Republican farmer., 1919-05-30
FAMOUS BRITISH AUTHOR EXPOSES
 TRICKS OF SljPERNATURALISTS

have not troubled to investigate this trick, which was performed in the full light of day in a large garden, the property of my host, an Anglo-Indian, who took a tremendous interest in na- tive magic. But there is no doubt whatever that simple explanation could be offered. Very often an Anglo Indian will take as great a delight In mystifyins the globe-trotting stranger as the jugglers themselves. and in that case one often finds that the Eu- ropean is in the mystery, and renders some assistance in bringing the ex- pertinent to a successful conclusion.
 Birth Of the Orange Tree.
 Another trick very commonly seen by all who have visited the East is the birth of the orange tree. which is first a heap of dirt collected between the conjuror's hands, then a sprig and then when the cloth is placed on it and removed a. blossoming tree, and finally . tree bearing one orange. Here undoubtedly is a case of sleight- of-hand. and my experience has been that the orange, which the conjuror picks off and brings to the audience that they may test it and try for themselves. is not the orange which Is eventually opened by any member of the audience. but one which is sub stituted by sleight-of- hand whilst the coniuror is making his way to the bewildered spectators.
 Tho Indian iuggler trains for days and weeks and months before he per forms the simplest trick. One form of training is to carry and manipulate glass of water filled to the brim without spilinG a drop. It is extra ordinary how men are able to per- form this sort of balancing.
 One of the great Brahmin Rajahs told me that he had seen an Indian juggler amputate his own leg in full vIew of the audience and replace II. Most Amazing Trick Ever Performed.
 To my mind one of the most amaz- ing tricks that has ever been per formed is the trick of the rose" The performer takes a big rose, and lay ing a white napkin before him, pulls the rose apart. leaf by leaf. until not a thing but the stalk is left. The rose-leaves he crushes in a mortar before he twists them into a sheet of thin paper and burns them. The stalk he sticks in the ground over this stalk he invites one of the au- dience to place a paper cone, which is passed round for inspection, whilst another cone is placed over the ashes of the burnt rose-leaves.
 In this experiment the man stands some distance from the object of his magic" He raises his hands, mutters something in a low voice. and in stantly both cones begin burning from the bottom upwards. When they have finished burning they represent black paper. which a member of the audience is invited to remove. When they are lifted you find under one the perfect rose slightly shrivelled by the burning of the cone. and under the other d neatly folded piece of pa per.
 This experiment is remarkable be- cause the juggler does not go any where near either the rose stalk or the paper cone. The burning of these cones may have simple scientific ex- planation. The rest. however, is not so easy to explain.
 Again and again have I seen the basket trick, where a boy is put in and the basket roped down and a sword passed several times into the interior coming out after the first thrust streaming with blood. When the basket Is opened there is no boy there. This mysterious youth in variably appears on the outskirts of the crowd at the psychological mo- ment. I hold there is nothing su- pernatural about these tricks. They deceive because of their apparent sim plicity and because the Juggler has no noticeable apparatus, but T think 1t would be found by those who take the apparatus and investigate it, that though 1t appears simple 1t Is very elaborate indeed. and his preparation for his mysteries is a long and labori- ous one.