New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-30
THE MECHANISM OF MAGIC.
SECRETS or MANY WONDERS AND MYs-
TERIES
MAGIC. sThGE ILLUSIONS. AID SCIENTIFIC
DIyERSIoNs. INCLunlGNG, TR hS. ,nd PHo-
iIcr,nins With Gn INTRODUCTION by Henry
Ridgeiy Evans With Four Hundred Ilustra-
=. IL NlLrAt q

AIMS whose endowment Of an entertainment OF
made IS always impaired by their inability TO uh-
dcTs, and how the tricks are done. Alexander terF-
mann used TO say: "you don't want 20 know how
do my tricks: as soon as you know how do them
thcy will interest YOU no more" Doubtless he was
right as 10 some people but he was wrong as 10
others Ths book is largely for the others. Yet ID
suppose that Il serves no other rurT ose th"n 'he
qualification Of such ovorcurious persons would DC
q grave Injustice to the breadth Of MIR. Hopkinss
range Of study. The book has such slender pur-
pose as the mere furnishing Of key to the tricks
OF Il sleight-ofhand performer. hasty Siahce
through It gives the bewildor!ng impression that II
holds between rs coTers tho explanation OF every
thing that ever wondered about. II touches
upon the production Of ghosts. the surprising pos
sibties Of mirrors. spiritralsm. second sight jug
glery, hrc-eatirg. sword-swalowing. Venirhoquism
shaG0wrraphy, puppet shows. ancient ana mooeih'
Greek temple machinery, modern stage mechanism.
electrical effects. the cyclorama, fireworks, auto
matte chessplayers. mechanical toys ard TRICK
photography. These only n tiny fraction or the
subjects selected almost at random. In short the
aim seems to have been 10 describe and explain
everything mechanically odd. curious or astonish-
Ing from the beginning of history 70 the present
time and in all lands. With design Of this size in
hand II was inevitable that much should be related
which had been related before and so It happens
that The Tribune not 10 speak or other puolca-
lions. has from time TO time printed accounts IL
the Metropolitan Opera Horse stage. the revolving
stage of the Court Theatre of Munich. the mechaH-
lam of the fire dance the double auditorium OF the
Pleasure Palace in this city and the stage devices
OF "Siegfried" all of which are found in this VOL
ume But most Of the book will be new TO tho
most Of Its readers.
The lifting of wells begins the first page. for
the introduction. which is by no means the leas'
interesting part Of TIE book starts OF with d
reference 10 the rods which were cast down before
Pharaoh and became serpents The magician NOD
ert Heller declared that he had seen this eat many
times The rods. lie said were serpenis TO beGh
with. and hypnotized into the stihehed sem
bance Of rods. They were then cast upon the
ground and recalled to life and the power OF
squirming.
No doubt the r1ost famous tricks Of the modern
world Of magic are the East Indian basket trick
and mango trick" There are several ways or 90
ing the basket trick. and Mr.. Hopkins describes one
OF them credtiIg the explanation to the FAMOUS
magician Houdin. who studied the trick and did II
himself The experiment is too familiar 10 heed
extended description Of its appearance 10 the spec
tators A child placed in basket or just me
size and shape hold him and the basket Is closcd
The magician runs sword through the basket
and draws it out bloody. He opens the basket. and
II is found to be empty. while the child reappeaTs
at little distance in the crowd. 1t Is not easy 10
make this trick perfectly clear without diagram
but perhaps a notion Of the principle OF 1t can be
convened One side Of the basket IS double. Af.er
closing the basket the magician pretends 70 turn II
over on its side He really turns over only part of
IT, The bottom and thickness OF the double
side arc left they were, the other thickness De-
comes the bottom Of the basket In IT'S new position
what the opposite side OF this becomes 'he
top and the old bottom is left lying free upon the
ground. with the child upon It, outside the basket
But this old bottom and the child upon il are now
under the robe of the magician. While the ma2i-
clan is turning the basket back TO It's original po-
sion and running his sword through 1t the child
escapes into the crowd. The blood on the sword is
from sponge In the basket.
A favorite trick Of Of the best American
masicians, given at nearly all his performances. is
the growing Of rose bush IN a flower pot from
an alleged seed On the stage are two stands. with
a flower pot each. The pots are shown 10 be
filed with sand. The magician exhibits tail paper
cone open at both ends. lie holds this for an instant
over one of the pots and then removes 1t and shows
that there is green sprout In the sand. He puts
the the second pot, keeps II there little
longer and then removes Il. disclosing a bush alb
normally full Of He places IT again over the
first pot and obtains d rosebush there also. the
roses are off and distributed TO the audience
The stands have long draperes. but they are cut
away behind. where the audience cannot see and
there is shelf attached to each stand some dis
tance down. On each Of these shelves Is another
cone containing q Tosebush. The rosebush Is
stem with roses tied 10 It. the stem Itself being
fixed circular Lead base made TO At into the
top of one of the pots When the magician covers
the first pot with his empty cone he deftly drops
through 1t little piece Of metal. painted green,
and a moment later he shows this as the sprout
But as he removes the cone ne slips it down behind
the draped stand and over one Of tho other cones
containing a rosebush The bush is held inside its
own cone by string and a little hook which
hooks over the top edge. The magician picks up
the two cones. one inside the other and the bush
inside both. and places the whole over the second
pot. He dsengages the hook, lifts the cone off and
discloses the bush in the pot. Again he brings the
cones down behind the stand and the third
cone. He picks this up in the same manner as the
other, goes the first stand again and propa-
gates a second rosebush. On lifting the three cones
from this he shows them 10 the audience again and
they appear empty
This II interesting, and a great relief TO those
who have long marvelled at the trick but It is not
the mango trick. The mango trick IS the produc-
ton of a mango from seed placed IN the ground
before the eyes of the spectator and in q few min
utes, with no use of cones or covers. An Ameri-
can magician who visited India year or ego
saws that he saw this famous trick, but the near
est approach TO an explanation that he could Offer
was that the mango was actually produced, the
soil being taken from anthills and being remark
ably fertile from being imp egnated with formic
acid. Perhaps Mr.. Hopkins did not care TO try 10
explain the mango trick till he could offer some
thing easier to believe than that. AT any rate, he
makes reference TO II, unless there be an implied
reference in his remark that the stories Of Indian
tricks In general should he token with good deal
OF salt.
A simple and pretty little trick that almost any
body might do is the changing OF glass full OF
ink into aquarium The glass Of ink is exhibited
to the audience, then a handkerchief is placed over
1t and Immediately removed, showing glass OF
water with fish in It, OF course the water and the
fsh are there at first. The ink is perfectly repre-
scented by piece of black rubber cloth. laid
against the inside Of the glass. bit Of thread is
fastened TO the cloth and hangs over the side Of
the glass away from the audience. with little cork
at the end Of II. When the magician places the
handkerchief the glass lie takes hold Of the
cork and brings away cork, thread and ALL hidden
In the handkerchief. leaving the water and the fish
disclosed.
Speaking Of Ink. the Illusion which Hermann