Needles and Pins Made to Float.
Take an ordinary pin, thoroughly dry. This is an object which water can moisten, but less easily than glass. If, by some means or other, you can manage to lay it on the water without wetting it, you will see the water take a convex shape on either side of the pin, and this latter, displacing a proportionate body of water, will float on the surface, just as a lucifer match would do. The same experiment may be performed with a needle, and it must not be supposed that a very fine needle or pin alone is suitable.
Shadows on the wall.
Hit or Miss.
Great amusement is excited by this game when played in the presence of a company of guests. Spread a sheet upon the floor and place two chairs upon it. Seat two of the party in the chairs within reach of each other and blindfold them. Give each a saucer of cracker or bread crumbs and a spoon, then request them to feed each other. The frantic efforts of each victim to reach his fellow sufferer’s mouth is truly absurd—the crumbs finding lodgment in the hair, ears and neck much oftener than the mouth. Sometimes bibs are fastened around the necks of the victims for protection.
Going Shopping.
A lively game of “talk and touch.” The company is seated in a circle, and one who understands the game commences by saying to his neighbor at the right:
“I have been shopping.”
“What did you buy?” is the required response.
“A dress,” “a book,” “some flowers,” “a pencil”—whatever the first speaker wishes, provided always that he can, in pronouncing the word, touch the object mentioned. Then the second player addresses his neighbor in similar manner, and so on around the circle until the secret of the game is discovered by all.
Whoever mentions an object without touching it, or names one that has already been given, pays a forfeit.
The Three Matches.
With your penknife slit one end of a match, and trim that of another into a wedge shape. Insert this latter into the split end of the former, so that the two shall form an acute angle. Place them on the table, the angle upward, and prop them up by leaning another match against them, the whole forming a tripod, as shown in the figure. Now hand a fourth match to one of the company, and request him to lift with it the other three from the table. Such is the problem to be resolved. All that you have to do is to insert the fourth match just inside the point of the tripod, between the two conjoined and the single match; and with it to press the two joined matches lightly outward till the third falls with its upper end on the one you hold. You lower this till the end of the single match passes within the angle formed by the juncture of the two first. If you then raise the match you hold in your hand, the three others will ride astride upon it, the single match on the one side, the two joined matches on the other. The table used should have a cloth on it, that the lower ends of the matches may not slip. Some little delicacy of handling is needful to make the single match fall just in the right position, but this once achieved, the three thus slightly supported might be carried a mile without any fear of dropping them.
To Spin a Cent Upon a Needle Point.
Bend a hair-pin as shown in our illustration. Place a cent horizontally on the right-hand hook, which should be narrow enough to clip it closely, and hang upon the left-hand hook a tolerably heavy finger-ring (or two, if one is found insufficient). Place the free edge of the coin on some upright point (that of a lady’s bonnet-pin, for example), and you will find that the combination can be made to balance itself. Furthermore, by gently blowing upon the ring, you can set the apparatus revolving rapidly, without any disturbance to its equilibrium.
If you spin the cent upon a very sharp steel needle, you will find that the needle will at length work its way completely through the coin. You may therefore, if you please, propound your puzzle in this rather striking form—How to bore a hole through a cent by merely blowing upon it.
Counting Apple-seeds.
This rhyme, formerly used in England, remains unchanged, except the omission of the last three lines. Apples were an essential part of every entertainment in the country. The apple, having been properly named for a person, with a pressure of the finger, was divided, to decide the fate of the person concerned according to its number of seeds.
Spin the Plate.
A tin pie-plate is set spinning in the middle of the floor; someone is called from the party, who must catch the plate before it stops, or pay a forfeit.
Lighting the Candle.
This feat is a very amusing one and is performed as follows: Two persons kneel on the ground, facing each other. Each holds in his left hand a candle in a candlestick, at the same time grasping his right foot in his right hand. This position compels him to balance himself on his left knee. One of the candles is lighted; the other is not. The holders are required to light the unlighted candle from the lighted one. The conditions are simple enough, but one would hardly believe how often the performers will roll over on the floor before they succeed in lighting the candle. It will be found desirable to spread a newspaper on the floor between the combatants. Many spots of candle-grease will thus be intercepted, and the peace of mind of the lady of the house proportionately spared.
A Problem in Gymnastics.
Place a low stool on the floor, close against the wall, and yourself facing the wall, with your feet distant from it just double the width of the stool. Stoop down and grasp the stool with one hand on either side, and rest your head against the wall. Now lift the stool from the floor, and slowly raise yourself to the erect position—or rather, endeavor to do so. It is better to try the experiment for the first time on a well-carpeted floor. On polished oak or parqueterie you would probably have a bad fall. We have here a curious effect of the displacement of the centre of gravity of the body, which renders it almost impossible to stand upright without first replacing the stool on the ground, and resting the hand upon it to get the needful support.
Redeeming Forfeits.
The girl who is to name the penalty by which the forfeit must be redeemed lays her face on the lap of another who sits on a chair, while a third, standing behind, holds the article over her head and asks:
“Here is a forfeit, a very fine forfeit; what shall be done to redeem it?”
“Is it fine or superfine?” (i. e., does it belong to a gentleman or to a lady.)
The sentence is then declared.
Another formula, used in the Middle and Southern States, is: “Heavy, heavy, what hangs over you?”
The German usage is nearly the same, the question being: “Judge, what is your sentence, what shall he do whose pledge I have in my hand?” Any proper penalty may be named.
The Game of Location.
Sides are chosen and the opposing parties stand in separate lines as for a spelling match. No. 1 of one side mentions the name of some city or town in any part of the globe, and No. 1 of the other side must locate it before his opponent has finished counting ten or twenty, as may be agreed. He then, in turn, names a city which No. 2 on the other side must locate. If anyone fails to give the correct location before the expiration of the ten counts, a member from the side he represents is chosen by the other.
The Game of Clumps.
Sides are chosen, and a representative from each side goes from the room. After choosing the object to be guessed, they return, each going to his opponent’s side, where he is asked questions to be answered by “yes” or “no,” concerning the object selected. The side which first guesses correctly has the privilege of choosing a member from the opposing side. Then the successful guesser of one party and the player who has been most nearly successful on the other go from the room and choose a new subject. The two parties must be separated by some distance and the questioning carried on in a low voice, so that nothing said by one side can be heard by the other. An illustration:
For instance, the object chosen is the thumb on the right hand of the Washington Monument.
Question. “Does it belong to the animal kingdom?”
Answer. “No.”
Q. “To the mineral kingdom?”
A. “Yes.”
Q. “Is it in existence now?”
A. “Yes.”
Q. “Is it in this country?”
A. “Yes,” and so on until a successful termination of the guessing is reached.
Ant and Cricket.
One of the company being appointed to represent the Cricket, seats himself in the midst of the other players, who are the Ants, and writes upon a piece of paper the name of a certain grain, whatever kind he pleases. He then addresses the first Ant: “My dear neighbor, I am very hungry, and have come to you for aid. What will you give me?” “A grain of rice, a kernel of corn, a worm,” etc., replies the Ant, as he sees fit. The Cricket asks each in turn, and if one of them announces as his gift the word already written upon the paper, the Cricket declares himself satisfied and changes places with the Ant.
If the desired word is not spoken, however, the same cricket keeps his place, scorning each article of food as it is suggested to him. In either case the form of the question changes, and the supplicant says: “My hunger is appeased and now I wish to dance. What dance do you advise?” He therefore writes the name of a dance upon his paper and the Ants advise in turn—“A polka, a fandango, a minuet,” etc. The third Cricket declares himself unable to dance without music, and requests that a suitable instrument be recommended. “A lyre, a kazoo, a mandolin,” etc., say the Ants.
The fourth Cricket, tired of dancing, wishes to rest, and asks upon what he shall take his repose. “A rose-leaf, the moss, the heart of a lily,” are all suggested, but unless the name he has previously written upon his paper is mentioned, he expresses himself dissatisfied.
The fifth and last Cricket confesses fear lest while sleeping he shall be devoured by a bird, but requests advice concerning the choice of a destroyer. “A lark, a turtle-dove, a pigeon,” are thereupon mentioned by the Ants.
By carefully selecting the most uncommon names for replies, the same Cricket may be kept through the entire set of questions. If the word written upon his paper, however, is mentioned in any case, he must show it to the unfortunate Ant, to whom he surrenders his place.
Gussing Characters.
One of the party leaves the room while the others decide upon some character, real or fictitious. The absentee is then recalled, and each in turn asks him a question referring to the character he has been elected to represent. When he guesses his identity the player whose question has thrown the most light upon the subject has to go from the room.
For example: A goes from the room and the company decides that he shall represent King Henry VIII. When he enters, No. 1 asks: “Which one of your wives did you love best?” No. 2 says: “Do you approve of a man’s marrying his deceased brother’s wife?” No. 3 adds: “Were you very sorry your brother died?” etc., while A, after guessing various names, is led by some question to guess correctly, and the fortunate questioner is consequently sent from the room to have a new character assigned him in turn.
The Magic Candle Extinguisher.
Cut out of thin cardboard a couple of little figures, and insert in the mouth of each, fixing it, say, with sealing-wax, a piece of quill (a portion of a toothpick, for instance), through which he or she appears to be blowing. Fill each tube with sand, but leave a minute space empty at the end remote from the figure. In the cavity of the one place a few grains of gunpowder, and in the other a tiny morsel of phosphorus. The figures being thus privately prepared beforehand, you call for a lighted candle, and announce that the one figure will blow it out and the other relight it.
The moment the tube with the powder is brought near the candle, the powder will ignite, and will produce an explosion of infinitesimal proportions, but large enough to blow out the candle and cause a jet of smoke in the direction of the second figure, which you hold in the opposite hand. The heat of the smoke will cause the phosphorus to ignite, and if you hold the tube which contains it pretty close to the wick, the candle will again be lighted.
This is an experiment which should not be attempted by unskilled hands. Both gunpowder and phosphorus require to be handled with great care, but it might be possible to make, out of thin paper, little cartridges containing a minute portion of each substance, to be introduced into the tubes as occasion required. Unless the reader has some practical knowledge of laboratory work, he should not attempt this experiment.
The Broken Mirror.
The painters have given the last finishing touches to the room they have been redecorating, but before leaving they cannot resist the temptation of a joke on whoever is sent to see that all is in order. Imagine the horror of the servant-girl when she sees a great crack, perhaps half a dozen, right across the big drawing-room mirror. Meanwhile, behind her back the workmen are smiling over her discomfiture. After having sufficiently chuckled over the success of their innocent joke they offer to repair the damage, and, not to keep their victim longer in suspense, one of them takes a wet cloth and passes it over the supposed crack in the glass. Lo, a miracle! The cracks disappear under the mere touch of the damp duster, and the glass is whole again. She can hardly believe her own eyes. And yet there is no witchcraft about the matter. If you are inclined to play a similar trick, you have only to trace, with a small piece of soap, on the mirror which is to appear broken, a few fine lines in imitation of cracks. Their reflection in the glass will give them depth, and make them seem as though they extended through the thickness of the glass, while a rub with a wet flannel will make all right again.
A Parlor Zoetrope.
We have here the game of the “little horses,” so popular at Continental watering-places, brought in a simplified and innocent form within reach of everybody. Glue round the inside of the rim of a circular dish of white porcelain, a number of little cardboard figures of animals; or simply sketch thereon, with ink, similar figures or numerals, equidistant from one another. Place the dish thus furnished, in an ordinary dish of somewhat larger size, and having its centre slightly elevated—a not uncommon pattern. You will only have to give a slight impulse with the hand to the smaller plate to set it spinning within the other. Should the larger dish not be raised in the centre, you have only to pour into it a little water, enough to make the inner dish just float, and it will then revolve with great freedom, the water practically destroying all friction.
You can repeat the same figure, but with, say, the arms in different positions, so that, when the plate is set spinning, you may have depicted, in due order, the successive positions of a man raising and lowering his arms. Thus, for example, if the first figure has his arms hanging down close by his sides, the next will have them a little further from the body; the third will have them extended horizontally; the next following a little higher; and, finally, the last will have them raised above his head. Now peep, with one eye only, through a little hole made with a pin in a visiting-card or playing-card, and gaze at any given point of the circle described by the figures. When the dish is set in motion, you apparently see one figure only, but such figure seems to move like a living being, its arms appearing to take in succession the various positions which are really those of the separate figures. You may amuse yourself by thus arranging several series of such figures, their positions varied in proper succession, thus reproducing, at merely nominal expense, the scientific toy known as the Zoetrope or Praxinoscope.
A Wonderful Pin.
Take a piece of cord elastic, and through it thrust a pin bent by twisting the ends of the elastic, held vertically between the thumb and finger of each hand, and then drawing the hands apart, so as to stretch the cord, you can communicate to this latter a movement so rapid that the revolutions of the pin shall produce the shape of a glass cup. The illusion will be the more complete if the pin is itself brilliantly illuminated, while having a dark background behind it, the operator should be in a darkened room, and a single ray of sunlight from without, should fall through a hole in the shutters, upon the pin. With a little skill in manipulation one can produce, using pins bent in different ways, the semblance of the most diverse objects—say, a cheese-dish, and aquarium, a bouquet-holder, or a goblet.
Should the form of the pin tend, by reason of centrifugal force, to make it assume a horizontal position, this can be cured by securing one end of it, by means of fine white silk, to the elastic. This will usually be invisible when the pin is made to revolve as above described, and, in any case, will not affect the appearance of the figure.
Shadows on the Wall.
The exhibitor, as well as the cardboard figures, is placed behind the spectators, a position which has many advantages. Place on the table a lighted candle, and in front of it, at two or three feet distance, attach to the wall a sheet of white paper to form your “screen.” Between the light and the screen interpose some opaque body, for example, an atlas or other large book.
But under such conditions how are we to cast the shadows on the screen? Simply by the use of a mirror, placed at the side of the table. The reflection of the mirror will appear on the wall as a luminous space, oval or oblong as the case may be, and if you have placed it at the proper angle with reference to the screen, and move your cardboard shapes about cleverly between the candle and the mirror, you will forthwith see little fantastic figures projected in shadow on the screen, while the uninitiated spectator is wholly at a loss to discover how you produce them.
The Rotation of the Globe.
When you next chance to eat an egg for breakfast, do not fail to try the following experiment. It is one which always succeeds, and is productive of much amusement to the company.
Moisten slightly with water the rim of your plate, and in the centre paint with the yolk of the egg a sun with golden rays. By the aid of this simple apparatus you will be in a position to illustrate, so clearly that a child can comprehend it, the double movement of the earth, which revolves simultaneously round the sun and on its own axis.
All that you have to do is to place the empty half-shell of your egg on the rim of the plate, and keeping this latter duly sloped, by a slight movement of the wrist as may be needful, you will see the egg-shell begin to revolve rapidly on its own axis, at the same time traveling round the plate. It is hardly necessary to remark that the egg-shell will not travel uphill, and the plate must therefore be gradually shifted round, as well as sloped, so that the shell may always have an inch or two of descending plane before it.
The slight cohesion caused by the water which moistens the plate counteracts the centrifugal force, and so prevents the egg-shell falling off the edge of the plate.
Through the Water Dry.
Into a basin full of water, throw a coin, or ring, or other suitable object, and announce that you will take it out of the basin without wetting your hand. All that is needed to effect this is to dust the surface of the water with some form of powder having no cohesion with water, and which, consequently, water does not moisten. Powdered lycopodium, to be procured of any chemist, has this property.
Having sprinkled a little of this powder on the surface of the liquid, plunge your hand boldly to the bottom, pick up the ring, and show the company that your hand is as dry as it was before the operation. This comes of the fact that the lycopodium has formed over your hand a regular glove, to which the liquid cannot adhere any more than it can to the plumage of the ducks, which we see plunge and plunge again, and still come up dry as ever, by reason of the oily matter secreted by their feathers.
Those who may care to carry the experiment further may try it with hot water, increasing the temperature at each attempt, when they will find that it is possible, with the aid of the lycopodium, to lift an article out of a kettle of all but boiling water. The sensation of heat is not destroyed, but it causes no injury to the tissues—in other words, no scald.
Hanging Without a Cord.
Soak a thread in strong salt and water; dry thoroughly, and repeat this two or three times. This must be done privately beforehand. When you bring forward the thread thus prepared, the spectators have no reason to suppose that it is other than the ordinary article.
Use this thread to suspend a ring, choosing as light a one as possible. Set fire to the thread, which will burn from end to end, but the spectators will be surprised to see that the ring does not fall, being supported by the ash resulting from the combustion. In reality, the fibrous particles of the thread have been destroyed, but there remains a tiny filament of salt, strong enough, if there is no draught in the room, to support the weight of the ring.
This experiment may be varied in this manner:
Attach four pieces of thread to the four corners of a little piece of muslin, so as to form a miniature hammock. Soak the whole in salt water; then dry it, and repeat the operation three or four times. When the threads and the muslin are thoroughly saturated with salt and perfectly dry, place a blown egg in the little hammock, suspended as shown in the figure. Set fire to the hammock, which will burn freely enough, as also the fine threads, but if the experiment has been properly carried out, the egg will remain suspended, to the astonishment of all who behold it.
The Magic Scorpion.
Place on the surface of the water in a glass or basin a number of small pieces of camphor of various sizes, together representing the form of some animal, say a scorpion. After a little while the scorpion will begin to stir in the water; you will see him move his claws, as though trying to swim, and curl his tail convulsively, as if in pain.
This amusing experiment is easy to perform, and costs practically nothing, for camphor is to be found in every household; but in spite of its simplicity we may deduce from it, as you will see, several interesting observations.
1. Our scorpion floats on the water, but lies almost entirely below the surface. This proves to us that the specific gravity of camphor is nearly, but not quite, equal to that of water.
2. The animal does not dissolve. Camphor is therefore insoluble in water.
3. The different fragments of which our scorpion consists do not separate, but remain one against the other as we originally placed them. This is because they are held together by the force known as cohesion.
4. Lastly, the eccentric movements we have mentioned depend on a well-ascertained but mysterious property of camphor, viz., that when placed on the surface of the water, it moves spontaneously. It is a well-known fact that a morsel of camphor placed in a glass of water will, after a few moments, begin to move either with a sidelong or rotary movement; such movement being due, according to some authorities, to the recoil produced by an escape of liberated gases; according to others, to a mysterious force inherent in the surface of liquids, and known as superficial tension.
Amusing the Children.
A clever way to amuse a party of children is to invite them to a peanut party. Tiny cards of invitation are sent out, on each of which two half peanut shells are fastened. A large quantity of the nuts are hidden about the house, and when the young folks arrive they are told to hunt them. They who find the most and least of them receive prizes.
Another is a soap bubble party. The invitations for this should have a pen and ink sketch of a pipe and bubble. Provide plenty of clay pipes, with the name of a guest written on each, and make the soapsuds with the addition of glycerine to make the bubbles strong and tough. For the prizes for the most successful bubble blower, a fancy pipe is suitable. It can be made by gilding the handle and outside of the bowl of a clay pipe and painting the inside of the bowl in water colors. A bow of baby ribbon to match the paint improves it. For the booby prize a little pipe can be made from a match and half an acorn shell.
A penny party furnishes amusement for an evening. With the invitations is sent a request for each guest to bring a penny, not for an admission fee, but for use. For each guest there are provided two cards and a pencil; one card is blank; the other has a list of the things to be found on a penny. The list is numbered, and each person is expected to name as many as he can, prizes being awarded for the best and poorest list. Find—1. Top of hill. 2. Place of worship. 3. An animal. 4. A fruit. 5. A common fruit. 6. Links between absent friends. 7. Union of youth and old age. 8. A vegetable. 9. Flowers. 10. What we fight for. 11. A metal. 12. A messenger. 13. A weapon of defence. 14. A weapon of warfare. 15. A body of water. 16. A beverage. 17. What young ladies want. 18. The most popular State. 19. What men work for. 20. Sign of royalty. 21. A jolly dog. The answers are—1. Brow. 2. Temple. 3. Hare (hair). 4. Date. 5. Apple. 6. Letters. 7. 1894 (the date of the penny). 8. Ear. 9. Tulips (two lips). 10. Liberty. 11. Copper. 12. One sent (cent). 13. Shield. 14. Arrow. 15. Sea (c). 16. Tea (t). 17. Beau (bow). 18. United States (matrimony). 19. Money. 20. Crown. 21. A merry cur (America). Usually a half hour is allowed for filling out the blank cards, and after that some time for correcting the lists and awarding prizes.
It is often hard to find games for evening amusements that will amuse all. Some are so noisy that the sensitive cannot enjoy them, but the following will instruct as well as amuse: One is to transpose the misplaced letters of words, usually the name of a city. To prepare for the game make a large quantity of small cards from pasteboards, about an inch and a half square. Paste a large letter on each one, cut from a newspaper or advertisement, having several for each letter of the alphabet. Give to each the letters necessary to spell a word and let him study it out. Thus the letters ilisyantp can be made to spell Ypsilanti, or stoonb Boston.
Another game which is quite entertaining is called a pronunciation match. Any number can play. One is elected as leader. At first he will call out a letter, as a, and each person must think quickly while he counts five, and be ready to tell the name of a city in the State agreed upon before the contest begins. For instance, the leader, while he counts five, points to one of the company who must give the name of a city beginning with the letter A, B or C, as the leader may announce. When one answer has been given, he quickly counts again, and points to another person until some one fails to respond, when he is declared leader and also pays a forfeit. It is very amusing and teaches people to think quickly and keep their wits about them.