Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-09-07
THE EVENING STAR.
-noW q, osrs ARE MADE.

Al the ghost manifestations at theatres are
attaching q considerable share OF attention just
can Journal OF Photograph for August is, will
&c interesting to our readers -
On the raising Of the curtain for the ghost
scene, the lights Of the theatre were mostly ex-
stage was dimiy lighted from above and at the
sides A murderer starts up ont OF troubled
dream full OF ugly, fearful sights, rends the
passions to tatters. a Ia Bowery, when ghost
No. appears. This ghost is . simple skeleton
which the murderer takes to be Death claiming
him for q victim. and Of course the murderer
begs To be excused, &c. Death disappears, and
shortly the ghost Of lady, deceased In pre-.
vious act Of the play, fully arranged In crino.
lire and jewels comes on the scene. This gheas
No. talks, OF course, in the manner OF ghosts.
OF the old miser who had been lately murdered.
and displays his gaping wounds Finally the
three ghosts appear at the same time, the climax
10 reached, and me curtain IA. ,ais On sne IN
in terror, the gentlemen raise loud encore, put
the curtain refuses to move.
ton. The ghosts are of the normal size OF hu.
manity, and their position on the stage 10 don.
nitely seen. In size, form, color and action,
shey are nearly Like MORALS. That they are not
human is, however, evident from the fact that
they appear and disappear without moving
from the spot where they stand. Moreover
objects behind them are seen through them; the
murderer attacks them with his "trusty STEEL"
cleaving them from head to heel without dis
turbing them in the least Our magic lantern
and concaye mirror theories melted away be.
fore the facts we saw. The absence of a screen,
the life size brilliantly lumina ted, the natural
Of the Ps snd nG
We went away the first night quite mystified;
here were things which had not been dreamed
OF m our philosophy. We began to feel gym
patty for those who said they smelt sulphur,
and believed they had seen q genuine ghost.
Spirit. rappiEgs and table-Iappins are only an
awkward and distant approximation to the
genuine ghost phenomena.
Yet the manner OF raising the ghost is ridicu.
lousy simple; a little judiciOus reflection and
the thing is accomplished. Thus at the front
OF the stage there is erected a large sheet Of
plate glass inclined toward the audience, At an
angle OF about forty five degrees with the floor.
This glass is invisible to the audience, and 1t
does not oostruct the view Of objects behind it.
In front OF the glass and under its inclination
which the person who acts the ghnst is placed.
Now, when the light is turned on this actor, the
image OF him is seen by reflection from the
glass; the plate glass acts like q looking glass.
Nothing il visible to the spectators but the i'm.
age, and by varying the position OF the actor
the image or ghost Is brought to any spot de.
sired; is made to advance, recede, etc; and By
varying the intensity, color and position Of the
light, other interesting effects obtained. This
explanation will probably be sumcienr to ena.
BILE any Of our readers, If SO disposed, to get up
ghost tor their private use. Coming down
Broadway now, every day we see the ghosts of
houses, stages, and people, in all the store win
dows.