The Portland daily press., 1892-05-23
They are Perfectly Simple When You
Understand Them.
THE ART is IN THE PRACTICE,
WHICH REQUIRES LONG YEARS.

"Aeiout Oetcction The Goldfish Ir1ck
Observation-Disclosures is a Mechanical
Trick First Produced in Paris.
The large audiences which greeted
Hermann, the prestidigitator at his two
appearances in City Hall last Thursday
and Friday evenings evinced the interest
which was taken in his wonderful per-
formances. To the most of those audi.
ences his tricks were simply wonderful
and inexplicable. How mortal man,
On the very front of well lighted stage,
under the critical and intense gaze of
1000 people, can pull two live and wrig-
Cling rabbits out of derby hat plainly
shown to be empty the instant before, is
beyond the comprehension of most men
and women. The production of two
dishes filled with water and with live
gold fish swimming in each, from the
folds OF small shawl that had been
shaken in the air moment before, was
even more wonderful. And finally, the
trick called Strobeika, where commit
w HAOAAA -cAiO etdOlCaC0 OCCuIClf lGUtcI d
man to board, only to find woman
dressed as page in his place an instant
afterwards, seemed to give Hermann
good reason for claiming kinship with
the spirits of Darkness.
Yet once explained Hermann tricks
seem the simplest things in the world.
He once explained one of his tricks to an
audience, and it was so simple piece of
sleight of hand that they laughed up
roariously at the idea that they should
ever have been deceived by it. Eyes,
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is very sim
pie trick" said Hermann. All that is
required to do it successfully is little
practice, a little practice--fifteen or
twenty years of practice"
The Word Prestidigit ator
explains the secret of Herrmanns won
derful doings. 1t comes from the two
Latin words presto, meaning quickly,
and digitus, finger. The magician must
be quick-fngered and quick handed
man-quick-handed beyond comprehen-
sion, almost. He must be able to move
his hands so fast that the human eve
cannot follow or detect the movement.
This art, added to ingenuity make the
magician like Hermann.
The PRESS does not pretend to explain
all of Herrmann's tricks; but undoubt-
eddy they all can be accounted for by the
words qulckness and ingenuity
Take, for instance, the lifting of the
two live rabbits out of the derby hat.
When Hermann advanced to the front of
the stage those rabbits were reposing
inside his low cut vest, where gentle
man at an evening party sometimes car
ries handkerchief One of the rabbits
was on one side of the shirt-front and the
second on the other side. Upon taking
the hat Hermann, as quick as lightning.
and more quickly than the eyes of most
could follow, pulled the rabbit from
within his vest and flashed it into the
hat, only to lift it out slowly the next
instant as an original product of the hat.
That he should he able to do this before
the eyes of 1000 people without their
seeing it shows the lightning-like "a
pidity of his movements. A few who
understood the trick and were watching
the magician more closely and intelli-
gently than the mass of the audience.
did see the flash of white from the
vest to the hat as the rabbits were trans
ferred. This rapidity of motion is the
Forte of all Jugglers
and Hermann has developed it to re-
markable degree.
The trick with the goldfish in the dish
OF water seems more wonderful than the
rabbit from the hat trick, although it is
doubtful if so much quickness is re-
quired. Yet it is very difficult; and is
at the same time one Of the most popu-
lar tricks, and usually the first one that
attracts the attention of the ambitious
amateurs. Many fail once, and never
attempt it again A failure can at any
time take place; even the great Herr
mann often fails in it, and has repeatedly
drenched himself with water, losing both
dish and rubber cover on the floor, for it
is done with a rubber cover that fits
snugly over a glass bowl The bowl is
| filled with, water to about half inch
| from the top and the cover put on after
| the fish are placed in the water, though
these are often omitted; then the bowl is
| placed under the armpit. Usually three
| bowls are used, one under each armpit
and one in a sack hung behind the vest
under the coat. Any large handker-
chief or small shawl is used and
thrown carelessly over the shoulder, I'M
der cover of which the bowl is gotten
out into the hand, and the handkerchief
or shawl is removed, taking with it the
rubber cover. There are the
Goldfish Swimming in the Water
apparently produced from empty space.
The trick called ''Strobeika'' is one OF
the marvels of mechanical trickery.
Hermann is the most successful pro-
ducer of it in this country. 1t was origi-
nally produced in Paris, at place known
as Houdin's Little Hall, and was invent.
ed and worked by two Germans, Herr
Lutz and Markgraf. The illusion caught
on right away, and Cinquevalli, the ing.
gler, saw it and purchased the plans and
right to work it in Berlin, where it also
achieved success. A little later Car
Hertz, an American magician, bought
the right and produced ''Strobeika''
under another name at the Alhambra il
London, and about the same time a New
York man, who is interested in a chear
local entertainment, saw the Illusion
brought it to America and sold the plans
! tn proe Harr,,,