The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-08-14

WO IL "A w "A. Il 1exI4l
spectfal of the man; like this one which I've cut
out:
sSienor Mosco revisited our town with his In
teresting exhibition last week. His remarkably
skillful fsats Of pcesddigitation were the edmirs
ton Of large and fashionable audiences. To the
other attractions Of his entertainment, the pro
iessor of quick-6ngered art has now added what
he ia pleased to term The Marvellous Mschani-
cal Man. The performance Of this automaton
are particularly clever, but it bellies its NAME Il
might with moro correctness be termed figure,
for it is so roughly as to bear no more
resemblance to humanity than the ef6gies which
are carried through our streets ON the 9Th of No.
vember. We cannot help thinking that If Signor
4osco would devote little more pains to the
cords and levers by which the life-like motions
are too obviously conveyed to the limbs, the IL.
fusion would be rendered q great deal more COM
plete." .-.,.., .........-..
So far from being angry at reading such kind
OF notices, Signor Mosoo always used to chuckle
and slap me on the back, and want to know why
I didn't laugh too. ses, very naturally: "Be-
cause don't see anything to laugh at" "Wel,
ses he, "you are a cure, and the biggest ever
see."
But that figure only got worse, and more shah
until at last, whenever the men used to carry the
automaton to his pedestal, one of ITS arms would
drop of. The professor always said it was an
unforeseen accident and apologized for it. But
it was an unforeseen accident that used regularly
to occur every evening, and get spologized for.
And what was another singular thing, the worse
the figure was, the more rickety that he got,
the more clever people thought his performance
was. ..............,........ ............
Well, when the Mechanical Man was screwed
down on the pedestal for his performance, Sig.
nor Mosco would commence with short lecture
on the powers of the lever, the screw, and the
pully, and the spiral spring. He would then 20
and wind up the machine, with the handle like
bed-wrench. 1t made great chatter, and took
long while to wind. owing to the power Of the
spring. When he had done, the whole concern
began to go "Cr-r.r'r." and kept on going 90 all
the time, whilst the people could see the works
going round through one side of pedestal, which
was Of glass. The professor would then strike
sharply with his wand, and pull cord that
worked the levers of the automaton's head.
"Wake, Francisco !" ses he; and Francisco, which
was the wooden figure, begins to move his head
very slow, first from light to left, then from left
to right. Then Signor Mosco pulls another
| string, and francisco opens his eyes, very grad
ualy, or quick, according % the string pulled.
Then it would be: "Raise the right arm and sa-
i ANVO WIG COAAp1oy WuACn VIC A1kUI0 WOUAU w,
rather stiff and jerky, but still he did it. That
stiffness and jerkiness Of the movements land they
were all like that was what people seemed dis
posed to grumble at. 1--WE want to see 'em a lit
tie more airy and graceful" the public $685. "La-
dies and gentlemen" ses the Signor, ''what could
you expect from machinery (Which was very
true. "But to show you the command have
| over the automaton when ct distance from it, I
will now return to the stage, after simply press
in a IN ho L. -
fore the index-bosrd connected with the figure,
will now enable you to put its abilities to the
test"
He sat ut small table in front of the stage,
where there was board like a draught-board,
but covered all over with knobs. People were
then to question the automatsn. The figure did
numbers and counting, by slowly jerking up its
right hand as many times as was wanted. "Yes"
and "No" he did with his head. by bending it for
Eyes" and shaking it for "No," and this way he
would tell fortunes and ages quite equal to any
learned pig or an educated pony. Indeed, there
was no end to the questions he could answer, and
they were often right, which was wonder for
machinery. Francisco used to finish up by whirl.
ing his arms round like the wooden sailors do on
weather-cocks and he would keep on till the pro-
lessor touched button and stopped the works,
when his arms would remain sticking straight
up, until q string was pulled to let them down,
and even then they would keep ON swinging
backwards and forwards for Bit. There were
some peopls wanted the automaton to do more,
but the Signor said it couldn't be done, not by |
machienry.
In due time, as we went round the provinces, |
we came back again to the town where my faith |
er lived. / was against going there at all. |
told Signor Iosco 90 and didn't want him to |
show the Mechanical Man there, as I told him |
they weren't good judges of machinery in that |
place But he wouldn't listen, and 90 the auto
matOn was done there the first night We had |
got about halfway through his performance, and |
the professor had gone on to the stage, whilst |
Francisco was answering questions. There Is |
mostly crowd of people round the figure at such |
times, but tonight there was wiry old man
pressing his way close mp to the wooden efigy, |
and looking into its eyes.
Snow, sir, aoiN you keep your hands off that |
figure if you please,-do you hear me ?" Signor |
Mosco $685. Observation-Disclosures. ...l.
"Mother I" the old man bawls out to his wife,
taking no notioe,-only laughing fit to split
.mother come here, I tell ye,-Tm blowed If |
they haven't been and made fgure.head of our |
Billw
Icouldn't see anything to laugh at, for it was |
two pound week and victuals cut Of my peck. |
ct, let alone the exposure OF the thing.-Cham. |
4 Touching Story.
The Hon. A. 81. Stephens, Of Georgia, in Q re- |
cent address. at meeting at Alexandria for the |
benefit of the Orphan Asylum and Free School |
of that city, related the following anecdote:
"A poor little boy on a cold night, with no |
home roof IN sha1tar hie bood No - ko1 ~,