The record-union., 1896-08-23

pianiste of the first rank" Taubert OF
Berlin said in the "Volkszeitung, 'she
is the greatest heard here in many
years" Busler said: Beyond all criti-
cism is the perfect clearness of hel
pronounced her "a powerful master OF
the keyboard" and added, her virtuos-
ity is stupendous' while Neumann, in
the ''Tagblat" of Berlin, said: She
has taken her place in the very front
rank of living great pianists.' After
that tour she came home, but returned
to Germany in 1894, and made another
tour, taking in Munich, Frankfort, Co
logne and Bremen, with the same re-
sults-the verdict was strength, virile
conception and strength, feminine del
icacy and fascinating qualities as an in
terpreter." And now the lady has un-
dertaken her first Pacific Coast tour
1t remains to be seen if she will surprise
California.
Frederick Bancroft, the American
magician is coming to the coast with
his tricks Bancroft thus explains
the mango trick that has puzzled
Oriental travellers and has had all sorts
Of explanations, the latest being the
theory that the Hindoo necromanceI
hypnotizes the spectators:
Natural heat ripens: artificial heat
forces. 1t is possible almost to see the
plants grow in a forcing house with the
naked eye: development can actually
be noted with a magnifying glass of suf-
ficient power. 1 have referred hereto
fore to what was probably a bad fake OF
the celebrated mango trick. Since ther
L have witnessed perfect performance
of this feat, justly celebrated for sc
many thousands of years and which
hitherto, has never been done in Europe
OF, at all events, under conditions SINH
lar to its enactment in India. The per-
former was a Yogi, not a common every
day, vulgar conjurer. / had to send fol
him, offer him a hundred rupees, and
even then, my messenger had to use tact
and persuasion to induce him to come
to me. My rooms at the Byculla Hotel
Bombay, We're on the second floor. / sat
in the doorway of my private room. The
Yogi performed on the back veranda, q
place where concealed doors trap-doors
collusion or confederates We're alike i'm
possible. The man did undoubtedly
make leaf spring out of small mound
of earth piled on the planked flooring
of the veranda, did make it grow into q
dwarf mango and did hand me a mango
from II which 1 actually tasted.
1t looked wonderful, because of the
perfectly acted simplicity of the juggler
but he performed his feat in four pro-
cesses and between each he shook out
his chudder, so that it passed for an in
stant between me and the plant. Being
in the business 1 was, of course, aware
that this action was for the purpose OF
distracting my attention and the mar
succeeded, for the same reason that g
finger poked suddenly at your eyes viii
make you blink, although you have
solemn assurance that you shall not be
touched-the blinking is merely uncon-
troled nerves. (By the way this same
uncontroIability accounts for the unsus-
pected but voluntary assistance every
audience lends every magician.)
My strong impression at the time was
that the first leaf, the upgrowing OF
leaves, the dwarf mango, and the mango
fruit on it were all of wax or other care
fully made imitation. The wax mango
was, by sleight of hand, changed to the
real fruit / tasted. Sending the man
away I repeatedly thought back over
everything he had done and failed tc
satisfy myself that my first accounting
for the Yogi performance was in any
way correct. Determining to get at the
mystery of the thing, if any way posi-
BILE, l put up another hundred rupees
and sent for the Yogi again. The old
man was interested and, through an in
terpreter we had a talk. l made nc
bones of telling him / was a professional
magician; it occurred to me the infor-
nation might make him nervous and
that trifiing slip might reveal his
methods.
He became quite cordial at once
assured me that there was no sleight OF
hand at all about the mango trick, but
that if IF the sahib would permit he
would show him good trick which was
a trick and nothing more Naturally
acquiesced at once. He beckoned ar
attendant who had accompanied him
1t was young woman, who may have
weighed seventy pounds. She lay dowr
and the man placed over her a shallow
fiat basket with a handle at the back
exactly resembling the basket used fol-
vegetables and called a frail' Their
with a light and graceful gesture, he
took I'D the basket and laid it down two
or three feet off. The woman had van
ished For half a minute l was puzzled
but my eyes roved over the basket with
minute care: flaw in the wicker gave
the trick away. The whole thing had
been piece of superb acting. The de-
ception was ludicrously simple. The
young woman had learned to hook her
self with her fingers and prehensile toes
into the strong matwork forming the
top of the frail and the man, who though
slight was evidently powerful, had
learned to lift her as If he We're lifting
nothing but the basket. / am thinking
of improving on this and using it my
self.
The Yogi then caused the mango
growth precisely as before and with the
same success. but this time / observed
that he brought his own earth; and
remembered he had done so on the first
occasion. In answer to my questions
the man vowed that the growth was 9
real growth and that he caused it by his
magnetism, and with many ingeniously
specious arguments he seemed to prove
his case.
IF the artificial heat of common
manure, concentrated under glass, car
hasten natural growth fifty or a hun
dred per cent, why should not the con-
centrated will power of human being
accomplish that which was not very
much more remarkable than the action