, 1896-02-01
PEOPLE WHO LEARN CoNJURrNG.

Mr.. David Devant, of the Egyptian Hall
PiccadilIy gave our representative some
information the Other day concerning tho
present craze among society people for
amateur coujuring, and at this season Of
the year thi, subject is perhaps especially
interesting.
Yes, he remarked with emphasis, i do
think the fad viii last. Couiuring has Il
peculiar fascination for most people, once
they master the preliminaries. You wonld
be surprised il | we're to give YOU a list of
the names Of my pupils. They are recruited
from all classes OF society. and from nearly
every profession, not even excluding tbs
Church, | have on my books, at the present
moment. no fewer than SIX clergymen of the
Church Of England. You see a llttle c%oniur-
me goes down very well at school treats,
charity bazaars, &c. Several ladies, too, some
of them of very high social position indeed,
have passed through my hands. Speaking
generally however, women do not make good
conluaers. They are rather give to slurring
over their work.
Some Of my pupils have turned out excel.
lently, and one Of them prohted by my in
structlon to play mt a somewhat 5eurvy trick.
He took = course Of twenty-five lessons, and
on paying me the last instalment of my fee,
he slipped the sovereign INTO his own pocket
and deity handed me- the odd shilling. /
did not discover the mistake until it was
too late.
of course the more difficult and compli-
Gated tricks are seldom or never performed
IN public by amateurs but most of the
ordinary stage Illusions can be accomplished
by almost anyone after little careful tuition.
GnD,a+Iv,A. -y,,.. Az. ft-.rA-1
ages to produce some totally unexpected and
unrehearsed effects. For instance, l was once
engaged to give an entertainment at an at
homo at the house of a certain well-known
society leader, when an elderly mobleman-
one OF my pupils-undertook to perform the
hat and omelette trick He borrowed a
braud-new chimney pot from one of the
company, deity inserted within it the tin
receptacle which, as | need scarcely inform
you. contains the cooked omelette, and hav-
ing lighted the customary small spirit lamp.
proceeded to hold it over the flame. But.
alas, he misjudged his distance, and a large
hole was soon burnt in the crown of the new
Lincoln and Bennett while the o~lfactory
nerves Of the noble company were assailed
by a most villainous smell Of singed silk.
The owner Of the damaged tile was made
AA"PPS ~ 'HV PIOHtlHO - q nov OIO Ol iIB
morrow, but the performers reputation as a
c%onJurer was gone for ever.
One of he smartest pupils / ever had was
a young barrister, who, by the way, las re.
Gently taken silk. He threw himself heart
and soul into his work, and really did wonder
fully well. One wet day he and l were
journeying i'll a bus from the Egyptian Hall
to his house, when a little girl dropped her
fare in the straw which lined the bot
tom Of the vehicle. a diligent search failed
to bring to light the missing coin, and, as the
child seemed mich distressed over her loss
| pretended to find it on one Of the seats
This gave my companion an idea, and lie
forthwith began to find coins all over be
place, These he transferred to his own
pocket, the conductor and the other passengers
meanwhile looking on in speechless astonish-
ment. At Charing Cross we alighted. fol
lowed by the suspicious chances of our fellow
travellers, some of whom were busiIy engaged
IN searching their respective pockets, evident
Iy for the purpose of assuring themselves
that none of the coins so mysteriously dis.
covered were their own individual property
'Ihe conductor, however, who Was q n,ott,
Shlewd fellow, saw through the LITTLE oo%a