The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-21
THE MAGIC PAINTING
When the Room Was Darkened
the Cow Went to Sleep.
IT WAS A VERY SIMPLE TRICK
How the Transformation Was Effected
and How Some Other Seemingly
Wonderful Effects May Be Produced
By the Aid Of Chemieals.

BY the Aid of Chemicals.
The Chinese Emperor Tai Tsung pos
sessed among other treasures a picture
known as magic painting, II repre-
scented a pastoral scene with a COW
standing in field and mountains be
yond. When the picture was shown 10 .
strangers or guests and they admired .
il, the emperor would say:
Yes. this is a remarkable painting. ,
The COW. as you see. is standing, but /
If the room was darkened 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. APP |
parently asleep.
The picture was a water color, over |
which was painted in colorless phoS-
phorcscent paint a similar picture rep
reseuting the COW lying down. In the
light the standing animal was seem
! but at night or in darkened room
! only the phosphorescent picture was
! visible. SO the magic picture was, art
er all. a very simple trick.
A Dresden chemist named Schade
! discovered a method of initiating 1t
which can be accomplished as follows:
First paint in ordinary colors the
picture OF the COW standing. Then
/ melt some Zanzibar copal over char
coal fire and dissolve fifteen parts of 1t
in sixty parts of French oil OF turpen-
tine Filter this and mix with twenty
FIVE parts of pure linseed oil which has
been previously heated and cooled.
Now take forty parts of the varnish
so obtained and mix with six parts OF
prepared calcium carbonate, twelve
parts of prepared white zinc sulphide
and thirty-six parts of luminous cal
cium sulphide. all of which can be OBJ
tanned from any chemist.
This emulsion 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 performed with the use of a
few simple chemicals. One of them is
the ball of fire. Take for this barium
sulphate (CP) one part. magnesium
carbonate (CP) one part. gum traga-
canth O. s. This should be mixed and
rolled into marbles and kept at a red
heat for about an hour, then allowed
: to cool slowly and placed in a glass
stoppered bottle. A few hours before
using place in the sun. and the marbles
at once become luminous.
At the entertainment ordinary mar
bles are passed among the audience
one or more Of the luminous marbles
being concealed in the hand. The ex-
hibitor then takes marble from some
one in the audience. holds it between
his thumb and forefinger. blows upon
it and asks TO have the lights turned
down. AS this is done he substitutes
the luminous marble, and the mysteri-
Gus light is seen. This is handed
around and changes again as the light
is turned on. when the magician pre-
sents to the audience several of the
ordinary marbles as souvenirs.
Another trick is very effective. Take
two similar punches OF artificial f1ow-
ers. Brush one over with glue or mu-
cilage and powder it with the dust
. from one of the marbles described.
u Then place in the sun. When taken
} into a darkened room. luminous flow
l. ers are seen. The magician exhibits
| the mowers InaC nave not Deen pTepdT-
y ed and shows that there is nothing pc
It culiar about them. Then as the light
e is turned down he substitutes the con
It ceaed bunch, blows upon the flow
ers and. presto. displays to the as
h tonished observers a luminous bunch
4 each flower of which stands out as il
o at white heat.
Luminous letters can be written and
c exhibited in the dark to the wonder OF
y the audience. Luminous ink is made
. by placing a piece of phosphorus about
the size of pea in a test tube with &
little olive oil Place the tube in 6
water bath until the oil becomes heat
, ed and the phosphorus liquid. Shake
we'll and pour into bottle with {
glass stopper. Admit air just previous
to using it, and the fluid will become
luminous tracery in the dark.
Water can be rendered luminous il
Il a very simple manner. Dissolve 1
small piece OF phosphorus in ether 70
several days in glass stoppered bot
tie In this place a lump of sugar
then drop the sugar in water, whicl
will at once become luminous.
Luminous paints can be made an.
color-green, yellow. violet or blue
:. and If applied to various objects max
q wonderful disDlav at night