The sun., 1891-07-05

Ana An rts Ussccountasie wonders.
Br THE cHEvALrER HERMANN.

| 81 THh CHEVAL1ER HERMANN.
By Special Pumusfon NJ NORTH meriosn Rsvf0e
1have been requested to lay before the read
ers OF the North american Repisto such OF m
renections upon the art Of magic. or prestidigi
tation. rs l may deem worthy OF note, draw
from continuous experience OF thirty years Il
practising TINT art. My travels in connection
tnerewith have led me into nearly every par
OF the habitnble world.
Prestidieitation is sipht-of- hand manipuls
tion, pure and simple. whether evolved from
mechanical, chemical. or scientific devices. o
produced BY dexterlty that baffles vision be
cause motion is quicker than sight. The ma
glcian depends for the success Of his art upoI
the credullty OF the people. Whatever mysti
hes. excites curiosity: whatever in turn baf1e
this curiosity. works the marvellous.
| VI course human Ignorance is no longer
source OF profit to the Magician, as It was II
the days OF the diviner. the oracle, and tn,
| soothsayer. Few believe nowadays that thu
magician claims any supernatural aid. will
scarcely be believed. therefore. when tell my
readers that In few cities In Italy and spair
in which have performed hundreds came te
See mo as q curiosity. impressed with the bs.
lief that for tho power he gave mo had made
compact with tho devil for the delivery OF my
soul. In these cities have seen people reyer.
ently cross themselves whom l was passing.
10 what folly ignorance could once 70 on
this point is best illustrated By quoting the
King James statute against witchcraft. 1t was
supplement to the milder enactments against
the same felony instituted under Elizabeth:
"If any person shall uss practise xsrciss any in.
vocation conjuration OF any evil and or
shall consult. covenant with. entertain, employ. feed
or reward any evil and wicked spirit Tor any In.
tent and purpose or take up any dead man. woman or
child of their RrAyo the akin bona art
OF any dead person. to be used in Of WITCH
craft sorcery. or enchantment whereby any person
snail he killed, destroyed wasted, consumed piusd or
harmed lii his or her body. or any part thereof that
then every such offender their aiders abettors and
counseilors shall suffer the pains of DEATH"
Upon this statute many innocent persons
were condemned and executed with scarcely tho
formality Of a trial. 60 great was the reaction
engendered against what the very ignorance
OF the times had bsgotten and cultivated. This
bloodthirstv statute was the basis OF tho per-
sacution OF so.called witches iu New England,
and its absurdity was acknowledged in the
enacting that no capital prostitution should
for the future take place for conjuration.
s1Te;es nnd and to the
events. by providing ios their puisIment lata as
Asia even more than Egypt Is the land of So
crecy. In all other lands wisdom seeks diffu-
sion: there /, is valued for It's rarity. It's very
producing perple ity rather than instruction.
Time was when the student OF prsstid citation
education complete without visit to India
~, this is No 10 Longer p necessary The very Sc
o 1 Eas M End his
have e s he
pro, ed upon. He has gone on in the perform
ance Of the same old tricks by the same old de-
to ThS edsr spd 5sS
clans soon learned that the first business OF
the East Indian jnggler was to act upon the
passions by the excitement Of awe and fear In
the spectators lmpressionnbe natives were
easily subject to these pnlssions. and while
elm sters by the iueeler il was easy to distract
attention and. by manipulation 100 rapid TO be
i9hoWed 6y the nnpraetsed eye to produce
be accounted for. European magician could
not count on the excitement Of the same pas
and yet he has duplicated every trick Of the
Ses sass s'sP 81 .burs on my FIRST
masHGans va disSDpoin.eh .dsagressbly
grossly gr. exagGeFs!ed tales Of travellers.
writer on IIindo jueelery. Of youths tossing
b,ils Of twine zig in IN the aiF and climbing up on
evidence t,;at ii was ever ioae The tricks
saw could have Initiated with little. prenar,.-
tion. would not presume to introduce them
on my first evening at Bombay troup Of
Of s azf ha9
we're fantasticaly dressed and painted. and
drew crowd by heating the tom-tom.. After
produced an empty. flower not. which he
ilIled with earth and moistened with water.
dropping a Few mango seeds In o the pot dur
hnWar
TRIPOD Of bamboo Sticks. He addressed dse d on ea
slowly around the covered pot. dextsronsly
aoTipg 81 9iS ohes to envelop It at each turn.
cantation; Alter three minutes Of these pro- m
ceedings he silenced his chOriste,s. removed
he cloth from the Pot, and there was disclosed
which had aprar.nly grown since planting |
me seed. lie periormed the trick by remov-
he manro. which was concealed in his robe. |
and this he did rather clnmslly while he let |
s 10. II S s.
The basket trick was then performed, oven
81 lsts in placing hoy in covered basket and |
piercing 1t with swords which are exhl lbted all |
leah. while the hoy unharmeI appears, COM
nG from another part OF tho enclosure. This
tex. rsk wnni scarcsy h be Wnfth repsating any
to Exhibit It, Tho e0 mos eeveT trck
o lndin was done by a. native with cobra
The native woro no clothing save clout. Tho |
,obra hP Deposited on the sand and. covered
ytn sNth he thGn hscan series
ormnncs Of every trek. AROUND the covered
At last he snatched away the
10th. The snake had vanished. seemingly
bout the natives loins. During, the gesticu-
lanai tor the cobra. which was trained-snd,
ending for q moment So that the clout would
all into a fold. the snake lsapod into it SO
uickly that the movement was unobserved.
% little WAS Impressed wit h EIst Indian Jug
ery that ! did not deem it a paying invest
nent 10 incur the expense or labor of securing
he most clever Of tho ,lueglers assistants.
Iondin and !! Cnsliostrip have given great
I TO. day us the best the world has ever pro-
uced. The perfection Of mechanical contri.
ances and tho possibilities OF electricity and
llrmi i-try have been wonderful helps in the
xerclse OF tho so-called black art. 1t Is well
Or the magician that such is the case for The
enands uIon him for novelty were never
renter. / find the spectators Mt this species
I entertainment moro numerous and more