The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-07
POINTS ON CARDS.
Card Tricks Viewed from the Stand
point Of Exact Science.

Card Tricks Viewed from the Stand
point of Exact Science.
Card tricks so called can be divided prop
| erly into two classes-tricks which are
| purely tricks and nothing else and tricks
| which are founded on mathematics. OF
the former it can only be said that it re-
! quires special deytcrity to handle the
! cards coupled with long practice to make
| any sort of a success at it. There are scores
| of trick books which profess to reveal hid
! den secrets and 10 show the willing enthu-
! siast how to astonish and mystify his
! friends on every occasion.
The basis of many of these tricks is the
art of palming, which alone not one in a
| thousand can learn to do with any degree
! of success. In fact, it requires a born
genius to manipulate cards skillfully, and
when genius of this sort comes into the
world he is likely 10 switch off from the
playing of harmless tricks to working the
boys" in the vernacular of the gambling
table, and become an ont and out sharper
There are, however, a number of simple
card tricks, some of which are founded on
mathematics and others which require but
little skill and are easily learned, which are
extremely interesting To the mind not
-
it is simply wonderful what can be done
with cards. For instance, take the old
spelling trick, which is nothing more than
simple arrangement OF the cards, but al
ways a constant source of delight to the
children, and of instruction as well, espe-
cially to those who are just learning to
spell
Arrange the thirteen cards of any one
suit in the following order: :, 9, 10, king,
knave, 2, 4, 6, queen, ace, Z, 8, 3, with the
at the bottom. Then take the top card
from the top and place it at the bottom.
Continue the operation and begin to spell,
remembering that each card represents a
letter. Spell in this way ONE. Then turn
up the fourth card and ii will be the ace or
one spot. Then continue and spell two,
and the fourth card will be the two spot.
Then three and the sixth card will be
the three spot and so on, leaving out each
card As il is spelled.
This is an excellent trick for the chill
dren, and here is another one, similar in
idea, and which will give them a knowl-
edge of the vowels. 4 little story goes
with it. A certain ship contained crew
of fifteen Christians and fifteen Turks
Provisions running short, owing 10 a storm
having driven the ship out of her course, it
became necessary for fifteen of the crew to
die in order to save the rest.
The willy captain therefore made the fol-
lowing proposition: That the crew should
be placed in a line and every ninth man
counted out, until fifteen men had been Sc
lected. He then placed them in such a
position that every ninth man was a Turk.
Now the question is, How did he do it? Let
fifteen black cards represent the Turks
and fifteen red cards represent the Chris
tians. OF course, il all depends upon the
arrangement of these cards, but it has
been found best in order to facilitate the
memorizing of them TO take sentence in
which the five vowels appear.
Here is the sentence. From numbers.
aid and art never will fame depart" The
first vowel in the sentence i o. In the
grammatical arrangement of the vowels "a,
e, j, o, ny this Is the fourth. Therefore be-
ginning with the red cards take four and
place them on the table face down. L is
the next vowel aud the eth in the order
Therefore take five cards from the black pile
and place them on the four red ones. Then
two red, one black, three red, one black.
one red, two black. two red, three black,
one red, two black, two red and one black,
alternating the red and black. Then be-
ginning with the pile fee up, every niuth
card left out will be a black one until they
are exhausted from the pack.
I. WILLING.