The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-08-25
A London Wizards Wonder.

MEssRs. MAsKELYNE Il COOKIES Zoe,
the new writing and sketching automaton
at the Egyptian Hall, bears no resem-
blance whatever to the celebrated an
drOids of the Swiss mechanician LIE Droz,
of the French mechanican Maillardet,
and Of the great c0njuror and subtle in
ventor, Robert Houdin. They were in
genious pieces of clockwork, and moth
ing more.
Mr. lie Droz' figure was the size of
life. 1t held in its hand metallic style,
and when spring was touched, so as to
release detent, the figure Immediately
began to draw upon card of Dutch vel
lum laid under it's hand. After the draw
ing was executed on the first card the
autCmaton rested, and, the other cards
being placed in succession, it delineated
upon the series of six cards that number
of different subjects. Two of them were
licensees of the King and Queen, and
one feature of merit consisted in the pre-
cision with which the figure lifted up the
pencil in its transition from one point of
the drawing to another without making
the slightest mistake.
Maillardet's writing and drawing au-
tomaton was the figure of boy kneeling
on one knee and holding pencil in his
hand. The attendant dipped the pencil
i'll ink and adjusted small sheet of draw
ing paper upon brass tablet, and, upon
pressing spring, the figure began to
write. When a line was finished the
hand returned to dot the is and cross the
is. 1t executed beautifully just four
pieces of writing in French and English,
and also three landscapes, the time occu.
pied being about an hour. Robert Hou-
dina wonderful master of real sleight.
of-hand, as well as the inventor of vari-
GUS principles of working automata and
magical apparatus by electromagnetic,
by concealed levers and other clever de-
vices-also constructed drawing figure
which was remarkable for it's llfe-like
imitation of the motions of the arm and
hand in using pencil and for its faith
full and exact execution of minute detail
in sketching and in writing
Now, Mr.. Maskelyne's automaton Zoe,
while initiating the motion of an artists
arm with facility-holding her crayon in
professional form, striking true line
across her easel in mastery manner,
promptly carrying her hand from one
point of her drawing board to another,
carefully yet instantaneously raising her
pencil from the paper, and transferring
| it to another spot, returning to add
touches and insert omissions, and finally
| lowering her arm and hand when a
sketch is ompleted-does not execute
merely the particular specimens of writ
ing, figuring and drawing which she
m ght be constructed and set to do. She
executes anything she has a MIND to, or,
in other words, she can write any letters
or numbers called for by the audience,
and designs, forms and pictures i'm.
promptu, according to the ability of the
secret operator who must certainly gov
ern her movements. Herein lies the
wonder of this new invention of the ma.
chinist at the Egyptian Hall. How is it
possible that any motion at all, much
less the multifarious and complicated
movements of the arm and hand, wide in
range as well as exact in short strokes,
while describing straight lines in any
direction, and curves Of any tortuous
form whatever Ito say nothing of the
eyes surveying the paper and different
parts of the work as it proceeds), can be
conveyed TO figure detached and iso.
lated ms this is?
Mr. Maskelyne submits to the examin-
alton of the audience a small stand or
table, having an oblong base or plinth
of wood resting on five small knob feet,
also of solid wood; and single wood
pillar supports the thin tabletop, which,
on its upper surface, is of silk stuffed
like n cushion. This light stand is then
placed upon the stage, and is isolated
from the floor.cloth by fiat squares of
clear plate glass, first inspected by the
audience and then, without possibility of