The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-02-10
SOME INDIAN MAGIC.
A WRITER IN AN ENGLISH PAPER Of
FERS EXPLANATIONS.


He Tells How the Mango, the Mysterious
Disappearance and the sitting In the Air
Tricks Are Done, but Is In the Dark on
the Interment "NIiracIe."
II is assumed that certain feats have
been performed for thousands of years,
which is true; that they cannot be per-
formed in Europe, which is imaginary,
snd that in certain details they are mirac-
ulous or outside natural means, which, in
the present state of the evidence, is pure
assumption. The writer, for example, has
seen three of the reputed miraculous tricks
the creation of the dwarf mango, the
sitting in the air and the disappearance of
II living being from u basket in place
where trapdoors, concealed exits or collu-
sion were all alike physically impossible.
In the first case, the juggler, one of the
hereditary caste did undoubtedly make n
leaf spring out of the ground, did make 1t
grow into n dwarf mango and did hand
mango from it to be eaten. 1t looked Won
derful because of the apparent simplicity
of the juggler, but he performed his feat
in four processes, and between each he
shook out his chudder, or muslin wrapper,
so that it passed for an instant between
the spectators and the plant. The writer
had no doubt then and has no doubt now
that this was done not to conceal anything
but to distract attention momentarily;
that the first leaf, the upgrowth of leaves,
the dwarf mango and the mango on IL
were all of wax or other carefully made
imitation, and that the whole miracle"
was marvelously rapid sleight of hand.
There was nothing in 1t at all which Mr..
Maskelyne could not do, for the juggler,
though he had no sleeves, had n turban,
and the performance was decidedly less in
explicable than one carried through by q
French juggler in the hall of the Hotel de
In Poste at Geneva. This performer put n
franc piece of the year 1865 on plate,
promised to replace IL by any franc piece
asked for and did replace it by n franc
piece of the first republic while 90 pairs
of eyes were staring at the plate. Tho
writer, who held the plate and furnished
the first franc piece, was certain that he
had never taken his eyes off the coin, and
was of course mere victim to his foolish
certainty. His attention had been dis
! tracted as in the case of the mango
though by some infinitely more delicate
method.
In the case Of the sitting in air the
writer has no certainty. The performer, a
woman, certainly seemed to defy the laws
| of gravitation, sitting two feet from the
ground in open sunlight with her wrist on
the hilt of an ordinary sword. u is posi-
BILE, however, lightly as she was dressed,
that she was sitting in a loop of wire at
tached to tho sword hilt, and she certain
ly never brcathed. We believe the explana-
ton to consist in long practiced habit of
holding the breath, which, as we have
been told, lightens the body, and in some
art Of remaining absolutely motionless for
a certain number of seconds. 1t was the
opinion of professional man present that
the woman was in a trance, but there was
certainly nothing miraculous about the
feat, though it seemed at the moment
nearly inexplicable.
AS to the third trick-the vanishing
the writer is certain. A juggler stepped at
Madras on to the deck of Peninsular and
Oriental company's steamer and offered the
company assembled, who were lounginq
about highly bored by the old method OF
coaling, If they would subscribe, to show
them something better than common jug
Cling. The collection, of course, was forth
coming at once. He cleared a space on the
deck and told his wife to lie down. The
young woman, who may have weighed
seven stone, but more probably Six lay
down, and her husband placed over her O
shallow fat basket, with handle at the
back, exactly resembling the baskets used
for vegetables in East Anglia and called
"frail."
Then with light and graceful gesture
he took up the basket and laid it down
two or three feet off. The woman had
vanished, and tho audible amazement
seemed deeply to crafty the juggler
Unfortunately the writer essentially al
awkward man, in stepping back stepped
on the edge of the ''frail" and heard lit
tie cry of pain. The whole thing had beer
piece of superb acting. The young WON
an had learned to hook herself with hel
fingers and prehensile toes into the strong
matwork forming the top of the frail, ant
the husband, slight but powerful man
had learned to lift her as If he were lifting
nothing but the basket. The writer, o.
course, said nothing about his awkward
ness; the juggler, after one savage glance
said nothing either and only two year
ago the case was quoted as one Of thos'
only seen in India, and which, owing t.
the total absence of machinery, could no
be explained away.
There remain other 'miracles' at leas
still to be explained. One is the self in
terment practiced by some Brahmans VIII,
are revered as saints in consequence. Tn,
writer has never seen this, but he inquired
into it once very carefully at Benares, eros
examining, among others, the well know
English Pundit, DIR. Ballantyne, to whom
no native told lies, and he has no doub
that on two or three occasions old Brah
mans have descended into prepared gray,
or underground cell and have remained
there for 40 days at least without apparen
means of obtaining food or drink and will
no arrangement for the natural evacua
tions.
How that feat Is performed he has n,
idea. 1t cannot be q mere trick for tn
whole business has been watched by Euro
peans, and 1t cannot be mere case o
heightened abstinence like the one shown
at the aquarium and in Italy, for though
as medical records show, a human beinI
can survive without food for an astonish
ing length of time-a convict at Ipswiol
was more than 40 days dying-he canno
survive without water. He goes mad, b
begin with. The only possible, or rathe
the only probable, explanations, therefore
are that a few Brahmans know Of druI
which induces protracted catalepsy-a con
oeivable solution-or that no Brahman per
forms the feat who cannot like the Colone
Townshend Of 100 years ago, will himsel
into cataleptic trance and repeat this "A
often as his vitality will admit 1t is
very wonderful performance, worth NOR
attention than it has received, but 1t Is
most infrequent one.-London Spectator.
Experienced.
A stockbroker, grown rich, gives som'
advice to new beginner, You see, IN,
dear friend, men may be divided into two
oiasses-dupes and rogues."
And where do you come inf"
"If / have been both In turnP'-Sup
element Litteraire-
The deepest lake in the world is LAX
Baikal, Siberia 1t Is 1850 feet deep, an'