Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-11-02
! ASTOUNDING MAGIC.
THRILLING FEATS PERFORMED BY
ANCIENT ORIENTAL JUGGLERS.

The Wonderful Conjuring Tricks Were
Accomplished Without the Use of Elab-
crate ParaphernaIia and Seem Almost
Beyond Belief.
Tales which Mortified our forefathers
while they were trusting and ignorant,
which stirred later generation to mlrth
and were dismissed at length as thread
bare tests, become interesting again now
that we can perform these miracles our
selves. The best of our conjurers' tricks
have been learned in the east, and IN
many instances they have improved on
the original. But it is not certain that
their modus operandi is the same.
The most ingenious ''professor" i'll Eu-
rope might despair when set to achieve
that feat which is the first trial Of an as
pirant among the Kakhuens, as Sir +.
Slade describes it. The neophyte must
climb ladder of which the rungs are
naked swords, edge upward, and sit
upon a platform thickly studded with
spikes for all uncertain time before he
even 'goes up for examination'-and
this in the open air among a crowd OF
lribesmen.
OF the stories told by the lbn Batuta
some have been verified, so tospeak, but
not all One day, when he was talking
with Mohammed Tughlak at Delhi,
three Yogees approached, and the en-
peror told them to astonish his guest.
Forthwith one took the form of a cube,
rose into the air and hung above heir
heads. Ibn Batuta tainted promptly, but
the emperor gave him draft which
brought him to in an instant.
It has been suggested by those who
can read the original text that this must
have been alcohol in some form. How
ever. when hs recovered his senses the
object was still suspended. The second
Yoree then snatched sandal from one
of the bvstanders and struck it sharply
on the ground, thereupon the sandal
mounted and slapped the cube, as II
upon the face, when down the Iogee
fell. Mohammed Tughlak promised to
show his guests things yet more surprls-
inc. but Ibn was seized with a palplta-
ton of the heart, which put stop to the
entertainment for that time. Perhaps
there was no draft handy.
On another occasion, however, some
Chinese jugglers gave performance
''In my presence" says this respectable
traveller, ''they produced chain 90 Gu
bits long which they tossed upward, and
it stood erect. A dog was then brought
forward. 1t ran up on the chain and on
gaining the top vanished. In the same
manner a boy, panther, tiger and
lion mounted one after another and dis
appeared. At last they took down the
chain and put it into bag, no one dis
corning how the animals were made to
vanish in the mysterious way have de-
scribed. This, may venture to affirm,
was beyond measure strange and sur
prising.'
An exact pendant to this is tale civ,
in the "Liao-chai-chih-i," translated by
Stories From Il Chinese Studio" The au-
thor declares that he himself beheld the
marvels related-the only instance, we
believe, in which he vouches his personal
experience, fact worth noting, for he
tells thousand marvels of the sort.
When a little boy, Sung Lung was taken
to the provincial capital for the spring
feast and followed the crowd into the
Judges yamen. In the middle of the hall
was a man with little boy, who under
took to perform anything demanded of
of him. The great men seated round
asked for peaches. 1t was the month of
March.
Much business" followed, but at
length the juggler said he must get them
from the orchard of ''the royal mother"
who dwells in heaven. He took from
his box piece of cord "some tens of feet
long" arranged it carefully and threw
one end into the air, where it remained
fixed, cas- if caught by something and
he paid it out from below. Higher and
higher the rope mounted, until a small
piece only remained in his hands. Then
the man called his boy and babe him
climb up. Up went the boy, after more
gag" like a spider running up its
thread, and in q few minutes he was out
of sight.
Presently peach fell down as largeas
a basin. While themagistrates were ex-
aiming it the rope dropped suddenly in
a heap, and the man cried: alas, some
body has cut it! What will my son do
nowg" At the same instant the boys
head fell from heaven, and lamentations
which may be imagined followed. Limbs
and body came tumbling after. TOomit
business" the juggler collected them,
put them in his box and begged help for
the funeral expenses. The Mortified spec
tators subscribed literally, and when
they had given as much as could be
hoped the man tapped upon the box, say
ing, "Why don't you come out, You ras-
cal, and thank the gentlemen" Forth
with the boy threw up the lid, jumped
out and bowed to the company.
Sung Lung says: 81 have never forgot
ten this strange trick, which, as l have
heard now, is performed by the White
Lily sect, who probably learned it from
this man." The White Lily, otherwise
"Do Nothing" Wu-Wei-Keaou. is the
most dreaded secret society of China,
said by Mr.. Giles to date from 1850. Mr..
Maskelyne, we hear, has been consulted
upon Ibn Batuta's trick. He answered:
"These apparent effects were due doubt
less to the aid of concave mirrors, the
use of which was known to the ancients,
especially in the east, but they could not
have been produced in the open air."
The explanation seemed almost as in
comprehensive to the uninitiated as the
statement itself. AS a matter of fact,
however, the Chinese performance did
not take place in the open air. Sung Lung
mentions distinctly that hall in the
judges yamen was the scene. Upon the
other hand, how could the rope, and the
boy, penetrate a roof? But then again
Mr.. Giles does not notice the difficulty.
If the hall was but partially covered in,
Mr.. Maskelyne's objection might be met.
London Standard.