The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-22

plicated apparatus, mechanical devices.
scenery, light effects and music, or in
the humber shape of parlor perform
ances where handkerchiefs are made to
appear and disappear and coins are
produced from unexpected places,
magic is always entertaining and mys-
tifying. Time and time again the
astonishing tricks of the prestidigita-
tor, magician and medium are per-
formed, but stiA the public seeks in
formation on the subject, and any new
publication which purports to give it
meets with welcome reception and
ready sale.
The latest and most complete work,
revealing the methods by which pro
fessicnal magicians perform their
| tricks and produce the illusions that
astonish the spectator, mas just been
issued by Mum & Co., of the Scientific
American office, and is from the pen of
Mr. Albert A. Hopkins, the editor of
the Scientific American Cyclopaedia.
Mr.. Hopkins is a scientist of no mean
ability, being himself a discoverer and
inventor, and any information which
emanates from him may be relied upon
as perfectly accurate. His book, which
is entitled, Magic. Stage Illusions and
Scientific Diversions" is, therefore,
something more than a handbook of
ordinary presHdigitation and stage
tricks, for not only does it explain,
with the utmost fullneSs of detail, all
! the Illusions and tricks of the most
celebrated stage magicians, but it is
/ history Of the subject. giving an ac-
| count of magic in ancient and modern
, times, and also contains an expose of
the means by which spirit mediums
work the wonders that mvstify their
circles of wondering dupes.
The historical portion of Mr. Hoo
kins' book will be a revelation 10 the
ordinary reader, for it contains very
complete descriptions of the means by
which the priests of ancient times
worked their wonders. There are not
wanting in ancient literature some ex-
plantations as 10 how stage n1arvels
were wrought among the Greeks and
temple wonders among the Romans,
creeks and Egyptians, and that the
anclentS knew more OF mechanical adj
vices than they are commonly credited
with is proven by the references dill
gently collected by Mr. Hopkins from
Heron and other authors of antiquity
wac left records of the manner in
which the marVels were performed
that astonished the people of that day.
heron, for instance, describes a small
/ theatre, or puppet show, which rolled,
/ CT Its own accord, across the larger
! stage to the chosen position. after
I which automata poured out wine and
mix from their vessels, the sounds of
trumpets, drums and tymbals We're
heard, fires We're lighted, dances were
( performed by coStumed figures. and
the entertainment being ended, the
doors OF the mimic stage closed and the
. structure rolled back behind the scenes.
/ Heron's description makes plain the
I ciockwoTks, the weights, the pendu-
iuns' the wheels, pulleys and other
+ devices by which these wonders were
/ accomplished. Mr.. Hopkins gives the
testimony of several ancient writer's
/ to show that the miracles in the tenn
] pies were of a similar character to
/ those IN the theatre, and cites the re-
! searches of archaeOlogistS to prove that
! every understanding temple was nro-
Vlded with secret chambers, elaborte
] machinery and mechanical c0ntriyances
ny winch apparently supernatural eff
reefs were produced. The little temple
OF Ava. in Italy, unearthed a few years
! ago, was found to have a secret cham
Der behind the altar and tubes leading
/ TO every part of the ding This tenn
pie avs The home OF an oracle: at diff
! ferent points in its wall there were sta
tues OF various deities, these tubes led
/ TO the statues, and the dupe who paid
hperally for an utterance from partic-
! ular deity was rewarded by a voice an
really proceeding from a concealed at
tenGant in the subteranean vault. who
I had previously been instructed as to the
part he was to take
Modern magic is not available for re-
igioUs purposes, but its commercial
| utility has been demonstrated by scores
! of public performers, some of whom
/ have reapad very large fortunes by
their skill. They are geniuses in their
I way, for there must be a genius for
magic ere the performer can be sue
/ cessful. Our century has by no means
had q monopoly of these stage magi-
clans, Tor one OF the most famous was
Count Cagliostro who has aptly been
! termed abe Last Magician of the
Black Art" being the last of the fra
ternity who claimed to have dealings
with the evil one and to perform his
( wonders by the aid of satan. CaglioStrO
was nothing more than a clever conju-
rer, but the claims that he made to
| dealings with the evil one rendered him
! an object of terror wherever he went,
and more than once he was in danger of
the stake. After Cagliostro came Jones,
/ Carlotti, Katerfelto, Rollin, Comus l.,
Pinetti, who, by the way, was the in
Ventor of the trick. now common on the
stage, OF a blindfolded confederate
naming articles passed up by the au-
dience and held over his head; Torrini,
| HoUdin, Hermann and KeIlar. Each
had his specialties except Houdin and
Hermann, who were both inventors and
/ discoveries, and, having marked me-
chanical genius and taste for investi-
cation, dealt in all lines OF magic, and
| every season procured novelties of their
own contrivance for the amusement of
the public
The simplicity of the means by which
stage receptions are effected is such as
would disgust an audience were it
aware of the case with which it is i'm
posed upon them. The audience trusts
to it's eyes, for what is so convincing as
anything seen with your own.eyes; but
| that the eyes can be deceived by the
moves his hands with rapdidity which
the eyes cannot follow. Stage devices,
however. of a very simple nature can
be made to produce exceedingly mysti-
flying effects. Everyone has seen the So
called miracle of aerial suspension. A
beautiful lady, richly dressed, for ugli-
ness and plain clothing would not take
in such q performance, walks to a small
platform on the stage, stands upon it,
supported by two bars, one under each
elbow. She is then placed in a hypnotic
state, or is supposed to be, whereupon
| one Of the supports is removed, her
limbs are raised to a horizontal posi-
ton, her arms are arranged in a grace
| full pose, the other support is removed
and she is left suspended in the air. the
magician passing a bar completely
above and below her, to show that there
are no wires or artificial appliances by