Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-07-07
JUGGLING.
An Expert in the Art Describes Some o
Rfs Tricks.

developing a new trick l seldom prac-
tice now. I am q juggler. I invent
my own business. That is one of my
difficulties. New tricks are copied.
When I find that have an imitator
| invent something else. Forinstance,
a thought came to me this morning, g.
trick with cigar and cigar holder. /
throw the cigar up and catch it in ev
cry position in the tube. of the holder.
[ shall practice it a month, perhaps
for an hour or two day. | never
give q trick without being so sure of it
that [ would bet q large sum against
failure. Simple juggling, such as one
does with balls, one could do blind
fold, so certain has the hand become.
The hand follows the eye, but the
hand is the more important Of the
two. Suppose [ have half dozen
knives in the air, | propel one so as to
give it half q turn, another a turn, g.
third turn and half, fourth two
turns, calculating the revolutions of
each one as it falls through the air.
Suppose one of them is falling hori-
zontally instead Of vertically, then one
gets out of the way and let's it fall on
the ground. In teaching q beginner one
sets him to work with one ball and
one hand-the left. It is like
teaching child to read. He
begins with the A B G, then forms a
word. So it is with the iuggler's play
things. The left hand must pe as
facile and as sure as the right. If you
let your pupil begin with the ri ht
hand it doubles the difficulty for the
left hand. | make it rule always to
use for my tricks the ordinary articles
of everyday life. 1t is more interest
ing to the public than elaborate APP
paratus. They can go home and try
for themselves. | take candle and q
candlestick, or two candles and two
candlesticks this is one of M. Cinque-
Wallis most famous tricks or put
an umbrella and g. stick through q
number of aerial evolutions. | even
use wash-tub. 1t is often calling to
the performer to know that the public
do not understand the niceties and
often the extreme difficulties OF a trick.
To give them a lesson one sometimes
purposely breaks down once or twice
just at the critical moment. Then the
third time the applause is tremendous.
AS matter OF fact, one l. certain to
slip now and then. 1t is very differ
ent thing performing in q room by
daylight and before the fiery glare OF
footlights. Perhaps my most difficult
teat is the one am doing every night
just now with q knife and fork and
raw potato. Simplicity again, you
see. With the knife I cut the potato
in two after keeping it up for some
time, and then catch the two halves,
one on the knife, the other on the fork
That, now, was suggested to me one
night at a supper where | was guest.
"Give Us something. the host said;
you can juggle with anything A
knife and fork were on my plate, and
a cooked potato. l was succussful.
"The juggler is the gentleman of the
profession. still join in the acrobat
ic entertainment with my brothers;
but it is q severe strain to hold man
Of eleven stone on ones hand, and the
tumbling and hard knocks put ones
nerves, eye, and hand out OF order for
the Juggling, which requires such exact
itude and precision. can unite the
two if | have an interval between the
performances. It is the professional Is
most difficult task to find novelties.
1t is so with all of us in the show bust.
ness. What is there left? I ask.
Your insatiate public has had trained
heas and trained flies. There is moth
IN left. London-I don't know. ]
have nothing sensational; they come
to see me. The Russians, yes; the
Germans, no. They want to be
Il
narrow squeaks. A friend bet me a
champagne supper that | would not
do a trapeze performance from a bal
loon. I took him. 1t was at Copen-
hagen. The balloon was a giant, my
bar being q few yards from the basket.
| was dressed as a sailor. The wind
was blowing out to sea, but we start
ed. [ chung to the bar, and did few
turns in the air, then scrambled
up and sat on the bar; as we
assembled to great height I
clambered into the car. Then
we drifted out and into the sea. We
hoated about for an hour until we
were rescued. [ got cold, but 1 won
my champagne supper. That was
nothing. l was engaged to take an
aerial fight at an afternoon entertain
ment. It had rained in the night, I
took my flight, landed on the opposite
bar, and fell eighty feet. Therope was
sodden, and had given way. l broke
my wrist and some of my chest bones.
For eight months I was in hospital
with my left arm in sling. Ipracticed
with my right. Juggling, then, is bet
ter than aerial flights. An acrobat,
too, must always be in good health.
He has a headache. He is no good.
have a headache, but l take my turn
with the rest. I have had one or two
awkward knocks from the washing-tub,
which has weight as we'll as bulk. I
spin it round, throw it high into the
air, and catch it on a long pole which
stands on my shoulder. It may fall,
but wear g. helmet now. You ask
me about training? Don't drink, and
smoke as little as possible. 1t is diff.
cult, but it is necessary. The eye and
the hand are delicate organs"
Fire Stronger than Faith.