SLEIGHT OF HAND.
To Balance an Egg.
Lay a looking glass upon an even table; take a fresh egg, and shake it for some time, so that the yolk may be broken and mixed up with the white. You may then balance it on its point, and make it stand on the glass. This it would be impossible to do if the egg was in its natural state.
The Juggler’s Lunch.
Pare some large apples that are rather of a yellow tint; cut several pieces out of them in the shape of a candle-end, round, of course, at the bottom, and square at the top; in fact, as much as possible like a candle that has burnt down within an inch or so. Then, cut some slips out of the insides of sweet almonds, fashion them as much in the shape of spermaceti wicks as you can, stick them into your mock candles, light them for an instant, so as to make their tops black, blow them out again, and they are ready for use. When you produce them, light them (the almond will readily take fire, and flame for a few moments), put them into your mouth, chew and swallow them one after another.
Ring and Ribbon.
Select two pieces of ribbon, alike in length, breadth, and color; double each separately, so that the ends meet; then tie them together neatly, with a bit of silk of their own color, by the middle, or crease made in doubling them. This must all be done in advance. When you are going to exhibit this trick, pass some rings on the doubled ribbons, and give the two ends of one ribbon to one person to hold, and the two ends of the other to another. Do not let them pull hard, or the silk will break, and your trick be discovered by the rings falling on the ground, on account of the separation of the ribbons. Request the two persons to approach each other, and take one end from each of them, and without their perceiving it, return to each of them the end which the other had previously held. By now giving the rings, which appeared strung on the ribbon, a slight pull, you may break the silk, and they will fall into your hand.
The Changing Ball Trick.
Take a ball in each hand, and stretch your hands as far as you can, one from the other; then state that you will contrive to make both the balls come into either hand, without bringing the hands near each other. If any one dispute your power of doing this, you have no more to do than to lay one ball down upon the table, turn yourself, and take it up with your other hand. Thus both the balls will be in one of your hands, without their approaching each other.
A Sensitive Goblet.
To fill a glass with water, so that no one may touch it without spilling all the water. Fill a common glass or goblet with water, and place upon it a bit of paper, so as to cover the water and edge of the glass; put the palm of your hand on the paper, and taking hold of the glass with the other, suddenly invert it on a very smooth table, and gently draw out the paper; the water will remain suspended in the glass, and it will be impossible to move the glass without spilling all the water.
To Light a Candle by Smoke.
When a candle is burnt so long as to leave a tolerably large wick, blow it out; a dense smoke, which is composed of hydrogen and carbon, will immediately arise. Then, if another candle, or lighted taper, be applied to the utmost verge of this smoke, a very strange phenomenon will take place; the flame of the lighted candle will be conveyed to that just blown out, as if it were borne on a cloud, or, rather, it will seem like a mimic flash of lightning proceeding at a slow rate.
The Magic Re-illumination.
After having exhibited the trick of lighting a candle by smoke, privately put a bit of paper between your fingers, and retire to one corner of the room with a single candle, and pass the hand in which you hold the paper several times slowly over the candle until the paper takes fire; then immediately blow the candle out, and presently pass your hand over the snuff and relight it with the paper. You may then crumple the paper, at the same time extinguishing the flame, by squeezing it suddenly, without burning yourself. If this trick be performed dextrously, it is a very good one. It is not necessary for the performance of this trick that all the other lights in the room should be extinguished; in fact the trick is more liable to discovery in a dark room, than in one where the candles are burning, on account of the light thrown out by the paper while it is burning, previous to the re-illumination.
Fascinated by a Feather.
Take a bird and lay it on a table; then wave a small feather over its eyes, and it will appear as dead, but taking the feather away, it will revive again. Let it lay hold of the stem part of the feather, and it will twist and turn like a parrot; you may likewise roll it about, on the table, just as you please.
The Moving Ball.
Roll up a piece of paper, or other light substance, and privately put into it any small insect, such as a lady-bird, or beetle; then, as the creature will naturally endeavor to free itself from captivity, it will move its covering toward the edge of the table, and when it comes there, will immediately return, for fear of falling; and thus, by moving backward and forward, will excite much diversion to those who are ignorant of the cause.
The Paper Furnace.
Enclose a bullet in paper, as smoothly as possible, and suspend it above the flame of a lamp or candle; you will soon see it melt and fall, drop by drop, through a hole which it will make in the paper; but the paper, except the hole mentioned, will not be burnt. The art of performing this trick consists in using a smooth round bullet, and enclosing it in the paper with but few folds or uneven places.
Storm and Calm.
Pour water into a glass until it is nearly three parts full; then almost fill it up with oil; but be sure to leave a little space between the oil and the top of the glass. Tie a bit of string round the glass, and fasten the two ends of another piece of string to it, one on each side, so that, when you take hold of the middle of it to lift up the glass, it may be about a foot from your hand. Now swing the glass to and fro, and the oil will be smooth and unruffled, while the surface of the water beneath it will be violently agitated.
The Knotted Thread.
A good deal of amusement may be occasioned by this trick. It is most frequently performed by a lady, but the effect of it is considerably increased when it is displayed by a boy. A piece of calico, muslin, or linen, is taken in the left hand, a needle is threaded in the presence of the spectators, and the usual, or even a double or treble knot made at the extremity of one of the ends of it. The operator commences his work by drawing the needle and the thread in it quite through the linen, notwithstanding the knot, and continues to make several stitches in like manner successively. The mode of performing this seeming wonder, is as follows: a bit of thread, about a quarter of a yard long, is turned once round the top of the middle finger of the right hand, upon which a thimble is then placed to keep it secure. This must be done privately and the thread kept concealed, while a needle is threaded with a bit of thread of a similar length. The thread in the needle must have one of its ends drawn up nearly close, and be concealed between the forefinger and thumb; the other should hang down nearly as long as, and by the side of the thread, which is fastened under the thimble, so that these two may appear to be the two ends of the thread. The end of the piece that is fastened under the thimble is then knotted, and the performer begins to sew, by moving his hand quickly after he has taken up the stitch. It will appear as though he actually passed the knotted thread through the cloth.
The Imps of the Bottle.
Take three little hollow figures of glass, an inch and a half high, representing imps, which may be obtained at a glass-blowers, with a small hole in each of their legs. Submerge them in water in a glass bottle, which should be about fifteen inches high, and covered with a bladder tied over the top. A small quantity of air must be left between the bladder and the surface of the water. When you think fit to command the figures to go down, press your hand hard upon the top, and they will immediately sink; when you would have them rise to the top, take your hand away, and they will float up. By these means, you may make them dance in the middle of the glass at your pleasure.
The Bird in the Box.
Take a box made with a false lid, on which glue some bird-seed; privately put a bird into it, under the false lid; then show it, and it will seem to be full of seed. Put on the true lid, and say,—“I will command all the seed out of this box, and order a living bird to appear.” Take off the covers together, and the bird will be seen.
The Multiplying Mirror.
This must be performed with a looking-glass made on purpose; the manner of making it is this:—First, make a hoop, or fillet of wood or horn, about the size of a half-dollar in circumference, and about a quarter of an inch in thickness. In the middle, fasten a bottom of wood or brass, and bore in it several small holes, about the size of peas; then open one side of this bottom, set in a piece of crystal-glass, and fasten it in the hoop close to the bottom. Take a quantity of quicksilver, and put as much into the hoop as will cover the bottom; then let into it another piece of crystal-glass, fitted to it; cement the sides, that the quicksilver may not run out, and the apparatus is complete. One side will reflect the beholder’s face as a common looking-glass; in the other it will be multiplied according to the number of holes in the wood or brass.
The Half-dollar Upheld.
Privately cut the rim of the edge which is raised to protect the face of a half-dollar, so that a little bit of the silver may stick up; take the coin in your right hand, and by pressing it with your thumb against a door or wainscot, the bit that sticks up will enter the wood, and thus support the half-dollar.
The Bowing Beau.
Make a figure, resembling a man, of any substance, exceedingly light, such as the pith of the alder tree, which is soft, and can easily be cut into any form: then provide for it a hemispherical base, of some very heavy substance, such as the half of a leaden bullet, made very smooth on the convex part. Cement the figure to the plane part of the hemisphere; and, in whatever position it is placed, when left to itself, it will rise upright. The figure of a beau, or master of the ceremonies, is appropriate for this trick.
The Vanishing Wafers.
On each side of a table-knife, place, in the presence of your company, three wafers. Take the knife by the handle, and turn it over two or three times, to show that the wafers are all on. Desire some person to take off one wafer from one side of the blade; turn the knife two or three times again, and there will appear only two wafers on each side; remove another wafer, turn the knife as before, and there will appear only one wafer on each side; take the third wafer away, turn the knife as before twice or thrice, and there will appear to be no wafer on either side. After a momentary pause, turn the knife again two or three times, and three wafers will appear on each side.
The secret of this capital trick consists in using wafers of the same size and color, and turning the knife, so that the same side is constantly presented to the view, and the wafers are taken off that side, one by one. The three wafers will thus remain untouched on the other side, so that when you have first made it appear that there are no wafers on either side, you may, apparently, show three on each, by the same means. The way to turn the knife is as follows: when you lift it up, turn it in your hand, with your finger and thumb, completely round, until the side that was uppermost when you lifted it, comes uppermost again. This is done in an instant, and is not perceptible, if adroitly managed.
The Cut Lace Joined.
Conceal a piece of lace in your hand; then produce another piece of the same pattern; double the latter, and put the fold between your forefinger and thumb, with the piece which you have previously concealed, doubled in the same manner; pull out a little of the latter, so as to make a loop, and desire one of the company to cut it asunder. If you have conveyed the concealed piece of lace so dexterously as to be undetected, with the other between your thumb and forefinger, the spectators will, naturally enough think you have really cut the latter; which you may seem to make whole again, while repeating some conjuring words, and putting away the two ends of the piece that is actually cut.
Vanishing Dime.
Stick a little wax upon your thumb, take a bystander by the fingers, show him a dime, and tell him you will put the same into his hand; then wring it down hard with your waxed thumb, and, using many words, look him in the face; suddenly take away your thumb, and the coin will adhere to it; then close his hand; it will seem to him that the dime remains; now tell him to open his hand, and, if you perform the feat cleverly, to his great astonishment, he will find nothing in it.
The Adhesive Stick.
This feat has astonished crowds of spectators. It was one of the favorites of a late popular professor, and is now first promulgated. Before you perform it in public, you must practice it, until you are quite perfect, in private, for it would be a pity to spoil its effect by making a blunder in it. Begin by stating very seriously, what is a well-known fact, that if a bucket full of water be hurled round his head by a man, who is sufficiently strong, none of the water will fall out. If this be at all discredited, be prepared not only to support your assertion, but to carry the point still further by placing a tumbler full of any liquid in the inside of a broad hoop, which you hold in your hand by a small piece of string fixed to it, and twirling it round at your side. If you do this with velocity, although the tumbler, in the circles made by the hoop, is frequently quite bottom upward, it will neither fall from the hoop, nor will any of the water be spilt. To do this, however, requires even more practice than the trick which it prefaces; as, although there is no difficulty in it while the hoop is in rapid motion, yet there is some danger until you are rendered expert by practice, of the tumbler’s falling, when you begin to put the hoop in motion, and when you wish to stop it. If, therefore, you are not perfectly capable of doing it, state the fact only, which some or other of your auditors will most probably support, as it is pretty generally known. You now go on to say, that the air, under the water in the glass, when it is topsy-turvey, keeps it in; and that upon the same principle, if you can turn your hand, upon which you place a piece of thin wood (about one inch broad, and six inches long), sufficiently quick, although the back be uppermost, the air will actually keep the wood up against the palm of your hand, without any support. This they will be readily inclined to believe. They will, however, doubt your being possessed of sufficient manual dexterity to perform it quick enough.
We must now tell you how it is to be done:—Lay the piece of wood across the palm of your left hand, which keep wide open, with the thumb and all the fingers far apart, lest you be suspected of supporting the wood with them. Next, take your left wrist in your right hand, and grasp it tightly, for the purpose, as you state, of giving the hand more steadiness. Now, suddenly turn the back of your left hand uppermost, and, as your wrist moves in your right hand, stretch out the forefinger of your right hand, and as soon as the wood comes undermost, support it with such forefinger. You may now shake the hand, and, after a moment or two, suffer the wood to drop. It is two to one but the spectators will admit it to be produced by the action of the air, as you had previously stated, and try to do it themselves; but, of course, they must, unless you have performed the feat so awkwardly as to be discovered, fail in its performance. If you have no objection to reveal the secret, you can do it again, and, while they are gravely philosophizing upon it, suddenly lift up your hand and expose the trick. This will, doubtless, create much amusement. Observe that in doing this feat, you must keep your fingers so low, that no one can see the palm of your left hand; and move your finger so carefully, that its action may not be detected; and if it be not, you may rest satisfied that its absence from round the wrist of the left hand will not be discovered, some of the fingers being naturally supposed to be under the coat; so that, if the spectators only see two or even one, they will imagine the others are beneath the cuff. There is one other observation necessary before we conclude; it is this, when you have turned your hand over, do not keep the stick too long upheld, lest the spectators should take hold of your hands, and discover the trick; before their astonishment has ceased, adroitly remove your forefinger, and suffer the stick to fall to the ground.
The Magic Thread.
Take two pieces of thread, one foot in length each; roll one of them round, like a small pea, which put between your left forefinger and thumb. Now, hold the other out at length, between the forefinger and thumb of each hand; then let some one cut the same asunder in the middle; when that is done, put the tops of your two thumbs together, so that you may, with less suspicion, receive the thread which you hold in your right hand into your left, without opening your left finger and thumb. Then, holding these two pieces as you did before, let them be cut asunder in the middle also, and conveyed again as before, until they be very short; then roll all the ends together, and keep that ball of thread before the other in the left hand, and with a knife, thrust the same into a candle, where you may hold it until it be burnt to ashes; pull back the knife with your right hand, and leave the ashes, with the other ball, between your forefinger and thumb of your left hand, and with the two thumbs and forefingers together, rub the ashes, and at length, draw out that thread which has been all this time between your forefinger and thumb.
The Long Pudding.
The following is a famous feat among those mountebanks who travel the country with quack doctors. This pudding must be made of twelve or thirteen little tin hoops, so as to fall one through another, and little holes should be made at the biggest end, so that it may not hurt your mouth; hold it privately in your left hand, with the hole end uppermost, and, with your right hand, take a ball out of your pocket, and say, “if there be any old lady that is out of conceit with herself, because her neighbors deem her not so young as she would be thought, let her come to me, for this ball is a certain remedy;” then seem to put the ball into your left hand, but let it slip into your lap, and clap your pudding into your mouth, which will be thought to be the ball that you showed them; then decline your head, open your mouth, and the pudding will slip down to its full length; with your right hand you may strike it into your mouth again; after having done this three or four times, you may discharge it into your hand, and put it into your pocket without any suspicion, by making three or four wry faces after it, as though it had been too large for your throat.
The Changeable Watch.
Borrow a watch from any person in company, and request the whole to stand round you. Hold the watch up to the ear of the first in the circle, and command it to go; then demand his testimony to the fact. Remove it to the ear of the next, and enjoin it to stop; make the same request to that person, and so on throughout the entire party.
Explanation. You must take care, in borrowing the watch, that it be a good one, and goes well. Conceal in your hand a piece of loadstone which, so soon as you apply it to the watch, will occasion a suspension of the movements, which a subsequent shaking and withdrawing of the magnet will restore. For this purpose, keep the magnet in one hand and shift the watch alternately from one hand to the other.
The Vanishing Ring.
You may cause a ring to shift from one hand to another, and make it go on any finger required on the other hand, while somebody holds both your arms, in order to prevent communication between them by attending to these instructions:—Desire some lady in company to lend you a gold ring, recommending her, at the same time, to make a mark on it, that she may know it again. Have a gold ring of your own, which fasten by a small piece of catgut-string, to a watch-barrel, and sew it to the left sleeve of your coat. Take the ring that is given you in your right hand; then putting, with dexterity, the other ring fastened to the watch-barrel, near the entrance of your sleeve, draw it privately to the fingers’ ends of your left hand. During this operation, hide the ring that has been lent to you between the fingers of your right hand, and fasten it dexterously on a little hook, sewed for the purpose, on your waistcoat, and hidden by your coat. After that show your ring, which hold in your left hand; then ask the company on which finger of the other hand they wish it to pass. During this interval, and as soon as the answer has been given, put the before-mentioned finger on the little hook, in order to slip the ring on it; at that moment let go the other ring, by opening your fingers. The spring which is in the watch-barrel, being confined no longer, will contract, and make the ring slip under the sleeve, without anybody perceiving it, not even those who hold your arms; as their attention will be occupied to prevent your hands from communicating. After this operation, show the assembly that the ring is come on the other hand; and make them remark that it is the same that had been lent to you, or that the mark is right. Much dexterity must be made use of to succeed in this entertaining trick, that the deception may not be suspected.
The Handkerchief Trick.
This feat, strange as it appears, is very simple; the performer must have a confederate, who has two handkerchiefs of the same quality, and with the same mark, one of which he throws upon the table, to perform the feat with. The performer takes care to put this handkerchief uppermost in making a bundle, though he affects to mix them together promiscuously. The person, whom he desires to draw one of the handkerchiefs, naturally takes that which comes first to hand. The performer then desires to shake them again to embellish the operation; but in so doing, takes care to bring the right handkerchief uppermost, and carefully fixes upon some simpleton to draw; and if he find the person is not likely to take the first that comes to hand, he prevents him from drawing by fixing upon another, under pretence of his having a more sagacious look. When the handkerchief is torn, and carefully folded up, it is put under a glass upon a table placed near a partition. On that part of the table on which the handkerchief is deposited, is a little trap, which opens and lets it fall into a drawer. The confederate, concealed behind the curtain, passes his hand under the table, opens the trap, and substitutes the second handkerchief for the first. He then shuts the trap, which so exactly fits the hole it closes, as to deceive the eyes of the most incredulous. If the performer be not possessed of such a table, he must have a second handkerchief in his pocket, and change it by sleight of hand.
The Canary in the Egg.
Separate an egg in the middle, as neatly as possible; empty it, and then with a fine piece of paper and a little glue, join the two halves together, having first put a live canary bird inside it, which will continue unhurt in it for sometime, provided you make a small pin-hole in the shell to supply the bird with air; have also, a whole egg in readiness. Present the two eggs for one to be chosen; put the egg, which contains the bird, next to the person who is to choose, and, for this purpose, be sure to select a lady; she naturally chooses the nearest to her, because, having no idea of the trick to be performed, there is no apparent reason to take the further one at any rate, if the wrong one be taken, you do not fail in the trick, for you break the egg, and say: “You see that this egg is fair and fresh, madam, so you would have found the other, if you had chosen it. Now, do you choose to find in it a mouse, or a canary-bird?” She naturally declares for the bird; nevertheless, if she ask for the mouse, there are means to escape: you ask the same question of several ladies, and gather the majority of votes, which, in all probability, will be in favor of the bird, which you then produce.
The Money Box Trick.
A piece of money, or a ring, is put into a box, in the presence of a person who holds it; the operator stands at a distance, and bids him shake the box gently, and the piece is heard to rattle inside; he is desired again to shake it, and then it is not heard to rattle; the third time, it is again heard, but the fourth time it is gone, and is found in the shoe of one of the company. The box must be made on purpose, in such a manner that, in shaking it gently up and down, the piece within is heard; on the contrary, shaking it hard, horizontally, a little spring, which falls on the piece, prevents it from being heard, which makes you imagine it is not within. He who performs the trick, then touches the box, under pretence of showing how to shake it, and, although it is locked, he easily gets out the piece by means of a secret opening, availing himself of that minute to put in a false piece, and to leave the box with the same person, whom he causes to believe that the piece is or is not within, according to the manner the box is shaken: at length, the original piece is found in the shoe of one of the company, either by means of the person being found in confederacy, and having a similar piece, or by sending another to slip it on the floor. In this last case, it is found on the floor, and the person fixed on is persuaded that it fell from his shoe as he was taking it off.
A Startling Metamorphosis.
Take a few nut-galls, bruise them to a very fine powder, which strew nicely upon a towel; then put a little brown copperas into a basin of water; this will soon dissolve, and leave the water perfectly transparent. After any person has washed in this water, and wiped with the towel on which the galls have been strewn, his hands and face will immediately become black; but, in a few days, by washing with soap, they will again become clean. This trick is too mischievous for performance.
A Volcano Under Water.
Take one ounce of saltpetre; three ounces of powder; of sulphurvivuix, three ounces; beat, sift, and mix them well together; fill a pasteboard, or paper mould, with the composition, and it will burn under the water till quite spent. Few persons will believe that this can be done before they have seen it tried.
The Magic Spoon.
Put four ounces of bismuth into a crucible, and when in a state of complete fusion, throw in two ounces and a half of lead, and one ounce and a half of tin; these metals will combine, and form an alloy fusible in boiling water. Mould the alloy into bars, and take them to a silversmith to be made into tea-spoons. Place one of them in a saucer, at a tea-table, and the person who uses it will not be a little astonished to find it melt away as soon as he puts it into the hot tea.
Magic Dyes.
Dissolve indigo in diluted sulphuric acid, and add to it an equal quantity of solution of carbonate of potass. If a piece of white cloth be dipped in this mixture, it will be changed to blue; yellow cloth, in the same mixture, may be changed to green; red to purple; and blue litmus paper be turned to red.
Incombustible Paper.
Dip a sheet of paper in strong alum-water, and when dry, repeat the process; it will be better still, if you dip and dry it a third time. After this, you may put it in the flame of a candle, and it will not burn.
Visible and Invisible Portraits.
These are performed with French chalk, a natural production of the earth, (sold in most oil-shops,) of a greasy, but extraordinary nature. It is made use of to draw portraits upon looking-glasses; which may be made visible and invisible, alternately, by breathing on and wiping off, and they will so continue for many months. The lines will appear very distinct where the glass is strongly breathed on, and disappear entirely when it is wiped dry again.
The Dancing Egg.
Boil an egg hard, and peel off a small piece of the shell at one end; then thrust in a quill filled with quicksilver, and sealed at each end. As long as the egg remains warm, it will not cease to dance about.
To Put an Egg in a Bottle.
You may make an egg enter a bottle without breaking, by steeping it in strong vinegar for some time; the vinegar will so soften the shell, that it will bend and extend lengthways without breaking; when put in cold water, it will resume its former figure and hardness.
The Ice Candle.
Cover a small portion of the upper end of a tallow candle with paper, and give the remainder of it a coat of fine coal and powdered sulphur, mixed together; dip it in water, and expose it to the air during a hard frost, and a slight coat of ice will form round it, which may be, subsequently, rendered thicker, in proportion to the number of immersions and exposure to the air which it receives. When it arrives at a sufficient consistency, take off the paper, light the upper end of the candle, and it will burn freely.
The Changing-Colored Ribbon.
Dip a rose-colored ribbon in nitric acid, diluted with eight or ten parts of water, and as soon as the color disappears, which it will do in a short time, take out the ribbon, and put it into a very weak alkaline solution; the alkali will quickly neutralize the acid, and the color will then reappear.
Consulting the Oracle.
Some amusement may be obtained among young people, by writing, with common ink, a variety of questions, on different bits of paper, and adding a pertinent reply to each, written with nitro-muriate of gold. The collection is suffered to dry, and put aside until an opportunity offers for using them. When produced, the answers will be invisible; you desire different persons to select such questions as they may fancy, and take them home with them; you then promise, that if they are placed near the fire, during the night, answers will appear written beneath the questions in the morning; and such will be the fact, if the papers be put in any dry, warm situation.
The Witch’s Cave.
Write several questions and answers on paper; for the answers, instead of nitro-muriate of gold, you may use the juice of a citron, or an onion. Let any of the questions be chosen by a party, and placed in a box, which may be called “The Witch’s Cave.” This box must be furnished with a piece of hot iron, beneath a false bottom of tin; when the paper is put in it, the heat will cause the answer to appear; you then take it out, show it to the person who made choice of the question, and, as soon as it is read, put it aside; the answer will vanish when the paper becomes cold again.
The Four Elements.
Take a glass tube, about the thickness of a man’s finger, and securely seal one end of it. Mark it, all round, with four equal divisions. Introduce mercury, sufficient to fill the space below the first mark; a solution of sub-carbonate of potass for the second division; white spirit, to which a blue tint is imparted, for the third; and turpentine, colored red, for the fourth. After these preparations are completed, close up and seal the mouth of the tube, and you may then give a fanciful exhibition of chaos and the four elements. Shake the tube, and you will mix all the contents together, and this mixture will represent chaos; in a short time, if the tube be not removed, all the ingredients will separate, and each go to its allotted division, placing itself according to its specific gravity, in comparison with the others; the contents of the upper division, which is red, will represent fire; the next, which has a blue tint, air; the third, which is colorless, water; and the lower one, earth.
Phosphoric Oyster Shells.
Take some very thick oyster shells, and cover them with some burning coals; in half an hour take them carefully out of the fire, and it will be only necessary to expose them to the light for a few minutes to be convinced that they have become phosphorescent. In fact, if put in a dark place, they shed a light accompanied by the greater part of the prismatic colors. If the calcination be made in a closed crucible, the colors will be less brilliant. If the crucible be of lead, the parts that have come into contact with it will yield a reddish light; if a few bits of steel be strewed about the crucible, the phosphorescence will be more lively; but if some flat pieces of coal be used instead of steel, the colors will be more beautiful, particularly the blue, red, and green.
Flaming Phosphorus.
By compressing a bit of phosphorus between two pieces of wood, it will inflame. The same effect may be produced by the friction of one piece of phosphorus against another.
A Mask of Flame.
Take six parts of oil of olives and one of phosphorus, suffer them to digest well together, and preserve the solution, which, in the dark, will become luminous. An experiment that is considered amusing may be performed by closing the eyes and lightly passing a sponge, dipped in this solution, over the face and hands, which will then, in the dark, appear covered with a light bluish flame. This trick is not at all dangerous.
A Miniature River on Fire.
Let fall a few drops of phosphorized ether on a lump of loaf sugar, place the sugar in a glass of warm water, and a very beautiful appearance will be instantly exhibited; the effect will be increased, if the surface of the water, by blowing gently with the breath, be made to undulate.
The Illuminator and Extinguisher.
Make two little figures of wood or clay, or other materials, with a little hole in the mouth of each. Put in the mouth of one, a few grains of bruised gunpowder, and a little bit of phosphorus in the other. Then take a lighted wax candle, and present it to the mouth of the figure with the gunpowder, which, taking fire, will put the candle out; then present your candle, having the snuff quite hot, to the other figure, and it will light again immediately.
To Light a Candle by a Glass of Water.
Take a little piece of phosphorus, of the size of a pin’s head, and with a piece of tallow, stick it on the edge of a drinking-glass. Then take a lighted candle, and having blown it out, apply it to the glass, when it will immediately be lighted. You may likewise write, with a bit of phosphorus, on paper, some words, which will appear awful, when the candle is withdrawn from the room.
PUNCH AND JUDY.
This famous puppet-show can easily be arranged for the parlor. The first requirement of the performance will naturally be the dramatis personæ. These, in the drama as usually played, are as follows:—
1. Punch. 2. Judy. 3. The Baby. 4. The Dog Toby. 5. The Clown. 6. The Policeman (or Beadle). 7. The Hangman. 8. The Doctor. 9. The Ghost. The head for each character must be carved out of wood, with a tubular cavity in the neck large enough to admit the first joint of the performer’s forefinger. Wooden arms and legs must next be prepared. These need only extend to the elbow and knee, and the Baby will require arms only. Appropriate costumes must next be manufactured. Mr. Punch will have the usual conical hat, and Judy a frilled cap and black ribbons. The body of each figure is a mere bag, just large enough to admit, through an opening behind, the hand of the performer, whose forefinger is thrust into the hollow of the neck, and the thumb and second finger into the sleeves, thereby giving motion to the arms.
The robes of the various characters are firmly attached to the respective heads, and the arms glued just within the lower part of the sleeves. By slipping his hand, therefore within the robe, his forefinger being inserted into the hole in the neck, and his thumb and middle finger into the sleeves, as above mentioned, the performer not only keeps the robe properly distended, but is able to impart the requisite appearance of vitality to the figures.
Having described the characters, it next becomes necessary to say a few words as to the “stage” whereon they perform. Most of our readers will be familiar with the portable theatre of the genuine street artists; a sentry-box-like wooden framework with a green baize cover, within which the performer stands, while a movable shelf in front of him supports the box which contains the puppets and other “properties” of the mimic drama. A little simple stage-carpentering will transform the domestic clothes-horse into a capital Punch-and-Judy theatre. Some sort of ornamental framework or border should be tacked all round the outer edge of the opening, by way of a kind of proscenium, and a slip of thin board, three or four inches in width, should be nailed horizontally across from side to side, to form the stage. The remainder should be covered with green baize, tammy, or any other available material, reaching to the ground. The structure should be placed against a wall or window curtain, which will close its vacant side, and form a convenient background.
Where even this simple arrangement is deemed too elaborate, an open door, with a slip of wood tacked across it about six feet from the floor, and a table cover hanging from this by way of curtain, will serve as a tolerable makeshift.
The “properties” of the drama are not numerous. They consist of a gallows or gibbet, made to fit, when in use, into a mortice cut into the piece of wood which forms the stage, a couple of wooden sticks, about a foot in length and half an inch in diameter, and an instrument known as the “squeaker,” which is said to be used to produce those peculiar vocal effects in which Mr. Punch delights. It consists of a couple of pieces of tin, each about an inch and a quarter in length, and three quarters in breadth. These, which are slightly curved in the direction of their length, are laid one against the other (the concave faces inward), with a piece of tape or China ribbon, of the same breadth, stretched tightly between them, and the whole bound firmly together with thread. This instrument is placed in the mouth, and is asserted to produce the Root-i-too-ti-too! and other eccentricities of the Punch language, and it is possible that in the hands (or rather the mouths) of those who cultivate the art professionally, it really does so. We must confess, however, that our own attempts in that direction have not been successful, and after several very narrow escapes of swallowing the instrument, we have come to the conclusion that a less perfect Root-i-too, produced by natural means, is on the whole to be preferred. Should any reader, after this warning, still be disposed to run the risk of choking himself in the pursuit of artistic effect, far be it from us to discourage his noble ardor.
It is customary to have a second or assistant showman, who stands outside the theatre, and forms the orchestra, for which purpose he is supplied with a set of Pandean pipes and a drum, or, for lack of these, with the best substitutes available. In a drawing-room, some obliging young lady at the piano-forte will generally render the performance independent of his musical aid. But he has a second function somewhat akin to that of the “Chorus” of a Greek play. His duty is to converse with Mr. Punch, to “draw him out,” to elicit his views on things in general, and his own domestic arrangements in particular, and last, but not least, by judicious repetition, in the form of questions or otherwise, to translate, so to speak, his observations to the audience.
The drama of Punch and Judy is based on tradition. The plot is pretty much the same in all cases, but the dialogue varies according to the taste and invention of the individual performer. We subjoin a specimen, representing pretty nearly the popular version, on which the reader may engraft such variations as he pleases.
Punch (heard below).—Roo-it-oot-i-too-it!
Showman.—Good morning, Mr. Punch.
Punch.—Good morning, Mr. Showman. Have you seen my Judy?
Showman.—Have I seen your Judy? No, sir, I don’t know the lady.
Punch.—She’s such a beauty! I’ll call her. Judy, my dear! Judy!
Judy.—Well, Mr. Punch, what do you want!
Punch.—Why, I want to give you a kiss, to be sure. (They embrace, then dance.)
Punch.—Now Judy, my dear, go and fetch the baby. (Exit Judy.) Such a beautiful baby! Just like me!
Showman.—Just like you, is he? Then he must be a beauty!
Punch.—Oh, here he is! Dance a bady-diddy!
(Judy appears with baby, which she hands to Punch, and exit.)
Punch.—There’s a little popsy-wopsy! (Nurses baby and sings),