The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-02-28
JAPANESE TOP-SPINNING.

JAPANESE TOP-SPINNING.
At certain seasons of the year top
spinning engages a great part of the
| leisure time of American and English
boys, and some of them become very
skillful. But Japanese jugglers are
the people to spin tops, and l will try
to describe some of their more difficult
feats, as saw them.
Twas at a Japanese Juggling enter
tainment, and when the first part of
| the performance was over the men who
had been acting cleared the stage, set
on it a small table, a number of swords
and little house, like the doll houses
set in toy shops, bowed low and left.
Immediately afterward a richly-dressed
Japanese made his appearance, carry
| ing in his arms about dozen tops,
somewhat resembling common hum
ming-tops, each with long thin stem
run through the bulb-shaped part and
protruding at the top and bottom-the
top stem being cased in loose sheath.
Bowling to the spectators, the Japanese
took one of the tops and twirled it
! briskly between his palms for a second
or two; he then dropped it upon the
table, where it spun around in that
swiftly revolving but apparently mo-
tionless state that boy top-spinners call
"sleeping." The Japanese indicated
by signs that it would stop when he
told it to, and turning toward the table
he lifted his hand as command. No
sooner had he done this than the top
stopped as if it really had seen and I'M
derstood the signal,
The Japanese picked up the top
again, and, twirling it as before, placed
it upon the table, where it spun itself
to sleep. He then selected from the
swords on the floor one with long,
keen blade, and, lifting the top from
the table by the sheath of the upper
stem, placed the point of the lower
stem carefully upon the edge of the
blade, near the hilt. The top spun for
some moments in this position, and
then<began to run slowly toward the
point of the sword. When it had
reached the point it leaned over at an
angle of forty-tive degrees, and contin-
ued to revolve for several moments in
that difficult position until it was caught
in the juggler's hand just as it was
| about to stop spinning.
Throwing the sword to one side the
performer again made the top spin up
on the table, and picking up five others
started them, also. He then stretched
thin wire across the stage, and, taking
the tops from the table, placed them
one after another upon the wire, as he
had previously placed the first one upon
the edge of the sword. They spun
around for few seconds without NOV
ing; but suddenly, as if by one impulse,
they all started on an excursion along
the wire, balancing themselves as they
went, with all the nicely of expert
tight-rope walkers. Reaching the end
of their trip, they dropped one by one
into the hands of an assistant, who
stood ready to catch them.
This trick was succeeded by more
mysterious one. The Japanese top
spinner walked to the side of the stage
and united a string, which as soon as it
was loosed swung quickly to the mid
die of the stage, and then hung per-
oendicularly. After untying this string,
the Japanese took top from his as
sistant, and, twirling it in his hand I'M
til it revolved quickly enough, ne took
hold of the end of the string, and, plac-
ing the stem of the top at right angles
to it, left things to take care of them
selves.
The top spun short time at the end
of the string, but soon it began to move
slowly upward, still spinning at right
angles with the string. 1t continued in
this way to move steadily upward until
at length it had traversed the entire
distance, and was lost to view behind
the Aies'' over the stage.
When the applause that greeted this
trick had subsidized, the Japanese moved
the doll. house to the center of the stage
and placed it beside the table. He then
set six tops, exactly alike in size and
appearance, spinning upon the table,
and, taking seventh in his hand, indi-
Gated to the spectators, by signs, that
he would send it on a journey through
the dollhouse. He then sat down on
the floor, and curling up his legs, Turk
fashion, started the seventh top spin
ming. 1t ran along the floor until it
reached sort of inclined draw
bridge leading to the entrance of the
little house, and then went up slowly
to, and through the open door. The
Juggler waited moment, as if ex-
pecting some signal from the now in
visible top. His suspense was relieved
an instant later by the tinkling of a sill
yer bell, which indicated that the top
had entered one of the tiny rooms. The
Japanese held up one finger and waited,
in listening attitude, for second sig-
nal. 1t came, as before, in the tinkIe
of bell, upon hearing which the man
held up two fingers. Finally, when ten
rooms had been visited, and ten bells.
rung in this way, had been counted on
the performers fingers, he arose and
pointed toward the house, and toward