The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-23
FOUR LITTLE TRICKS.
Putting Bird in Its Cage, n Needle
Through a Nickel and Men in Soap
Bubbles.

Putting Bird in Its Cage, Needle
Through a Nickel and Men in Soap
Bubbles.
There are four little tricks which are
said to have originated with the late Herr
mann, and which for awhile baffled those
who saw them performed by him In
deed, they continue to be battling, for their
secret is slight of hand as well as knowl-
edge.
The easiest of them is the putting of a
bird in its cage by an optical delusion.
Take a round piece of pasteboard and on
one side of it draw canary bird. If you
cannot draw you can cut small bird
out of a picture and paste it on the card.
On the other side of the pasteboard draw
| a cage utss-t ai
When you show this card to the aud
fence show them the side of the card only
upon which the cage is drawn, yet do 1t
in such a way that they imagine they
have seen both sidse of the pasteboard.
! Tie a piece of thread through opposite
sides of the card and twiri rapidly before
| the eyes of your audience. The bird and
the cage will move so rapidly that the au-
dience will see a bird In it's cage where be-
| The simple trick of putting a needle
| through a nickel can DE done, without
| private rehearsal. Take a cork and run
| a needle through it, leaving the point
| flush with the cork. Now place a nickel
between two blocks Of wood, put the
cork upon it and give the top sharp
| blow with a hammer. When you have
! pulled the cork off the needle the point
| of the needle will be found TO have
| penetrated the nickle. This is most sue
! cessfully accomplished by taking a
marked nickel from any one In the COM
pany.
Disappear and return a minute later
with the needle driven through the nckle
The very attractive feat of causing a
table to move can be done by means Of
| a thread attached to the trousers leg of
the skilful operator. Let the thread be
| caught also around the leg of the table.
During the evening, as the conversation
| turns upon peculiar phenomena, the sub
! ject of table tipping can be introduced.
| The willy operator, sitting by a table, sug-
| gests that he can make the table move.
| All are anxious to see him do So He be-
| gins by rubbing the top smartly with a
| silk handkerchief to generate the cleo
/ tricity Then he makes peculiar passes
| over it, and, finally, stepping backward,
he commands ii to follow him. Needless
| to say, it obeys him, walking faster or
! slower, according to his demand. If this
| is practlced upon dark floor with a slen-
| der black silk thread the deception is
perfect. u
The most interesting trick is the soap
| bubble one. TO perform this two cork
| figures must be made. They can be col
ored with bright paint Fasten them with
wire to a small cork stand.
The soap-bubble mixture Is important
to prepare. For 1t you must shave a
quantity of CASTLE soap, perhaps half a
/ teacup, and to 1t add a fourth Of the guam
tity Of glycerine. Melt the soap in warm
water before adding the glycerine
/ This should make perhaps pint Of
heavy. soapy water. Test the bubbles,
! and if you cannot blow them as large as
| the moon the mixture is not properly mix
ed Soap bubble exhibitors often blow
| bubbles as large as three and four feet
in diameter by the use of this mixture.
Take a short strip of wood Ga foot rule
will do) and drive a small nail Into each
end. Then stretch a thin string, or bet
ter stil a piece of wire. from one nail
to the other, and place a bridge under 1t
| so as to form a primitive musical instru-
| ment Next nail to one end of the strip
of wood the lid OF a tin in such q manner
that II touches the string or wire, and
place the figures inside the lid
after moistening it well with soap and
water. Now take a straw and blow a
bubble in the lid and then touch the string
| gently The vibration of the latter will
then be communicated to the ia and the
| figures will dance inside the bubble
A beautiful optical effect Is thus OBJ
tanned and The delight of the audience is
such that the bubble performer Is kept
busy all the evening with fresh creations.