San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-11-16
THE BLACK ART.
Few Additions Have Been Recently
Made To the Magician's Tricks.

Made To the Magician's Tricks.
From the Washington Star.
Every few additions OF importance
have been made TO the repertory of
the prOfe; slonal magician within re-
cent years." said an expert in presti-
dtgitation to a reporter. "Tnetnew
tricks all require elaborate mechani-
cal con trivauces. Itmay be that they
draw the public for awhile, but they
do not furnish lasting attractions.
Take the vanishing lady, for eX
ample. In its way it was a wonder
tul thing, and the mechanism neces-
ssry was elaborate and costly, but
every one knew that the woman must
necessarily disappear through a trap
in The stage, and the only mystery
lay in the cleverness with which the
feat was accomplished.
Here was no illusion, properly
speaking, nor anything to excite won
der. A trick to be really worth any
thing must be seemingly miracle,
ineXplicable to the mind of the spec.
tator.
the best tricks are those requiring
the least apparatus. No fact of magic
ever attempted on the stage has Great
ed a more profound sensation than
did the famous sphinx when it first
appeared in Europe. Even the scien
tific men went wild over it.
at was the first thing of its kind
ever seen, and for q long time no one
suspected that the body to which the
talking head belonged was concealed
behind two mirrors that sGoo at an
angle with each other beneath the
table. the extreme simplicity of the
means used for deceivlHg was the
most effective point.
But the perf,rmer is most success
ful when he employs for the purposes
of legerdemaln every day articles
such as people are accustomed TO.
Audiences are always entertained TO
see rabbits, guinea pigs and other
articles taken Otf-haGd out of the hat
OF the fat e ntleman who mas been so
imprudent as to lake a front sea t near
the middle aisle.
"This sort of trick is much more
simple and easily performed than you
might suppose. 1 esceld from the
stage and borrow silk hat from any
gentleman who Will give me one.
The first things to be taken from the
hat are already concealed on the in
side Of my coat.
LAS / turn and regain the stage,
with my back for a moment to the
spectators, quickly drop these ar
ticles into the hat. Then / face the
audience once more, and draw the
things out one by one, exhibiting
much surprise.
IS me live animal may come first,
because it Is desirable to dispose of
that as quickly as possible. Next,
perchance, pull out a wig, which al
ways eXcites roar Of laughter. The
other articles to be brought forth have
been previously done up in many
compact little bundles.
Sometimes single small package
contains a quantity of len feathers
so tightly done up that when they
are shaken out there seems to be
enough of them to fill mattress
Each bundle is so fixed that its wrap.
ping can be disengaged in a second.
Having pulled out of the hat all
the things which had been previous
ly taken from under my coat and put
into it. go to q shelf under pretense
ly slip number of other articles in
10 il.
"Tnen / come down toward the
audiences, as if for the porpOse of
restoring the borrowed stovepipe, but
suddenly pause and begin to draw
out of 1t many things several times
the size of the hat, such as bird cages,
trunks and so forth, all of which are
go made that they close up in a very
small compass. The springs that
hold them in shape are released as
each one is Gaken out.
"Of course, a trick like this requires
a great deal of practice and skill, but
its effectiveness is almost wholly due
to the fact that it is performed with
so commonplace an object as Dor
rawed silk hat. Perform a seeming
miracle with broom. a brick or any
thing else that is exceedingly COM
monplace and familiar, and your feat
eXcites infinitely more wonderment
than If it were accomplished with an
elaborate mechanical con trivance.
when Pharaoh's magicians turned
their walking sticks into snakes they
knew how to impress most strongly
the minds of observers.
GERMANY is paying more for grain
than at any time within the past if
teen years. This fact favors the
American attempt to secure free or
lower rates for grain into that country.
Il a