The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-24

standing in the middle, is required to find
1t by its sound as it is blown from time to
time. Whoever counts out" for the
game must arrange that the player in the
middle is some one who does not know
the trick, which is played thus: The
whistle is fastened to one end of string
about foot and a half long, at the
other end of which is bent pin. The
pin is hooked into the clothes of the
player in the middle of the ring. so
that the whistle always hangs behind
him. 1t is blown by some one and the
seeker turns quickly to find it, thus car
rying it in front of some one else who
blows it again. The victim of the trick
Is thus kept turning from side to side till
he discovers the deception. The pin can
be hooked into his clothes without his
noticing it by making him kneel down
and close his eyes and then, after going
through mock ceremony, declaring him
knight of the whistler and striking
him on the back; while this is gong on
the whistle can be attached to him unob-
served. The players should pretend to
pass the whistle from one to another to
heighten the illusion.
Bookbinder is another holiday time di-
version that looks simple and tame but
can be made highly exciting. ANY num-
Der of persons sit in circle, each holding
book on the back of his clinched fists.
One who has been chosen bookbiuder and
stands in the middle of the circle, goes
to any player and Selling, that players
book attempts to rap his knuckles, which
the holder of the book tries to avoid by
pulling back his hands quickly. If the
oookblnder succeeds in this, the player
whose knuckles he raps changes places
with him otherwise he replaces the
book and tries to do the same with some
one else. The bookbinder may pretend
IN Sniya a hOOly hntf
and II the holder pulls away his hands so
that the book fall, he must take the lead
er's place as If his knuckles had been
raped. The leader can make this game
very exciting if he run quickly from one
to another, pretending to take upone
book and then seizing another, thus keep
ing the players constantly on the lookout.
Sneezing is an amusement rather than
Christmas game. 1t is played by hav-
ing chosen leader to give to each player
syllable ending in "sh" or some similar
one sounding like part of q sneeze, as
"ash, "eSh,n ''ish," Josh" ''oush, ,"
''aish" or ''ashoo." At a given signal
from the leader, all the company pro-
nounce their syllables together.
The effect is laughable, sounding exactly
like sneeze if properly played.
Resembling the whistling game in that
1t has victim but differing totally from
it in every other way, is a play called
meSmerism. The one to be mesmerized
called the subject, who must be unac-
quainted with the trick, is told to sit oppo-
site the operator while the other players
merely look on. The operator calls for
two soup plates. BY previous arrange
ment with the Others the bottom of one
plate has been blackened by holding it
over a candle, and this one has
been given to the subject The lat
ter is directed TO fix his eyes
steadily on the operators face and to
| initiate every motion as exactly
as possible. The operator then dips his
fingers in the water in his plate, rubs it
on the bottom and then draws a line on
his face. The subject does the same. ex-
| cept that as the bottom of his plate is
blackened, he thus makes a
black mark on his face. As his
eyes are fixed on the operators face.
he does not perceive that his finger tip is
black. When the operator has thus
caused him to decorate his face as much
as he chooses, he tells the subject that his
will must be very strong, as he finds it
| impossible to place him under the mes
meric influence. The subject may then
be shown his face in a mirror.
Mind reading is both a game and an
| experiment and played by any number
| of persons, one of whom leaves the
room, while the others agree on some
simple thing for him to do. The