Trick Juggling
[Fig. 8] shows the first feat—that of balancing a stick, card, and wooden ball upon the hand. The whole secret lies in the card. It really consists of two cards pasted together, with a piece of wire passing diagonally between them and protruding about half an inch at each end. In both the ball and stick are small holes into which this wire fits. The audience, of course, must be kept in ignorance of this—not a difficult thing to do when several feet separate them from the performer.
Fig. 8.—Balancing stick, card, and wooden ball.
Fig. 9.—Two balls balanced upon stick.
The feat depicted in [Fig. 9] consists in balancing two balls upon a stick. This is done by means of a wire constructed to slide up and down in the center of the stick. At first this wire is completely hidden, but by pushing up the small handle the performer can make it protrude from the extremity of the stick, and pass through small holes in the balls. Of course, other objects may be made to balance by this device.
The juggler should also number amongst his apparatus several cardboard plates of the pattern shown by the three diagrams comprising [Fig. 10]. A segment must first be cut from a circular piece of cardboard, as shown by A. The edges of this segment should then be gummed together, the result being the conical contrivance seen in B. Lastly, a circular cardboard ring must be fixed to the edge of this cone, C, and the plate is complete. It is quite an easy matter to impart a spin to these plates as they are thrown into the air, and then catch them on the end of a stick, where they will rapidly revolve without the possibility of falling.
Fig. 10.—Cardboard plate for spinning.
[Fig. 11] shows a method whereby a billiard ball can be made to roll along the edge of a fan. A piece of wire is hinged to the bottom of the fan, the other end protruding about one-eighth of an inch beyond the edge. The billiard ball, which is partly pierced by a small hole, fixes upon this wire. If the performer then places his forefinger in the small ring made in the wire, and works it slowly backward and forwards, the billiard ball will appear to be rolling along the edge of the fan.
Fig. 11.—Balancing ball on fan.
Fig. 12.—Trick cards.
An excellent series of tricks may also be performed by means of a pack of cards, having each card joined together by a thin piece of twine in the manner shown by [Fig. 12].
Numerous other devices can be adopted by the juggler, and the suggestions offered above may be enlarged upon considerably. The merest tyro in the “art of balancing” should thus be able to contribute an excellent item to the home circus.
Every owner of a dog has taught his pet at some time or another several little tricks. The manager of the circus should therefore get those of his acquaintances who possess dogs to combine in contributing to the programme.
Then, again, a big dog might be clothed in a “bull’s skin” made from calico, and a farcical bull-fight arranged. Here the circus “horses” could be once more employed to good purpose.
The “strong man” is a character always associated with circuses, and there is no reason why the home circus should not possess one. The weights must be made from wood, painted black to represent the genuine article. After the “strong man”—who should be selected from the most powerfully-built of the reader’s acquaintances—has lifted the different “weights,” apparently with a great deal of exertion, he makes his exit, leaving them upon the ground. A little boy then enters, and picking up all the “weights,” walks unconcernedly from the ring.
As has been before mentioned, the home circus presents scope for almost every kind of amateur performance, but it must be left to the ingenuity of the reader to give further variety and make the programme as attractive as possible.
As a grand finale, a stirring, spectacular sketch should be given—such as an attack upon a settler’s hut by redskins, or a raid on the shanty of a miner. The main idea in this sketch must be to make a lot of noise, blaze away with toy pistols at frequent intervals, and burn as much “colored fire” as possible. The soldiers or mounted police should arrive in the nick of time, of course, and drive the marauders completely from the field. Thus everything ends quite happily.