Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-01
WOMEN AS. MAGICIANS
ARE ESPECIALLY DEFT In USE OF
SECRET POCKETS.
They Have a Greater Facility Than
Men in Intricate Tricks
of Palming.
From the Rochester Post-Express.

From the Rochester Post Express.
1T has always been mystery to me-"
said manufacturer of magicians' goods,
why more women have not taken up con-
Turing business. Women nowadays are
doing nearly everything that a man does in
the way of making living. and there is no
good reason why they should not succeed.
both artistically and pecuniarily. In the
role of wizards. AS matter of fact. a
woman is gifted by nature with the chief
requisite of the art-that of misdirection.
which Is vastly more valuable than mere
sleight of hand. Dexterity will come with
practice. but the power to divert the minds
and eyes of an audience. pretending to do
one thing and in reality doing another. must
be born in one and cannot be acquired. /
know many men whose manipulation of
cards and coins borders on the marvellous,
but they could not deceive ten-year-Old
child when 1t comes to creating an Illusion
To woman this psychological branch of
prestidigitation is as natural as swimming
to duck. and though only moderately
skillful in sleight-of- hand she is able to get
great deal more out OF an illusion than
most men.
Women as Wizards.
when I started in the business of man
ufacturing magical goods. twenty years
ago. there were few professional women
magicians. They could be counted on the
fingers Of one hand. Women amateurs were
unheard OF. In the last FIVE years, however,
conditions have materially changed. There
are many women on the professional stage
who are making handsome incomes as wiz
ards. though there Is only one where hun
dred could make good living. And on my
books I have the names of many women
who are enthusiastic amateur performers,
and they buy a great deal of expensive ap-
paratus. The number Is increasing every
year. and I am confident that in few
years there will be almost as many women
amateurs as men. I have letters nearly
every day from women who make inquiries
about taking lessons in the art and my
wife makes this branch of the business a
speciality. She teaches sleight-of-hand and
instructs her customers In the use OF ap-
paratus, and. what Is a matter OF even more
Importance she fits her customers with the
proper clothes In which to perform their
tricks. To do this successfully requires con-
siderable skill. for the dresses must contain
a number Of secret pockets, and FEMININE
| fashions change SO rapidly that 1t Is i'm
possible to lay down exact positions Tor
these necessary receptacles.
Pockets Of "Conjurers."
| AS a general rule, however. one good
sized pocket at the back of the skirt just
| over the hips can generally be managed
| If a belt or sash forms part of the cos
| tune, 1t provides an opportunity for sew
| eral little pockets which may be let into 1t
| Of sufficient size to hold coin or any other
| small object. If there are revers on the
| bodice, each may conceal a little pocket be-
| hind 1t. Sometimes straight or sinuons
| embroideries or tucks or founces run across
| or down the skirts. and these will admir-
| ably conceal the openings of pockets of
greater or less size. In evening dress q
pocket may be let into each side OF me
| opening at the chest. 1t Is obvious that a
great deal of ingenuity Is necessary IN
| order to clothe a woman conjurer properly.
With men 1t is different. They wear ihe
conventional dress suits the world over,
and 1t is necessary only to insert couple
| Of pockets in the tail Of the coats, a couple
| of big pockets are sewed inside the coat
under the arms, and at each side OF me
back of the trousers is placed small
pocket just above the thigh.
"Among professional women magicianS
at the present time the most noted Is Nine.
Patrice, an English woman, who in private
life is Mrs. Lang Neil. She is woman OF
guages perfectly and possesses great skill
In ight-of-hand. She Is a favortte with
the royal family and has appeared many
times In private before King Edward ana
the world to present De Kolta's famous
illusion, The Vanishing Lady, and 1t
| created such a furore that she was COM
manded by the King Of England (then the
Torrance in the ball room at SandringhaEl.
Patrice was assisted by Prof. Bertram,
| celebrated English conjuror. On this oc-
| casion Nine. Patrice. when asked by bert
ram whether she should be mystically
| transported, was requested by the Princess
| of Wales to go to the drawing room ana
bring her a bouquet. She was seated as
usual upon the chair, and hey, presto! IN
| a flash she had gone. Inside of ten seconls
| she ran I'D the ball room with beautlrul
bouquet Of flowers which. in few words
! In German, she presented to her royal hlSn-
ness This success at Sandringham estap-
| lIshed Nine Patrice's popularity In Eng
| land, where she Is still In great demand.
She has made fortune out Of her work.
'In this country Nine. Hermann Is rec
| oRnized as the most skillful woman ma
gician. The leading professional in Ger
many, the home of magic. is Eleanora Or
| Iowa. She had the honor of appearing be-
fore Queen Henrietta OF Belgium .s ,a ana
| ing woman conjuror in France and Okita.
| a clever Japanese magician. has made
| successful tour of the world.
Queen Henrietta.
1.-The most prominent as well as the most
| skfllful woman amateur was the late
| Queer Henrietta of Belgium. She was
pupil of the famous Carl Hermann, who,
while taking the baths at Ostend, in 1882.
was requested by the queen to give her
| lessons in sleight-of-hand and in mechan-
| ical magic For six months Hermann was
| a guest at the royal palace at Brussels,
| and four hours were spent daily in drilling
| the queen In the rudiments OF the art. The
royal pupil displayed remarkable apti-
| tude for the art. She was assiduous in
| practicing the thousand and one details that
are necessary to a mastery Of the art, and
when Carl Hermann at length resumed
| his professional tours. the queen was able
| to present q program Of magic almost as
| well as any professional conjurer in Eu-
| rome The queen had a stage built In her