not to burn the
hat whilst the (supposed) cooking is going on. After a short"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
interval, place the-hat on the table, and with some little cere-
mony take out the real pancakes or plum-cake. Let it be cut
up and.handed round to the juveniles who may be present.
REMARKS.
A more finished or surer arrangement for holding the dough,
etc., can be made with a tin apparatus, which can be prepared
by any tinman, upon the same principle as the gallipots, taking
care not to have it made larger than the inside of a youth's
hat.
An amateur can render a common table more suitable for con-
Fig. 25.
cealing any little object he wishes to have secreted, by placing
three or four tumblers under each end of a plank, about the
length to extend across the table, and throwing any common
cloth over the board and table, or a kitchen table, covered with
a cloth, having a drawer pulled out about six inches, will furnish
a
very good conjuror's table. It is well to have the table rather
broad, so as to keep the spectators at a sufficient distance.
TRICK 14.-TO EAT A DISH OF PAPER SHAVINGS,
AND DRAW THEM OUT OF YOUR MOUTH LIKE AN
ATLANTIC CABLE.
PREPARATION.
Procure three or four yards of the thinnest tissue paper of va-
rious colors. Cut these up in strips of half an inch or three-"
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37
quarters of an inch breadth, and join them. They will form a
continuous strip of many feet in length. Roll this up carefully
in a flat coil, as ribbons are rolled up. Let it make a coil about
as large as the top of an egc-cup or an old-fas ioned hunting-
watch. Leavo out of ,he innermost coil about an inch or more
of that end of the paper, so that you can easily commence un-
winding it from the centro of the coil.
Procure a large dish or basketful of paper-shavings, which can
be obtained at little cost from any bookbinder's or stationer's.
Shaken out it will appear to be a large jaantity. As you wish it
to appear that you have eaten a good portion of them, you can
squeeze the remainder close together, and then thero will appear
to be few left, and that your appetite has reason to be r :tisfied.
Commence the trick by proclaiming you have a voracious ap-
petite, so that you can make a meal off paper-shavings. Bend
down over the plate, and take up handful after handful, pretend
to munch them in your mouth, and make a faco 2S if swallowing
them, and as you take up another handful, put out those previ-
ously in your mouth, and put them aside. Having gone on with
this as long as the spectators seem amused by it, at last, with
your 1 ft hand, lip the prepare. ball of tissue aper into your
mouth, managing to place towards your teeth the end you wish
to catch hold of with your right hand, for pulling the strip out
from your mouth. You will take care also not to open your
teeth too widely, lest the whole coil or ball should come out all
at once.
Having got hold of the end, draw it slowly and gently forward.
It will unroll to a length of twenty yards or moro in a continu-
ous strip, much t the amusement of the spectators.
When it has come to the end, you may remark : ""I suppose
we have come to a fault, as there is a solution of continuity
here, just as the strongest cables break off,' so we must wait to
pick up the end again, and go on next year, when the Great
Eastern again goes out with its next Atlantic Cable.""
TRICK 15.-How to cut off a nose-of course without
actual injury.
PREPARATION.
Have ready a piece of calico of light color, or a white apron,
a sponge saturated with a little liquid of the color of blood-
port-wine, or the juice of beet-root, will do; also two knives,
resembling each other, the one of them whole, the other with a
large notch in its blade, so that when placed over the nose it will"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
appear to have cut through the bridge of the nose. A cutler
C. uld supply such knives, or they may be purchased at the de-
pots for conjuring apparatus.
Having placed out these articles on your table with serious-
ness and imposing formality, show to the audience the knife that
is whole, and call upon them to observe that it is sufficiently
strong and sharp. The other knife must be placed somewhere
near you, but where it is sheltered from the observation of the
spectators.
Ask some young friend to step forward, assuring him that you
will not hurt him. Mako him sit down on a chair facing the au-
dience. After having measured the real knife across his nose,
say ""But I may as well protect your clothes from being soiled,
so I will put an apron round your neck."" Goto the table to take
up the apron, and, in doing so, placc down the real knife where
it cannot be seen, and with your lef' and tako up the conjuror's
knife, holding it by the blade, lest any one should cbserve the
notch in it. Conceal at the same time also, in your left hand,
the piece of sponge.
Advancing to the chair, tuck, with your right hand, the apron
round the youth's neck. Then pr SS the conjuror's knife firmly
over the nose and leave il there, 2S if you had cut into the bridgo
of the nose. At the same time gently ¿queeze the sponge, and
a little of the liquid will make an alarming appearance on the
face and on the apron; go on for a short time, covering the face
and apron with (apparent) blood. When the audience have seen
it long enough, seize up the apron, wipe the face of the youth
quite clean, throw away the conjuror's knife, and exhibit your
young friend to the audience all right, and dismiss him with
some facetious remark on his courage in undergoing the alarm-
ing operation."
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39
CHAPTER V.
TRICKS BY MAGNETISM, CHEMISTRY, GALVANISM, OR ELEC-
TRICITY.
a class of tricks about which I must say a few
viz., those that require to be exhibited by the help
of magnetism, chemistry, galvanism, or electricity. I need not
dwell long on them, for I do not consider them such as the
young people, for whom these notes are written, can be recom-
mended to devote their attention to, for the following reasons :
in the first place, they are, with a few exceptions, attended with
considerable expense. Secondly, the tricks connected with the
powerful agencies of galvanism and electricity are dangerous to
the unskilful operator and, even in experienced hands, the
most effective of them are uncertain things to manage; there-
fore their effect cannot be depended on.
Some very interesting tricks have, doubtless, at times been
exhibited by the help of galvanism and electricity. We havo
read of a conjuror by such help confounding a powerful Arab, by
first letting him lift with ease a box, and afterwards rendering it
impossible for him to raise it, when an,electric current had, to
his dismay, paralyzed all his strength. It is evident that an ex-
periment of this kind could not be safely attempted by any but
a very experienced person. We read also of conjurors who have
surprised their audience by receiving them in a dimly-lit thea-
tre, and then firing off a pistol, (to startle the audience and cover
the real mode of operation,) they have by electricity lighted up"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
one hundred lamps at once. This has proved successful
very on
some occasions; but on others, notwithstanding the most care-
ful preparation and the greatest precaution, it has been found
that the apparatus would not act, and the impatient spectators
have visited the disappointing failure with their indignant mur-
murs. Other conjurors have become so attached to electric ex-
periments, that they have proposed to regulate all the clocks of
a large district by electricity, or have amused themselves by
turning electric or galvanic currents to the door-handles of their
houses, so that unsuspecting strangers, on touching them, were
startled with electric shocks. There is also a trick for rendering
one portion of a portrait electric by a metal plate concealed un-
derit, and the spectators being invited to touch some part of the
pieture, have, on touching the spots that were charged with
electricity, received a shock or powerful blow, as if the portrait
resented their touching it.
Having briefly given the character of this class of tricks, and
stated that they not only require expensive apparatus, but are
attended with danger to the inexperienced, there still remains
another serious objection, viz., that, like the experiments per-
formed by automaton figures or complicated machinery, they are
liable to fail, through any trifling disarrangement, just at the mo-
ment when the performer is hoping that his audience will be de-
lighted with his surprising exhibition.
For these reasons I shall not stay to describe the more elabo-
rate of these tricks, as, however interesting they may be to the
scientific, they would not, in a youthful amateur's hands, be sure
to produco the amusement which it is my primary object to sup-
ply.
The simpler experiments of magnetism and chemistry may
well be regarded as recreations of science, interesting curiosi-
ties, suitable enough to be exhibited by a professor of chemistry
for amusement and instruction but even these can hardly be
considered as belonging to ""conjuring proper."" Young people
do not care, at festive parties, to watch red liquids turning into
green, blue, and yellow or the mixture of different chemical
ingredients producing strange conversions into varied substances;"
practicalmagicia00harr.pdf,51,,"THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
41
nor will experiments that are interesting as chemical curiosities
produce the same excitement and pleasing surprise that the
wonders of sleight-of-hand do. In a word, such experiments in
a private circle of young friends fail to constitute the most amu-
sing kind of parlor magic, while upon a public stage they are too
minute for any large audience to trace and comprehend.
Lest, however, my young readers should think that I have any
desire to shut them out from any field of reasonable pleasure, I
will now carefully select one or two examples of tricks connected
with the sciences of magnetism and chemistry, and which may
even in the hands of amateurs, produce a safe and pleasing ex.
hibition.
In the following trick they will find an amusing instance of the
combination of science with rational recreation.
TRICK 16.-The watch obedient to the word of com-
mand.
The magnet is a well-known agent in producing several toys
for the entertainment of the young, and though its attraction is
wonderful, there is no danger likely to arise from employing it,
in the same way as might arise from unskilful dabbling with
electricity, galvanism, or chemical powers, and a strange and
singular effect nay be produced by placing a magnet of some
little strength near a watch.
Supposing the young conjuror to have provided himself with
a powerful but not very large magnet, let him conceal it in the
palm, or under a thin glove in his left hand, or near the edge of
the cuff of his sleeve. Let him then borrow a lady's watch,
(without chain,) and the thinner the watch-case is, and if it has
a glass, the better. Let him then call forward a youth, and pla-
cing the watch in his own right hand, and near to the ear of the
other, ask him if he hears it going he will answer ""Yes.""
Let him next bid the watch to stop; and on taking it in his
left hand, where the magnet is concealed, it will stop, if held
steadily ; and on inquiring of his young friend whether he can
hear it, he will reply ""No.""
Observe: you must keep systematically to using your right
hand when you wish to make the watch go on, and to your left
when you wish it to stop. Appealing to others among the com-
pany, the performer may then tell the watch to go on, and hold-
ing it in his right hand, and giving it a slight shake, apply it to"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
one of their ears ; it will be heard ""tic, tic; then holding it in
his left hand and telling it to stop, they will also find that it does
stop. You can pretend to doubt whether they are all deaf of
one ear, but lastly may declare that this is caused by the obedi-
ent disposition of the watch, which so orderly obeys your com-
mand. Remind your audience that savages upon first seeing a
watch believe it to be a living animal with power to think and
act of itself 'At any rate,"" you may conclude, ""the present
watch seems to hear, to understand, and to obey my orders.""
: It will be an amusing addition to the above trick to say that
you will now order the watch to fly away and conceal itself.
You must for this purpose have provided yourself with an
electro-plated locket resembling a lady's watch, and have two
loaves ready in some convenient corner.
When the watch has finished its ""manual and platoon"" exer-
cise on the platform, you may say, ""I will now place this watch
visibly to all upon the table."" Turn round to go to your table,
and in walking to it, substitute the locket for the watch, and
place the locket on some spot visible to all. It will not be dis-
tinguishable from the watch by the spectators at six or eight
yards' distance from them. Conceal the watch itself in the palm
of your hand. You can now exclaim, ""I require two loaves,""
and walking towards them, slip the watch into the one you have
prepared with a slit in its side. Advancing to the audience, ask
in which loaf they will prefer that you shall bid the watch fly.
If they name the one in which you have concealed it, proceed to
break open the loaf and find the watch. But suppose they name
the wrong one: you then, remembering that the left hand of the
spectators is your right hand, proceed with the true loaf, which-
ever they have named, or manage to cross the position of the
loaves as yon place them on the table.
Then taking up the locket with your right hand, make Pass 1,
as if transferring it to your left hand, but really retaining it in
your right hond (as described in my first paper.) Blow upon
your closed left hand, and say, ""Watch, fly into that loaf.' Clap
your hands. It is gone.
Advancing to the loaf, get rid of the locket from your right
hand: take up the loaf, break it open on the other side from that
in which the locket was introduced, bring out the watch, and ap-
peal to the lady to declare whether it is the same which she lent
to you.
TRICK 17.
An experiment with a very mild dash of electricity in it, which
will at any rate be a popular trick with most people that trv it.
It will do for a small entertainment, or at any joyous party of"
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43
young people. It does not, however, require a large number to
be present, but, contrary to the usual scientific tricks, its devel-
opment comes off better with one companion than with a dozen
PREPARATION.
You must induce your cousin Jemima, or some other young
lady who is just of age to have cut her eye-teeth, to consent to
help you by accompanying you to a room with closed shutters
and no candles. A moderate-sized looking-glass must be on the
table, the smaller the better, for reasons below assigned. Have
ready at hand some ounces of hard candy.
You commence the trick by placing yourselves, land-in-hand,
before the looking glass. If it is rather small, your heads will
be the closer-in order to see the reflection of both at once.
Then, with mouths as open as may be, try which of you can
crush his or her share of sugar-candy with the teeth the quick-
est. In the glass will appear the reflection of sparks of electri-
city, as the experiment proceeds. If your companion is ner-
vous, you can of course support her with one arm-ladies are
sometimes susceptible, whether from animal magnetism or what
not. The electric sparks coming between the lips may also be
attractive, and you may be tempted to try whether the electricity
evaporates the sweetness; but of course youmust not be tempted
to forget the philosophical nature of the experiment; and, if you
behave with propriety, the lady will doubtless, on her return to
the company, tell them, in a staid manner, that the experiment
was all right; and perhaps when you see her, even a day or two
afterwards, you will observe there is an arch dimple on her cheek
and an electric sparkle lighting up her eye-and I should not
wonder if you should feel a desire to try the experiment over
again.
TRICK 18.-A chemical trick to follow one where a
young friend has assisted.
PREPARATION. I
You must have a wine-glass, a saucer, and a teaspoon. and
the chemical bottles No. 1 (silicate of potash) and No. 2 (alumi-
nate of potash,) which can be obtained from any druggist.
At the close of some trick in which any young friend has as-
sisted, you can say : ""Well, my young friend, you have assisted
me so courteously and well that I must, in order to express my"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
thanks, ask you to take a glass of wine. Do you like wine?
Ah, I see by your smile you do.""
Pour out of bottle No. 1 half a glass, and, going towards him,
stop short and say : ""Ah, but I am afraid your mamma would
bo di:pleased with me if I gave you wine so strong without any
water, and I should be sorry to tempt you to drink what she
would disapprove. Stay, I will mix a little water with it.""
Mix some of No. 2 bottle, so as to fill the wine-glass, and say :
"" Oh, never mind losing the pure wine; I dare say you will like
it very well as it is, and make a few chatty remarks, to give the
liquids time to mingle their effects in the glass; and after a
minute or two say ""Ah! I'll tell you what I am sure your
mamma would like still better-if I could give you some calves'-
foot jelly. Now, I really believe, if I were to stir it with this
teaspoon, and try my magic wand over it, I can turn it to jelly.
Let us try.' Occupy a little time while it is becoming like jelly,
and go on with a little more talk till you see that it has become
solid. Then say : ""Well, after all, I will not deprive you of
your wine so hereitis Please drink it."" Putting it to his
lips, he will find it has become so solid that he cannot drink it,
but it can be turned out quite solid into the saucer, and a gen-
eral laugh will greet him on the disrppointment of his wine.
Having submitted a few remarks upon the class of tricks that
are to be performed by help of the sciences, magnetism, chem-
istry, etc., and having stated my reasons for my not more fully
discussing them, I will now proceed to give an explanation of
one or two more that are better suited for the practice of ama-
teurs.
TRICK 19.-To draw three spools off two tapes without
those spools having to come off the ends of the tapes,
and while the four ends of the tapes are held by four
persons.
PREPARATION.
You must have two narrow tapes of about four feet long, bent
as in Fig. 11. Red tape I prefer.
You must next insert about half an inch of A through the loop
of B, and bring it back down on the other part of A.
A spool such as cotton is wound on, or an ornamented ball
with a hole drilled through it, just large enough to hold the tapes
lightly, will be required (Fig. 13.)"
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45
FIGS. 11, 12.
A
K
B
FIG. 13.
FIG. 14.
B
A
B
The spool or ball must be put on the tapes at the extreme ends
of the tape B, and drawn to the left, till it just covers the noose
at K. as in Fig. 14.
N. B.-All the above should be prepared before the spectators
are invited to witness the trick.
Commence the exhibition by calling upon the spectators to
observe that you hold a reel, or ball, through which two tapes
are passed.
You may then produce two more spools, or wooden balls, and
place one of them over the ends at A, and the other over the
ends at B.
The following will then be the appearance of the balls or spools
and the tapes passed through them (Fig. 15):
Fig. 15.
2
I
3
B
B1"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
You may move about the spools 2 and 3, to show how the tape
runs through them, but you must not nove spool 1.
You may then say that the puzzle is to get the spools of the
tapes while the four ends are held firmly in the hands of four
persons. Appoint four persons to hold them, and you may then
say: ""To make doubly sure, I will tie one of the ends at A to
one of the ends at B with (the first half of) a knot."" It does
not signify which ends you take to do this, FO that you take ono
A and one B. I will now pull these two ends so tight that it
draw the three spools together, and also tighten all along one
sido of them.'
Then, while four persons hold firmly the extreme ends cf the
Fig. 16.
2
3
B
1
A
13
tapes, you must take shorter hold of the two A's with your left
hand, (where it is marked by a dottedline, Fig. 16,) and also take
hold of the other tapes where a dotted line is marked on them
towards B. Then drawing your arms wider apart, so as to pull
the tapes steadily, the spools or balls will fall to the ground with-
out passing over the ends of the tapes.
TRICK 20.-To restore a tape whole after it has been
cut in the middle.
PREPARATION.
Have five or six yards of tape about three-quarters of an inch
broad.
Take half the length in each hand. You will be able to show
the audience that you are about to cut it in the middle, by hold-
ing it in two loops of equal length. Call their attention point-
edly to the equal division of the full length.
The tape will thus appear to the performer in the position
represented in Fig. 17.
Observe the tape A crosses at Z the tape B on the side next to
the performer, whereas the tape D is to cross the tape y on the
side farthest from him."
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47
Fig. 18 represents the hands as they appear to the performer
himself, holding the tape with the thumb and forefinger at the
crossings of the tape at y and z, while the outward sides of each
loop are to be held by the three other fingers of each hand.
FIG. 17.
FIG. 18.
Left Hand,
Right Hand.
D
it
11p
A
x
y
N
IC
B
x
y
2
C
B
To proceed with the trick : Holding your hands in this posi-
tion, (Fig. 18,) you must request one of the spectators to cut
through the tape at x, but just as he is about to do so, you must
quickly lower your hands two or three inches, and then raise
them again. This movement will conceal the following opera-
tion. You drop the part (B) of the tape held in your right
hand, and at the same moment pick up with that hand the other
tape marked C.
This will bring the portion of tape from C to D, so that it now
becomes the transverse tape, substituted in place of the tape
marked x, and your young friend will then cut it-instead of the
original tape marked x-without being aware tbat he is so
doing.
When the tape has been cut through, you can put your hands
near together, allowing the two ends of the little piece of the"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
tape-C D-to be seen, but concealing from the spectators
that you have hold of two pieces, one a very long one, and the
other only about five inches long. You can then say: ""Now I
have to join these two ends, and to restore the tape
Fig. 19.
whole as at first."" You then turn the little piece C
1-
c
D round the piece y, which is in your left hand, and
you tie a knot with the ends of that little piece.
y
You must not tie this knot very tight, and after you
have tied it, you drop the other end of the tape alto-
gether out of your right hand.
The appearance which the tapes will then have is
represented in Fig. 19. That is, you will seem to
hold the equally divided pieces of the long tape
joined in a knot at y, whereas in fact it is only tho
small end piece C D, tied round the middle of the
long tape, which you hold between the thumb and
forefinger of the left hand. Exhibit the knot to the
company, and say : ""I admit that this knot hardly
looks liko a perfect restoration ; I must employ my
best art to get rid of its unsightly appearance.""
Ask some one to hold, at about three yards' dis-
tanco, the end marked with small d, retaining hold of
the centre-at y-in your left hand, which quite COV-
d
A
ers the knot. Tell yourfriend to wind the tape round
his hand, and, while pretending to show him how to
do this, by winding the part which you hold round
your left hand, slide away towards your right the loose knot un-
der your right hand. Then, holding out the end of the tape A
towards another friend, to hold at about three yards' distance to
the right, slip from off the long tape the little movable knot un-
der your right hand, just before he takes hold of this end of the
tape. Conceal in your right hand the little end-piece of tape,
until you can get rid of it into your pocket, or into any
unob-
served spot. Blow upon your left hand, which is supposed still
to cover the knot, saying ""Knot, begone ! Tako
up your left hand, and show the tape to be free from any knot,
or join from one end of it to the other.
-"
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49
-
-
CHAPTER VI.
ON THE CONTINUITY OF TRICKS.
IT
may be useful now to invite attention to the theory of pre
serving a continuity in the development of tricks, where
circumstances admit of this being done. Sundry displays of
legerdemain admit of being adroitly linked together; and I shall
endeavor to explain why such an harmonious continuity is pref-
crable to an unconnected series of isolated tricks ; for when once
a novico gets a clear perception of this principle, he will be
able, according to his own special taste, to produce a pleasing
varicty of combinations in his experiments. He will thus rise
above being a mero copyist of the methods used by others, and
so will give a zest and frcshness to his performances.
Now, thero aro many short and secondary dashes of legerde-
main, which a spirited performer will be able to introduce in ad-
dition to the tricks which he is exhibiting. There are also sev-
eral ornamental or fanciful little tricks which would not rivet the
attention of an audienco if exhibited by themselves. These,
though unqualified to shino as the main object of observation,
may nevertheless be worked into the evening's entertainment as
amusing by-play, and may thus prevent the interest of the spec-
tators from flagging. They may come in as accessories-as
stimulating side-dishes-causing the entertainment to bear a
continuous character, instead cf merely consisting of sundry
isolated experiments.
Let me be allowed to substantiate what I have advanced by
referenco to somo of the tricks which I have already described."
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
The reader will have seen that, in some of the tricks explained
in previous papers, there is simply some one definite object to
be carried out. For instance, in the two tricks which concluded
the last paper, the performer simply undertakes to throw the
spools off the tape, or to restore a tape which has been cut. Ho
sets about this, accomplishes it, and the trick is over. This is
all very well as far as it goes. If the trick is really a good one,
it is like a host furnishing his guests with a solid joint to satisfy
their appetite; ; and it may do so. But still it comes short of a
lively entertainment. It is confessedly dull for an audience to /
come to pauses O1 gaps between isolated tricks. Their attention
is unoccupied while the performer, having finished off one trick,
is making mute preparations to introduce some other trick
wholly unconnected with what has gone before. Such a method
will not keep awake the lively interest that the skilful combina-
tion of the conjuror's art will sustain. I maintain that varied
by-play and supplementary sets-off will greatly heighten the in-
terest of the performance.
It will also serve to disarm the suspicious and incredulous,
preparing them to believe what they might otherwise stand on
their guard against. Bare tricks brought forward as isolated ex-
periments give time for the mind to take its estimate of their
possibility ; and, of course, in attempting to exhibit wonders,
the improbability of them is apt to stare people strongly in the
face. They are perfectly convinced that a dime cannot fly into
an orange at the other end of the room, that ink cannot become
water, nor a hat be safely used as a frying-pan ; but if you inter-
pose appearances and movements that are consistent with such
processes going on, they are gradually prepared to recognize as
a legitimate result what you have previously indicated as the
contemplated end of those processes.
The amplification or fuller development which I speak of can
be effected at any of the following stages:
1. In the introductory matter leading on to the main trick or
transformation
2. In the subsequent stages of its development; or,
3. In the winding-up smartly or variedly the conclusion of a
trick."
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51
I do not say that every trick is to be amplified or loaded with
extraneous matter in all these different stages, (that would be to
run into the contrary extremo of over-cumbrous amplification;
but I will endeavor to point out the effect of such development
in the above three stages of a trick, and if I can show that am-
plification in each several one may be an improvement, I may
be considered to have made good my proposition that any trick
may be improved and rendered more interesting by one or other
of those amplifications.
Let us see if we cannot lay down a bill of fare for our guests
which, going beyond a solid joint, (good as that may be in its
way,) will furnish them with some relishing accessory in the
first course of a trick, some stimulant side-dishes with its second
course, or may please with some bon-bons before the entertain-
ment is quite concluded.
1. INTRODCCTORY.
Now, first as to introductory matter. Suppose a conjuror is
able to perform Trick 3-tho ""Dancing Egg""--it will waken up
his audience if, instead of proceeding at once with the trick, ho
can by sleight-of-hand find out an egg in the whiskers or neck-
tie of some unwatchful spectator, and afterwards substituto
for it the egg prepared with a hair and wax.
The chief aim of introductory matter should be to enlist the
thoughts and expectations of your audience under your com-
mand, so as to preclude their watching what you are driving at.
Show all you can safely show openly; enlarge upon the things
being submitted to their own eyes and touch; engage their eyes
and ears with certain appearances leading their thoughts to
adopt your suggestions, so that, when you approach the devel-
opment intended, they have had no leason to suspect your mo-
tives; thus having their confidence, you can jump at once to
their credulity, though there may, in fact, exist some gap, or il-
logical process, which they omit to notice.
2. DURING THE SUCCESSIVE STAGES OF A TRICK.
I often vary and render more interesting the development of
a trick by some little by-piay."
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
For instance, in the trick which I often use as my first trick I
make a candle an amusing helper, by snatching it from the can-
dle-stick, and asking some one to hold it wrapt up in paper.
And this unexpected service of the candle is wrought into tho
body of the trick which I have in hand.
I change also a crystal ball into an orange by skilful manipu-
lation.
By such brief diversion of the attention of the spectators,
their eyes are withdrawn from watching too narrowly some ma-
nœuvre that is requisite to carry out the more important trick
which you have in hand.
Or you may actually make an act, which is a mere accessory,
cover some important portion of the trick; as in tho tape trick
(No. 20.) While PRETENDING TO SHOW YOUR ASSISTANT HOW TO
nold the tape in HIS hand, you slip the knot away unperceived
under YOUR OWN hand.
3. IN CONCLUDING A TRICK.
It greatly adds to tho éficiency of a trick to let it finish off
with a sparkle, or some playful addition which gilds its exit.
For instance, in the trick of doubling the pocket-money, (7th
Trick,) the little by-play of finding, or rather pretending to
find, some coins secreted in tho sleeve cf the young friend who
i:as helped you, is sure to bring out a good-humored laugh at
tie termination of the trick. Again, in Trick 16, the additional
fact of finding the watch in the loaf makes a lively termination
of ine performance of the obedient watch. In the 1Sth Trick,
the glass of wine becoming solid might be used as a good finish
to any trick where some friend has assisted in its exhibition.
You may often raise a good-humored laugh by appearing to
swallow any object which you have used in a trick-as an or-
ange, ball, egg, or dime-and afterwards bringing it out from
your sleeve ; or, by tho use of Pass 1, to drive a coin up one
sleeve, round the back of your neck, and down the other sleeve,
into your right hand.
I not only consider such amplifications of a trick lively and
interesting, bnt I maintain this to be the best way of employing"
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53
mary secondary and short tricks wherever they can be brought
in appropriately as offshoots of longer and more important
ones.
TRICK 21.-The invisible hen : a very useful trick for
supplying eggs for breakfast or dinner.
PREPARATION.
In order to save the invisible hen trouble and delay, it will be
advisable to have eight or ten egg-shells, (as described in Trick
3;) or some light imitation eggs, painted white, may be bought
Fig. 20.
x
2
=
A
B
A
B
C
D
Position 1.
Position 2.
1
at any depot of conjuring apparatus. A linen or camlet bag
may also be procured from the same depot, though I think a bag"
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
made at home, according to the following directions, to be pref-
erable.
It must be about the size of a small pillow, two feet three
inches across, and one foot nine inches deep. It has one of its
sides of double cloth, (x,) the other single, (z,) in the same way
as leather writing-cases have a pocket on one side, and a single
cover on the other. The double side is stitched together all
round, with the exception of an opening at A, which must be
about five inches long, or large enough to admit easily a hand to
put in or take out the eggs. This double side of the bag must
always be kept towards the performer, whereas the single side
must be always kept towards the spectators; and the only open-
ing between these two sides is between C and D. On the inte-
rior of the side of the double cloth bag, a strip or kind of frill
of the same cloth must be sewn, with an elastic binding round
the pockets or cups for eggs. The elastic binding will keep them
in these pockets, unless they are pressed by the thumb or fin-
ger, so as to release them and let them fall into the centre of the
double bag. The strip has the appearanco of a string of in-
verted egg-cups, thus :
Fig. 21.
The position of it in the bag is indicated in Fig. 21 by the
dots running across the bag ; but the strip itself is never seen
by the spectators, for it is placed on the inner side of the double,
bag, which is always towards the performer.
Having carefully prepared the abovo apparatus, commence the
exhibition of the trick by holding up the bag by the corners
a
and D, as represented in Fig. 21. Shake tho bag well while so
-
holding it, showing it to be (apparently) empty.
After having thus exhibited the bag, thrust both your hands
down inside it to the corners A and B. Holding those corners,
pull the bag inside out, and again show it to be empty, in this
reversed position, represented in Fig. 21.
As the spectators have now seen it thoroughly, inside and out-1
side, you may put the question to them, ""whether they admit
it to be empty, as they ought to know.'
While holding tho bag by tho samo corners A and B, you
must now gather tho bag a little closer together, and holding it
well up-see Fig. 1-press with your thumb ono of the eggs out
of its elastic cup. This can be easily donc without any one ob-
serving the movement. This egg, with a little gentle shaking,"
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55
will fall into the large bag made by the double side; but it can-
not fall to the ground, however much you shake it, for there is
no opening but at A, and that is upwards towards your right
hand, so you may shake the bag boldly.
You next lower the bag a little, and spread it on your chest,
letting it rest there while you move your hands from A and B
to take hold of the corners C and D; and you must give an
Fig. 22.
Position 3.
Position 4.
opening for what had hitherto been the higher part of the bag,
to drop throngh between the opening that there is between C
and D. This will keep the double side of the bag (x) still to-
wards yourself, and the bag will now be returned to its original
position (Fig. 21.) With your left hand retaining hold of the
corner D, and lowering the bag towards your right hand, shako
well the bosened egs down towards the corner A. Search with
your right hand abont that corner, and the opening of the double
bag, and you will be able to bring out the egg that had been
loosened while the bag was in position 3."
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THE PRACTICAL MAGICIAN.
Take out that egg ; shake the bag well, as if it were quits
empty : and then, thrusting both your hands into tho interior
corners at A and B, turn the bag inside out; bring it to position
2, ready to re-commence bringing out the other eggs one by one,
as long as the spectators are interested. While you hold tho bag
in position 2, you can safely let any young person feel to the
bottom of the bag, as he will not be likely to suspect the eggs
are towards the top of the bag on tho side near to yourself.
The same bag may be used also much to the amusement of
children, by your loading it with walnuts, chesnuts, small ap-
ples, or pears, or any bon-bon of about the size of an eggi and
then allowing the children, one by one, to feel in your lucky bag
for what you take care they shall find in their successive
searches.
A SERIES OF TRICKS, 22, 23, 24.-The chief agent
being a plain gold ring.
PREPARATION.
You must be provided with a small thin wire pointed at both
ends, which, being bent round, will resemble an ordinary plain
gold ring.
You must also have on your table an orange or a lemon, a box
or bowl, a tumbler, and a dessert-knife.
And you must have four or five needlefuls of thick cotton,
which have becn previously steeped for about an hour in a wine-
glass of water, with a teaspoonful of salt in it; and have been
afterwards completely dried, so as to burn easily.
TRICK 22.
Having the fictitious ring in the palm of your hand, com-
mence by requesting any lady present to oblige you by lending
you a plain gold ring, and borrow also from some gentleman a
colored silk handkerchief. Appear to place the borrowed ring in
that handkerchief, but in reality place in it the rounded ficti-
tious ring. Doubling tho centre of the handkerchief round it,
request some gentleman to hold it, so as to be sure he has got
the ring in the handkerchief-while you fetch a slight cord to
fasten it. While going to your table to fetch this cord, you slip
the real ring into a slit in the orange which you had prepared,
and which closes readily over it. You then tie the cord round
the handkerchief, about two inches from the ring, and. calling"
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57
the spectators to notice how it is secured, take hold of that part
of the handkerchief which incloses the fictitious ring in your
own hand, and tell the gentleman to place one by one the four
corners of the handkerchief over your hand. Directly he has
begun to do this, your fingers must proceed to unbend and open
the fictitious ring, and to press it by its pointed end through the
silk, and conceal it in your own palm. You tell your assistant
to blow upon the handkerchief and open it-the ring is gone,
and you return the handkerchief to the owner. Fetch the or-
ange from your table, and ask some one to cut it open, and he
will find the lady's ring in the centre of the orange.
TRICK 23.
You are now to proceed immediately to the next development
of the mysterious powers of the plain ring, which ladies so much
admire. You may commence by remarking that ""you have lit-
tle doubt that this symbol of love and obedience will at your
command pass through the table, solid as it is. Let us try.""
Place the tumbler on the table-produce your own silk hand-
kerchief, to the centre of which a plain ring is already fastened
by a doubled silk thread of about 4 inches length.
Use Pass 1 with the real ring, as if passing it into the hand-
kerchief: conceal that ring, and substitute for it the fictitious
ring.
Then addressing the spectators, say :
1
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will drop this ring into the
glass, so as you shall hear it fall.' Do so. Let the handker-
chief rest over the glass for a minuto or two. ""Now I must
place this bowl under the table to receive the ring."" In so plac-
ing the bowl, you must silently place the real ring in it. Then
say alond, ""Change, ring; pass from the glass through the ta-
ble into the bowl below.) Lift up the handkerchief, and while
inviting one or two to come and examine the glass and the bowl,
smooth your forehead with the handkerchief as if heated, and
pass it into your pocket. Your young friends will be astonished
to find the ring not in the glass, where they heard it tinkle, but
in the bowl underneath the table.
TRICK 24.
Now, ring, you have amused us so well, that you shall, like
Mahomet, be sustained in the air without visible support.
Place over a common walking-stick some of your prepared"
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cotton threads, having twisted two or three of them together,
and united them in a loop, which you draw through the ring, and
then slip the ring through the end of the loop. The ring will
then hang suspended about a foot below the stick. The stick
itself may be steadily fixed, resting on the back of two chairs at
an elevation, so as to be easily seen by the company.
When the ring has been thus suspended, set fire to the cotton
about two inches above the ring; the flame will run upwards to-
wards the stick; blow it out when about two inches from the
stick, and the ring will remain pendulous in the air for some lit-
tle time after the cotton has been burnt.
The suspension is said to be caused by a filament, or fine thread
of glass-which has been formed by the ashes of the cotton uni-
ting with the heated salt, with which the cotton had been pre-
pared.
Now this trick would be too simple an experiment to be exhib-
ited by itself; but coming as a finish to two other tricks, which
have been performed with the same ring, the spectators
Will give it honor due.
I trust that I have satisfactorily established the assertion that
a combination of congenial tricks will often tell more effectively
than the same tricks would if exhibited without such combi-
nation,
-"
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59
CHAPTER VII.
FRIENDLY SUGGESTIONS.
As
the amateur will aspire to come before his parlor audience
some cat or other, it may be some little service and hclp
to him to give ufew suggestions as to the best way of conducting
such an exhicition, and to specify the kind of tricks to which he
will do well to rimit himself. It will be desirable to open with
an off-hand exression of his wish to place before them a few
amusing tricks to wile away an hour ; and let him assume a
lively air, for his own liveliness will sustain that of the specta-
tors.
There are some conjurors who, though they can perform good
tricks, exhibit them in such a heavy, uninteresting way that they
create no enthusiasm. An over-anxious look, coupled with a
creeping, fearful movement, and a dull, monotonous voice, will
suggest distrust and dissatisfaction, even where the sudience has
come together prepossessed with the expectation of mirth and
glee. Let none assume, then, to wave the conjuror's wand till
ho has himself some confidence in his powers, knows what he
purposes to do, and means to carry it out. I would say that a
moderate degree of assumption, a gay vivacity, ready to break
out into a smile, a cheerful spirit, and a joyous voice, will go a
great way to bespeak favor, which the performer can quickly re-
pay by dashing off his tricks with enthusiasm. The language
used by the conjuror should be studiously guarded. Let there
be no vain-glorious assertions, no self-praise, but respectful def-
erence to the judgment of the spectators ; rather inclining to
give them the credit of understanding more than they do, than
twitting them with understanding less. Be neither overbearing
with conceited ""chaff"" upon any of the company ; nor, on the"
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other hand, venture upon extreme and disconcerting compli-
ments to any person present. Rather, as a courteous master of
the ceremonies, conduct the experiments with a simple effort to
please and to amuse all. With the exhibition of an amateur,
the performance of some lively airs upon the piano by any friend
-
will form an agreeable accompaniment, especially if the spirited
and humorous melodies are introduced, which the public tasto
recognizes as the tunes of the day. You will do well to have
your table neatly and carefully arranged. Let it not lie too near
to the spectators, nor within reach of too minute inspection.
It should be of sufficient height to show the main objects placed
on it; but the surface of it may be just high enongh to be shel-
tered from the spectators clearly viewing every article upon it.
The ornaments should be few, yet, at the same time, be service-
able to shade a few articles which it may be policy to conceal.
1. The centre table may be a moderate-sized kitchen table,
with a drawer to stand open ; so that the performer can take any
article out of the drawer with one hand, while engaging the eyes
of the spectators with his other hand. A colored cloth should
be over the tables, on the side towards the spectators.
2. Two small tables, at the sídes of the centre table, may also
be useful, as in Fig. 22.
rG. 22.,
3. With tables arranged somewhat in this manner, the ama-
teur will be able to take up articles, from either the surface or
back of the tables, without attracting notice to his doing so.
He must practise taking up things with one hand, while his other
hand and his eyes are ostensibly occupied with some other ob-
ject; for if the spectators see him looking behind his table, their
eyes will immediately follow in the same direction,
4"
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61
The amateur will do well to select the simpler tricks for his
first attempts, and never pretend to exhibit even those withont
having frequently and diligently practised them. He must mako
up his resolution to train his hands to the passes, and to the
several manœuvres in the tricks, as diligently as young ladies
train their fingers to the keys of the piano.
And let them not be discouraged if they feel awkward and
nervous at first. Some of the best conjurors have candidly con-
fessed their early failings and misgivings With practice and
perseverance this will, in most cases, wear off. I would angur
that, if they feel an interest in the art, and a desire to excel in
it, they will most probably secure a measure of success that will
amply repay their efforts.
TRICK 25.-Thc Conjuror's ""Bonus Genius,"" or Familiar
Messenger.
This is an old trick that has delighted thousands, and may
amuse thousands more, if adroitly performed. There are only
the simplest mechanical arrangements connected with it ; its
successful exhibition depends upon the dexterity and vivacity of
the performer.
PREPARATION.
You must have a strong wooden doll, about eight or ten inches
high the head must fix on or off by a peg at the bottom of the
throat, being placed in a hole made at the too of the bust. Bo-
sides a close-fitting dress to its body, a large, loose, fantastic
cloak must be placed round the whole figure, but must be so ar-
ranged as to allow the head to be pushed down throngh the part
of the cloak that covers the bust, and an elastic pocket must be
neatly made inside the cloak to receive and retain the head.
Having the above apparatus ready, you may commence by
saying:
"" Allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce my learned
friend and assistant-indefatigable in traveling to the most dis-
tant parts on any message I may wish to send him. He used to
be recognized by early conjurors as their Bonus Genius-their
good familiar spirit. But, whatever his special title, he is gifted
with the art of rendering himself visible or invisible, as he feels
disposed, while he travels to distant countries.
Allow me to call your attention to the solid frame and un-
flinching nerves, at any.rate to the vell-seasoned constitution of
my friend. [Rap him loudly, rap, lap, rap, on the table. The
raps he received during his education doubtless accustomed him
to bear much without flinching. Though his travels have ranged"
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from China to Peru, from the Equator to the Poles, you per-
ceive he still sounds like a hardy Pole himself. (Rap, rap,
rap.)
""I perceive, however, by the glaring of his eye, that, after
my too rough handling, he is desirous of starting on his travels.
I suppose we must provide him with the needful for his ex-
penses.
Large sums are given now-a-days to special corre-
spondents in foreign countries; who will kindly give him suffi-
cient? He will want a golden or silver key to open some curi-
osities he may wish to inspect in foreign cities. (Pause.) Oh.
well, as there is a delay about it, I must myself supply him. I
think I have a few disposable coins in my pocket : he shall havo
them.""
Suiting the action to the word, while your left hand holds the
upper part of the cloak near the neck, EO as to cover what you
are doing, you withdraw the wooden body with your right hand,
while you move your right hand down to your+pocket for the
coins. You then leave the body of the doll in your pocket, and
taking out the coins, present them to the head and cloak of the
figure, which is held in your left hand, saying: ""There, my
good friend, you can now, if you wish, proceed on your tour to
Algiers, or Dahomey, or Timbuctoo, or wherever the universal
Yankee travelers fancy at the present to resort.
"" Ah, I see he is pleased and in good spirits again. He
wishes apparently to bid you good-bye. You will excuse his
looking also round about him, to judge whether the weather is
fair to set ont; after which I will lay my hand on his head to ex-
press my good wishes for his journey. I dare say he will not
stay much longer after that than a schoolboy does after his mas-
ter has bid him good-bye.""
Place with formal ceremony your hand on his head, press it
down through the opening below it, receive it in your left hand
underneath the cloak, and bestow it safely in the pocket.
Affect astonishment at finding the gown alone left in your
hands, and fold it up with a lamentation at his departure. You
may say : ""It is clear that he has chosen to go to a hot climate,
as ho has left his cloak behind him.'
Discourse for a few minutes about sending a telegram to over-
take him at London or San Francisco-talk about the sea-pas-
sage, railways, tunnels, and what not.
""Ah, but I need none of these if I wish him back. I can
summon him again by a few mystic wavings of my wand and by
secret art. Hey, my friend, I need thy presence ; quick, re-
turn, I pray you. I wish to see you again in your familiar
garb-
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something ghostly hither comes.'"
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63
Swell out the cloak with your left hand, and at tho same timo
thrust up the head from the pocket. It will appear as if the
whole figure stood before them.
Then say : ""I fear, dear friend, I have trespassed by abridging
your tour. You can hardly have traversed Algeria, crossed the
mountains of the moon, or found the birthplace of the Nile; and
no one returns now-a-days without some such marvel to relate.
I will let you depart again. As some people say to troublesomo
visitors 'You may depart now ; please to call again to-mor-
row.''
Repeat the manoeuvre, as before, of secreting the head. Then
exclaim : ""Alas! he is gone in earnest, like the sojourner of a
day (with mock pathos.) When we havo lost him, we feel our
loneliness.""
Fold up sorrowfully the cloak of the departed, and so conclude
the trick.
TRICK 26.-The Shower of Money.
A dozen silver coins, or pennies, will be equally useful in ex-
hibiting this trick ; but some fictitious coin, in color rosembling
gold, will perhaps more effectively delight those who are charmed
by the yellow glitter of the precious metal. The performer must
have provided himself with so many of these in his left hand as
he purposes to produce at the end of the trick, and two of the
same coin also must be concealed in his right palm. He must
further borrow a hat from one of the company.
The imagination of the spectators having been excited by tho
expectation of beholding a shower of money, the adept in sleight-
of-hand, keeping one of the two coins in his right hand con-
cealed, must advance the other còin to the end of his forefinger
and thumb, while he pretends to pick a coin out of the candle,
or of the rim of a hat, or from a lady's fan or shoulder, or may
pretend to clutch a coin floating in the air. As he brings away
his prize, ho may rattle it against the other coin concealed in his
right hand. Then, making Pass 1, he may pretend to pass it
into the hat, being careful precisely at the same moment to drop,
audibly, a coin from his left hand into the hat which he holds in
that hand. Let him tell the audience to keep count how many
he collects: it will rather distract their attention.
IIo can continuo this pleasant appearance of acquiring wealth
for ten minutes, or aslong as ho can deviso various methods of
appearing to clutch it, till tho number with which he stored his
left hand is exhausted.
Ho may then request some one to count out, audibly, into a"
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plate the coins collected in the hat, which will coincide with the
number he has appeared to collect so magically from various
sources. When adroitly done, this trick is very pleasing and ef-
fective.
TRICK 27.-To Furnish Ladies With a Magic Supply of
Tea or Coffee, at their selection, From One and the
Same Jug.
PREPARATION.
Havc a metal jug to hold not less than three pints. It must
be constructed with two compartments in the lower part of it,
holding about a pint and a quarter each, and these must each
have a pipe connected with the spout of the jug and another
pipe connecting with its handle, and in the handle a small hole
about the size of a letter-o-ir this print. These lower com-
partments must be filled with good tea and coffee before the jug
is produced.
The upper chamber or compartment, like the upper portion of
a patent coffee-pot, must have no communication with the lower
divisions, and must be well closed also at the top with a tin cov-
er, closely fitting. Have half a dozen small tea-cups and half a
dozen small coffee-cups ready on a tray.
Begin the trick by placing openly in the upper compartment
coffee-berries and tea, mixing them together. Take up, as a
sudden thought, an old blacking bottle, and pretend to pour
from it into the jug, to furnish highly-colored liquid to improvo
the coffee; and a little gunpowder, about a teaspoonful, may bo
fired off over the mixture to make the tea strong. Wavo your
wand over the jug.
Then you may address the ladies : inform them that the ingre-
dients are well mixed, and invite them to name which they will
prefer, ""tea or coffee,"" as you can produce either at their com-
mand from the same jng.
Get some friend to hand the cups, while you follow him, and,
by unstopping the holes in the handle for admitting air upon the
coffec or tea, the one of them that each lady names will flow out
from the spout of this magic jug.
TRICK 28.-A Pleasing Exhibition for both the Per-
former and the Audience) to view when they feel a
little. Exhausted.
PREPARATION.
Have two pint bottles and one quart bottle; the pint bottles"
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65
to be filled, one with a liquid resembling port, the other with
one resembling sherry ; the large bottle to be at first empty.
Three opaque metal stands-the centre one to stand under the
quart bottle, to have a large cavity to hold a quart, and the up-
per part of this stand to be full of large holes, like a cullender,
for the liquor to run from the opening at H into that cavity.
Fig. 24.
You must also have three metal covers, of proper size to cover
the above three bottles-these covers to have handles at top, so
as to be easily lifted. The large centre cover is simply a cover
but the two side ones, which are to cover the pint bottles, must
be made with metal cavities large enongh to hold, one a pint of
port, the other a pint of sherry, at top, with a descending pipe
to fall into the mouths of the pint bottles.
There mnst be a small hole at top of each of the small covers,
at B and C, which hole, being covered with tinfoil, will, as long
Fig. 25.
B
D
D
as it i3 closed, prevent the wine from running out at D. But
when the tinfoil is scraped off, and the hole admits the air, tho
wine will then be able to run into the pint bottles.
The above apparatus being all ready, commence by saying :
""I will nuw pour this pint of port and this pint of sherry into
the large bottle, mixing them inseparably together."" Having"
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done so, remove the stopper at bottom of the large bottle as you
place it on its stand, and immediately place the large cover over
it. The mixed liquid will gradually run out into the concealed
cavity in the stand.
You must now talk a little magic nonsense, to draw off the at-
tention, while you place the special covers over each of the
small bottles, so that the descending pipes in the covers fit in
the necks of the bottles. Remove the tinfoil with which you
had covered the holes at A and B.
With a few magic waves of your wand, and words of art, say :
""I shall now cause the mixed liquids in the centre bottle to ap-
pear severally in their own original bottles."" Let the covers re,
main a few seconds. Clap your hands. saying: ""Change, be-
gone !"" Lift the centre cover : the large bottle will be seen to
be empty. Lift successively the covers from the small bottles :
they will be seen to have each their proper wine-one port, the
other sherry.
TRICK 29.-To Furnish a Treat to the Gentlemen.
For this th 3 magic bottle must be procured. One with three
or four compartments is amply sufficient. In these placo gin,
sherry, and port wine, respectively. The bottle will have three
or four holes, on which you place your fingers as if stopping the
holes of a flute. You may have a bucket of water and a com-
mon bottle, resembling the magic one in size and appearance,
near your table. Havo ready also a tray of wine-glasses of thick
glass, and holding only a very small quantity.
Exhibit the common lottle to the audience, and then place it
on your table, and direct attention to somo of the other articles
on your table. ""Now I must begin my experiment. I will
wash and drain my bottle, that you may scc the experiment from
the beginning to the end."" Place it in the bucket, and while
shaking it about, and letting the water run out, exchange it for
the magic bottle lying by the bucket. Wipe that carefully with
a napkin, as if drying it, and calling two or three of the audi-
ence forward at a time, inquire which they prefer. Have the
stops according to alphabetical order to prevent your mistaking
-gin, port, sherry. Continue supplying the small glasses ase
called for, till your bottle gets nearly empty, and then pour them
out indiscriminately. Thero will havo been sufficient to satisfy
the most enger.
But if you wish to continue the trick, you may have a second
magic botile prepared in the same way, and you will casily, whilo
propounding some magic charm and gesticulating, make some
pretence that will enable you to exchange the empty for the seo-
ond bottle, and so proceed."