The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-14
TAI TsrNG'S MAGIC PAINTING.
A Dresden Chemist Imitation of a Chinese
Emperor's Wonder

Emperor's Wonder.
The Chinese Emperor Tai Tsung possessed
among other treasures a picture known as a
magic painting. 1t represented a pastoral
scene with a COW standing in a field and noun
tnlus beyond. When the picture was shown to
strangers or guests and they admired it the
Emperor would say:
Yes. this is a remarkable painting. The
COW. as you see. is standing: but II the room
was darkcned the cow would think it night and
would lie down"
Then the Emperor would order the room to
be- darkened. and the COW would be seen to be
lying down. apparently asleep. The picture
was a water color. over which was painted in
]colorless phosphorescent paint a similar
picture representing the COW lying down. In
the light the standing animal was seen. but at
night or in a darkened room only the phos-
rhorescent picture was visible. so the magic
picture was. after all. n very simple trick. A
Dresden chemist. named Schade. has dis
covered a method Of initiating it which can be
accomplished as follows: First paint in Or
binary colors the picture OF the COW standing.
Then melt some Zanzibar copal over a cha rcoal
fire, and dissolve fifteen parts OF it in sixty
parts "t French oil of tUrpentinc. Filter this
and mix with TWENTY-FIVE parts OF pure linReed
oil which has been previously heated and
CDOleu. NOW lhkt lOItN parts OF the VAfnlSn
SO obtained and mix with six parts OF prepared
calcium carbonate. twelve parts OF prepared
white zinc sulphide and thirty-six parts Of
luminous calcium sulphide. all OF which can
be obtained from any chemist. This emul-
sion should be ground very fine in a color mill
the result will be white luminous paint. which
should be used to paint the COW lying down.
Many seemingly wonderful tricks can be per-
formed with the use OF a few simple chemicals.
One of them is the ball OF fire. Take for this
harium sulphate ,CPl. l part: magnesium
carbonate UCP,. / part gum tragacanth q. g..
This should be mixed and rolled into marbles
and kept al a red heat for about an hour. then
allowed to cool slowly and placed in a glass
stoppcred bottle. A few hours before using
place in the sun. and the marbles at once he
come luminous. At the entertainment ordi-
nary marbles are passed among the audience.
one or. more of the luminous marbles being
concealed in the hand. The exhibitor. then
takes a marble from some one in the audience.
holds it between his thumb and foreHnger.
blows, upon il. and asks to have the lights
luminous marble. and the mysterious light Is
Se@n, I ! rs i v hhan ID f,r around n d and and changes
Rician presents to the audience several OF the
ordinary marbles as souvenirs;
A4other trick i very effective. Take two
over with glue or mucilage and powder it with
the dust from one Of the marbles described
ened room luminous flowers are se0n. The
magician exhibits the flowers that have not
been prepared and shows that there is nothing
peculiar about them then. as the light is
turned down. no substitutes the concealed
bunch, blows upon the flowers. and. presto!
displays to the astonished observers a lumin-
Gus. bunch, each flower OF which stands out
as il at white heat.
Luminous letters can be written and cxhib-
tied in til" dark to the wonder OF the audience.
Luminous ink is made by placing q piece OF
nhosphorus about the SIZE 81 a pea in a test
IN lln NNlII "a litfIn al NA oil hn tlhn In, "a