The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-24

Tn our lives witness the extraordinary
 feats bordering on miracles. with which
 prestidigitatenr can dazzle our eyes and misguide our judgment"
 l He adds: Modern magic is not merely diversion or recreation. but 1 may become possessed of deeper worth when 1t broadens our insight
 into the rich possibilities of mystifica- ton, while a peep behind the scenes will keep us sober and prevent us from | falling a prey to superstition."i | 1t is just exactly this peep behind
 the scenes that Mir. Evans gives us in
 his highly interesting manner The reader would sometimes like to have | more than peep" but -dr. Evans be- | longs to the fraternity, so to speak. being himself an amateur magician, so l he does not reveal every trick and iiiu- l sion.
 1 There are personal anecdotes of the leading professionals of today. and ev- cry available source has been drawn | upon to furnish interesting accounts of earlier magicians.
 1 feel sure that the reader will agree | that his chapter on Cagliostro Is the most interesting. That Cagliostro who boasted of his great age. of his inti- | macy with Christ; and could dare to | say of him: How often we strolled l together on the sandy shore of the /, Lake of Tiberias How infinitely sweet l his voice. But. alas. he would not heed I my advice. He loved to walk on the ] seashore. where he picked up band of lazzaroni--of fishermen and beg gars This and his preaching brought him to a bitter end" Do you wonder that Carlyle called him "brass-faced. 1 vociferous, voracious!" But aside from 1 his Charlatanism, it is the prominent part he played In the affairs of the Diamond Necklace that will forever render his life an interesting one to even the most casual student of men
 and history. Then Cagliostro publish ed a pamphlet. prophesying that the
 bastile would be demolished. In few years the prediction was fulfilled. His house still stands-a memorial in stone
 of it's master, says the author: Gag liostro locked the doors of his labora- tories and seance- chamber sometime Tn June, l7S6, on the occasion of his exile from France. All during the revolu- ton the house remained closed and in tact Twenty-founr years of undis- turbed repose passed away. The dust
 settled thick upon everything; spiders
 built their webs upon the gilded cell ings of the salons. Finally in the Ma poleonic year 1S10, the doors of the temple of magic and mystery were un- fastened. and the furniture and rare curios, the retorts and crucibles, be- longing to the dead cunjurer were auc- tioned off" So much for this notorious impostor
 A very interesting chapter is devot- ed to Pinetti. the prince of prestidi- gitateurs of the eighteenth century" His life reads like a romance, and proves once again that truth Is strang- CT than fiction" His rope-tying ex- periments were the prototypes for the cabinet evolutions of modern mediums. Coming down to the present day, full Accounts are given of Kellar. Mas kelyne and Houdini Of Downs. who gave private seances before Edward VII of England. and charmed him with his fine performance with cards and manipulations of coins.
 We are indebted to the author for
 the delightful manner in which he de- picts the lives of these people who add a tinge of romance to history, because of their success in their art. Most Of us know about the great battles, the intrigues of diplomatic life, but not all
 of us have known of these adventurers, until reading MT. Evans's entertaining
 history of them.
 Tn Honor of James Whitcomb Riley"
 is the title of a little book containing,
 within a modest gray cover, an hours charming reading. It is the story of
  CTS Association when at their meeting
 In December, 1905, they determined to
 have Riley Day" The charm of the
 book is in the sweetness of the situa- ton, the blessedness of saying things to ones face which the world general ly says at his back or reserves for his
 memorial services.
 The little book is compilation of the addresses made by distinguished
 Indianians and others on that occasion and of the response of Riley As we read we feel ourselves in the presence of the vast audience of the poets na-
 tive friends, we join in their applause,
 our eyes are bedimmed with the same
 tears. our hearts swell with the same
 pride, for in the good that has come
 out of Indiana the literary world feels
 It's kinship and claims its share.
 The book closes with a sketch of the
 life of Riley and of the beginning of
 his literary fame.
 The frontispiece Is the face of the
 poet himself and accompanying each
 address is the likeness of the orator.
 By LOve's Sweet Rule--In this age
 of preposterous heroines and wonder
 heroes, it is most refreshing to stum-
 ble across book that can be safely
 handled by our children or our sisters without fear of jeopardizing their nor
 als, or giving them false idea of life
 in general Gabrielle Jackson has
 shown a deep sympathy and under
 standing of girl nature in her new book, By Loves Sweet Rule" Brought
 out in a most attractive form, 1t is q
 credit to the publishers as well as to
 the author. The many who will read
 this book will not soon forget the lov- able. refined young girl who Is its hero
 inc. All the characters are engaging
 and prettily sketched. It Is bracing,
 healthful. quiet and pleasurably told
 story which leads to a happy end with
 out any Aggression, and there is an
 agreeable dash of humor in Its telling.
 Margaret lost her mother when almost
 a baby, and has felt the restrictions of
 an unsympathetic aunt until a young
 woman Is engaged to take the latter's place as housekeeper. The transfor-
 nation that is wrought, how she gilds
 the dullness of Margaret's life with
 sweetness, and brings the glow of mu- tuaI love and happiness into her home. forms the main theme of the story.
 There Is romance and adventure enough In the narrative to make 1t very inter-