“Cupid Lighter than a Butterfly.”

The pleasing trick which forms the subject of our engravings owes its success to the ingenious application of mechanical principles. The magician presents for inspection to the audience a large pair of balance scales. The audience is allowed to examine the various parts of the balance before it is erected on the stage. It consists of a central column and a beam resting on a knife-edge, and two pans suspended by cords or chains. After the column has been put in position, the beam is put on and a pin inserted, thus making a center for the beam to work on. A gentleman is asked to stand in one of the scale pans, and then weights are gradually placed in the other pan until his exact weight is ascertained. The weights are removed, and the gentleman steps down off the stage. The audience is now convinced that the scale is to all intents and purposes like the ordinary balance which is so much used in groceries for weighing tea, coffee, etc., although, of course, in the present instance, it is built on a mammoth scale.

Fig. 64.—“Cupid Lighter than a Butterfly.”

The magician now goes on to say that he will prove the old assertion that “love is lighter than a butterfly” to be absolutely true. He introduces a little boy dressed as Cupid, with wings and a bow and a quiver of arrows. When the child steps on the scale pan, it immediately sinks to the floor by his weight. The conjurer now takes a butterfly, and, asking all to direct their attention to the scale, drops it on the opposite pan, which immediately descends to the floor, at the same time raising the pan with the Cupid high in the air. If he takes the butterfly off, the Cupid descends, and every time the prestidigitateur replaces the butterfly, Cupid is raised off the floor.

Fig. 65.—The Illusion Explained.

The trick depends for success upon a carefully devised and concealed mechanism. The balance beam is devoid of any preparation, but the mechanism is cleverly concealed in the column, and motion is imparted to the beam by means of a shaft and bevel gears. The hole in the beam is not perfectly round; it is slightly oval, but not enough so to be easily seen by a casual glance. The pin is also oval, instead of round, and it is made to fit tightly. It will be seen that, when this pin is rocked or tilted, the beam is moved, carrying one scale pan up and the other down. The top of the column is of considerable size, and one side of it is cut away to admit of a bevel gear, which also has an oval hole the same as the beam. When the balance is put together and the beam is placed in position, the oval pin passes through the bevel gear and the beam, forming a horizontal shaft. This vertical wheel meshes with a horizontal gear wheel, which is also secured in the head of the pedestal. A shaft runs through it to the space below the floor, where it terminates in a lever secured at right angles. The magician’s assistant, under the stage, grasps the lever, and, pulling it back and forth, transmits a seesaw motion to the beam through the medium of the shaft, the two bevel gears, and the oval pin.

The trick depends very largely for success upon the apparent willingness of the prestidigitateur to allow all parts of the apparatus to be examined, and, as the gear wheels are very cleverly concealed, there is almost no chance of the trick being discovered.

[INDEX.]

PAGE
Bags, trick,[98]
Balance illusion,[143]
Balancing tricks,[117]
Bandage test,[86]
Blindfolded juggler,[121]
Blotter trick,[17]
Bottle, miraculous,[130]
Cabinet test,[108]
Cabinet, the trick,[109]
Card balancing,[119]
Carpet, slitted,[29]
Chair and net test,[108]
Chalk, writing on,[60]
Chalks, writing with colored,[36]
Confederates,[107]
Cricket, card,[139]
Cuff, leather,[73]
Cupid lighter than a butterfly,[143]
Davenport tie,[88]
Double slate,[32-41]
Eddy Brothers, séances,[101]
Egg glass, use of,[55]
Eggs, spinning,[118]
Fay’s séances,[103]
Finger, prepared,[19]
Flap, false,[21-38]
Flap, interrupted,[48]
Fly, educated,[62]
Folding slate,[33]
Hands, holding,[28]
Handcuff test,[96]
Head, mermaid’s,[136]
Hinges, false,[39]
Hook for table raising,[74]
Inks, sympathetic,[11-17]
Interrupted flap,[48]
Juggler, blindfolded,[121]
Light séances,[101]
Loop, double,[92]
Magician’s omelette,[115]
Magnetic writing,[34]
Mind reading and kindred phenomena,[51-71]
Mirrors, reading writing by,[47]
Miscellaneous slate tests,[41-51]
Miscellaneous tricks,[115-146]
Omelette, magician’s,[115]
Pad, transferring to,[20]
Pen, surprise,[125]
Pencil carrier, thumb,[52]
Pencil, silver nitrate,[44]
Pencil thimble,[18]
Photography, spirit,[113]
Pistol loaded with chalk,[41]
Post tests, etc,[93-100]
Post test, mechanical,[94]
Post test, ordinary,[93]
Potato cutting,[120]
Raps, spirit,[81]
Ring test,[96]
Rods and cords, Chinese,[123]
Rope test,[82]
Séance, spiritualistic,[76]
Séances,[101-114]
Silica slate,[6]
Silk flap,[5]
Silver nitrate pencil,[44]
Single slate,[3-32]
Slade, Dr.,[105]
Slate, double,[32-41]
Slates exchanged,[30]
Slate, folding,[33]
Slate writing on china,[8]
Slates, locked,[36]
Slate tests, multiple,[38]
Slates, padlocked,[32]
Slates, pivot,[26]
Slates, riveted,[24]
Slates, screwed,[24]
Slates, scaled,[34]
Slates, sliding,[33]
Slates, tied,[22]
Slates, transferring,[37]
Slates, wedging,[24]
Slates with false hinges,[39]
Sliding slates,[33]
Spinning tricks,[117]
Spirit collar,[97]
Stencil, wood,[42]
Sucker for table lifting,[72]
Sympathetic ink writing,[9]
Table, false,[10]
Table lifting and spirit rapping,[71-82]
Table, traps in,[25], [26]
Table trick,[47]
Telegraph,[77]
Telegraph, foot,[66]
Telegraph head,[68]
Thimble key,[36]
Thimble pencil,[18]
Thumb pencil carrier,[52]
Tie, Davenport,[88]
Ties, rope,[85]
Ties, spiritualistic,[82-92]
Toes, writing with the,[45]
Traps,[106]
Tube, speaking,[67]
Vase, miraculous,[132]
Wine glass, miraculous,[128]
Wire cage test,[110]
Wire, cloth,[61]
Writing, reading concealed,[51-58]

MAGIC

Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Photography.

BY A. A. HOPKINS.

With an Introduction by H. R. EVANS.

568 pages. 420 illustrations. Price, $2.50 postpaid.

This work appeals to old and young alike, and it is one of the most attractive holiday books of the year. The illusions are illustrated by the highest class of engravings, and the exposés of the tricks and spiritualistic phenomena are, in many cases, furnished by the prestidigitateurs themselves. Conjuring, large stage illusions, fire-eating, sword-swallowing, ventriloquism, mental magic, ancient magic, automata, curious toys, stage effects, photographic tricks, and the projection of moving photographs are all well described and illustrated, making a handsome volume. It is tastefully printed and bound.

Acknowledged by the profession to be the

Standard Work on Magic

☞Circular of Contents and sample illustrations with testimonials from W. E. Robinson, M. Trewey, W. B. Caulk, Harry Rouclere, Jewett, Clivette, etc., free upon request.

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THE EDISON MAGNETIC CONCENTRATING WORKS. THE GIANT ROLLS.
MUNN & CO., Publishers,
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1898 EDITION

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914 Pages, 820 Illustrations.

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This is a book full of interest and value for Teachers, Students, and others who desire to impart or obtain a practical knowledge of Physics. This splendid work gives young and old something worthy of thought. It has influenced thousands of men in the choice of a career. It will give anyone, young or old, information that will enable him to comprehend the great improvements of the day. It furnishes suggestions for hours of instructive recreation. This new edition is now ready. It contains a large amount of new matter, bringing it up to date. Such subjects as the X-rays and liquefied air being fully treated.

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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

[Pg 61]: ‘are nable to see’ replaced by ‘are unable to see’.
[Pg 82]: ‘great standbies’ replaced by ‘great standbys’.
[Pg 129]: ‘handerchief, and’ replaced by ‘handkerchief, and’.
[Pg 147]; Index entry ‘Post tests’: ‘93-1 0’ replaced by ‘93-100’.
[Pg 147]; Index entry ‘Slates, padlocked’: ‘3’ replaced by ‘32’.