The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-05-13
MARVELOUS JUGGLERY.

The jugglers of India have for centuries
been noted for their remarkable ekili in
the mysteries of the "black art The
editor of the Comm ercial Bulletin, travelling
10 the East, has contributed to- that paper
some vory in ntereSting letters on the Gu stoms
sof the strange people he has visited. Under
the above heading he tells, in the last is
sue, his readers that convalescence is q
tcapital time for mild annsements which
will not tire the laHguid brain, and we had
some jugglers up almost every day. We
never could find out their tricks which are
marvellous. OF course every body has heard
OF the basket trick, where small boy gets
inside basket, aud the juggler plunges a
sword through and through it, bringing it
out reeking with blood, and then holds up
the basket, shows there's nothing there,
and calls the boy, who calmly appears from
outside the circle of spectators, And also
of the mango trick, where q seed is placed
IN the ground, is covered with q cloth, and
appears as q shrub, growing visibly before
pno's very eyes, and then bears fruit, which
kipens and is edible in five minutes from
irst planting. These fellows have very
canty clothing, and apparently no appara
NE whatever. There are some wiseacres
Fho profess to know all about these tricks.
never saw the disc emboweling and imme-
Plate healing of fskirs, in India, nor men
fitting in the air, Ievitated,' as Madame
8lavatsky calls it. But have seen other
3tASnS 90 oNA onu cuuoLly uUdCCOuuD-
eole by any art or science with which the
Europeans or Americans appear to be &C
tainted nowadays. / have seen man
throw up into the air q number of balls
numbered in succession from one upwards.
As each went up, and there was no decep-
Fion about their going up, the ball was seen
flearly in the air, getting smaller and
Pmaller till it disappeared altogether out
pf sight. When they were all up, twenty |
pr more, the operator would politely ask |
which ball you wanted to see, and then |
would shout out, mo L. No 49, AID SO on,
Is instructed by the spectators, when the
ball demanded would bound to his feet, vic
emily from some remote distance.
Then I've seen them swallow three
liHerent colored powders, and then, throw
ng back the head, wash then: down with
water, drunk in the native fashion in a
stream from lotah, or brass
lpot, held at arms length from the lips, and
eould not hold another drop, and water
pverhowed from the lips. Then those fell
owe, after squirting out the water in their
mouths, have spst out three powders on
clean piece of paper, dry and unmixed.
As to the thimble- riggery of their minor
rlcks, they are exceedingly expert, but
IRE probably equalled by many OF our dis
'inguished prestidigitateurs and whatever
nay be eai0 of the basket and mango tricks,
>r the sitting In the air, l don't think any
II our people are up to the sending of balls
INTO space and recalling them in an unrre-
nediated order. This reminds me of the
rick Marco Polo, the great Venetian tra-
7eler of earlier times, speaks of having
|een at the Court of PIester John, in Cen
'ral Asia, when q bean was planted and
|prung rapidly toward the heavens, it's
ummit being lost in the clouds. Up this,
pne Juggler travelled, and then another
tier him, With a drawn sword. In a few
nin9tes, down dropped ears, nose, a
cad, and limbs of No. l; No. 2 leisurely
eseends, wiping a bloody sword, shoveIs
the fragments of his victim into a box.
'na goes on with other performances, pre-
sntly calling out for his defunct compa
Pen, who thereupon prt sents himself as
ge az life, all alive and kicking, from the
ESog: This is not modern trick, but
SS.i have seen are certainly not less
HtsasGus. Htsa Then, too, it is we'll anthem
6re TACT tact that some of these jugglers, on
Sva suSn rGSn one occasion in recent years,
6d boIa themselves to be buried alive,
= wear nSeen dug out alive after the lspse