The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-23
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

mas come rom the Society of American
 Magicians, who in their efforts to ex-
 pose the supernatural as having noth-
 ing whatever to do with magic. have divulged many of our best tricks so to speak, and let people into our con- fidence
 T am now engaged in writing a book which 1 shall call The Magic of Tomor- row because that is really what I want
 to create" Richards the magician said; "a ne wmagici a magic centering around the late World war; not com munication with departed spirits. I wouldn't try to play upon the feelings of those who have lost near. and dear ones during the late dreadful war but will center around those events--that epoch in the worlds history which is significant. and frought with marvellous mystery
 Magic is based upon three funda- mental principles" he continued-''dis is appearance, production, and metamor- phosis. If magician is able to mas ter these three phenomena then he is pretty safe in his work. Everything centers about these three points in
 magic; all tricks or demonstrations, as it were are clustered Around these principles.
 '.The cleverest magician is he who can dissimulate in the best manner" Richards the magician said. Ms direction is the thing that magician tries to perfect himself in. His talk. for instance, which accompanies his work, the monologue which he delivers, is one of his best means of misdirection. In this. way he takes the eye and mind of the spectator off of the trick he is endeavoring to perform and thus in- directly entertains him, and before he can wink his eye, 10 and behold, the trick has been turned!
 "Levitation is one of the most inter- esting things we do, of course" Rich ards the magician declared, but it is, of course, not new. It has been worked
 to deathy- but then people like it and,
 of course, we must include it on our programmes.
 Way back up in Detroit, which is my
 nome" he continued, when l was just
 g years old, 1 remember so well how l worked out a lot of little card tricks
 and otherwise. One day Hagenback
 and WalIace's shows came to town: athere was clever speiler standing out
 in front of one of the tents, bidding us to come in. I drew forth my little aime and went in. sIhere the magician WAS i turning the neatest sort of trlcKs and, i of course, l was interested to death. lie sold a book winch he sad reveaied sew  l bo ught one; squandered my good money agaln, but in way 1 wasn't sorry, De- icause he dfd really reveal the secrets lof several tricks. 1 at once began 10 : work these same tricks, and l became so interested that my parents decided 1 that 1 would follow thls as profes- sion, so they bundled me up and sent me to college.
 | esTo make a long story short, Rich 1 ards the magician said, l went to the ! University of Michigan, where l stuoied | to become a doctor--anatomy physioi- | ogy and eil the tributarles of the meoi . l cal profession interested me, Of course l and-sall the while l was working al magic. The result was that soon gave lup the medical profession, and turned l maglcian and l have been steadiiy working at it ever since.
 i "Fro ma simple act in vaudeville 10 show of my own is the story or my l career" said the young man proudiy' and I have enjoyed every minute or II. 1 I know Thomas Edison very well, anu have talked with him often aeout ms
 interest in magic, and he is great pe- liever in it; works with 1t and enjoys it. and I have talked With many CHI
 nent scientists about illusion, and have,
 of course, gained great deal or khowi edge on the subject In the mean i tire. as I said a while back, am plan 1 ni1.g to take a big step forward, and
 my book, which is now in the hands i of the publishers, The Magic of To- 1 morrow, will reveal : very ambitious | motive on my part, an ambition te 1 bring magic more closely to the peopie | and show them many new and original i illusionS"