New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-06

cigars. The Edisons devised an iron cigar;
cigar box that, when opened, would eX
plode; a cigar that, when reached for by the
"Spongcr,' would give him a smart clip on
his forefinger through a spring trap con-
Ccaled on the cigar; and cigar that would
slide up the givers sleeve via a rubber cord
when the borrower put out his hand to
take it.
Cigarettes are borrowed too. Hence a
cigarette box the cigarettes in which were
secreted under a piece of thin glass You
reached for a cigarette in plain view, and
were cured of the let-me- Acknowledgements
habit by cncountcring glass.
Pencils are borrowed. Hence, to cure the
promiscuouS borrower, the inventors of
hoaXers produced iron pencils, pencils that
jumped out of the hand when one tried to
write with them, pencils whose points were
made of rubber instead Of lead, pencils with
tin cap over the points that could not be
removed, and pencils whose points slid in.
|ONE of the supreme general borcs is the
~ fellow who always sees a piece of lint
or thread on your coat and affcctionatcly
removes it for you. To cure him, there was
devised a small bobbin The bobbin is
pinned under the lapel of your coat with
piece of thread left sticking through the but
/ tonhole. When the bore sees the thread, he
pounccs on it, the thread starts to unravel
and, after the bore has tugged at it for
awhile and still does not get to the end of it,
he is either cured or beyond curing.
There are imitation cigar butts, apparent
" lighted, and imitation cigarette butts, also
apparently still burning, TO cure the over
particular housewife.
These may be laid on mahogany table
with excellent result. OF a similar nature
there has been invented" by one Of the
Little EdiSonS a small irregular piece Of
black tin and an ink bottle. The bottle IS
turned over on its side, the tin inkSpot
placed with its end TO the neck OF the bottle.
and the whole placed on white table
cover.
Tacks made Of rubber, purses that prick
with a Sccrctcd needle the wife who tries TO
90 through her husbands pockets at night,
and purses that, when opened, unravcl for
wards. are other inventions 10 cure certain
species OF individuals OF their certain species
OF weaknesses.
From the Partisan sources comes a series
Of six metal disks OF different sound These
disks dropped on the floor sound like the
falling OF a tray OF dishes, and are directed
toward the cure Of housewives who are too
nervous about their servants.
For use against the camera hcnd there has
been evolved a camera that, when touched,
cmits a papicr-mache snake six feet long;
and for use against the person who IS always
on the lookout for sympathy, bleeding
finger. consisting OF linen bandagc Smeared
with red ink, which may be placed over the
finger with an acutcly realistic effect.
IN the sphere Of the manufacture OF the
tcn-ccnt smile, puzzles and hoaXers or
cures are not alone. The Little Edisons
have busted themselves with invcnting pock-
ct tricks that puzzle quite as effectively as
the vastly more intricate devices shown to
the public by professional prestldlgltators.
The Little Edisons here set themselves a
pretty problem; for they had To- figure out
WAYS and means that would permit the anna
tcur to fool persons. Reclining that the
amateurs hand was not quicker than the
eve. the inventors had 70 make up for tins
deficiency by making their own brains quick
er than the amateur hand or the onlookcr's
eve: quicker, indeed, than both OF them
put together. a couple Of illustrations will
serve to indicate the truly thorough ingenul-
tv Of these Little EdSonS.
\ small paddle with a small PLAYING card
(sav, the ace OF spades fastened 70 II IS
shown. The paddle is turned over, and an
.l.- 900. - ~,,,fa. - revealed on the Of her