THE MAGIC WAND.
The magician, or the person who wields the wonderful wand, has a confederate who retires from the room. In his absence, the company (the magician being present) agree upon some piece of furniture or other article, by which the powers of the wand are to be tested. He is then called in and the magician points to various articles about the room. Whenever he points to any article except the one agreed upon, the confederate is sure to say “that is not it,” and he never fails to designate the right article when the wand is pointed towards it. This proceeding, which at first sight appears mysterious, is easily explained. When the magician points to the article agreed upon by the company he slightly changes the position of the forefinger of the hand in which he holds the wand, or makes some slight gesture previously agreed upon by him and his confederate. The confederate looks intently at every article pointed out and pretends to be thinking deeply, while the company are generally so intent on following his movements that they do not notice the almost imperceptible motions of the magician. If one of the company thinks he has detected the trick, he takes the confederate’s place, and sometimes finds himself mistaken. If the magician is a very mysterious personage he will be apt to magnetize the confederate at the beginning of the game.
The “Black Art” is another form of the same game. The magician next before pointing at the article agreed upon, points towards some object of a black color, and in that way gives the information to his confederate.
THE RHYMING GAME.
Where several are passing an evening quietly together, this game may afford much amusement. It is played as follows: Each one of the company writes a single word on a slip of paper; the more unusual and difficult the word is to rhyme with, the more amusement it makes. These slips of paper are placed in a hat, and each one of the company, in turn, draws one, and then writes a couplet, in which the word drawn shall stand at the end of a line, and the word at the end of the other line shall rhyme with it. Of course, each may write as much more as he pleases. Where the company are witty and ready, and have a faculty of making verses easily, the game is a pleasant one. Epigrams on the company present, puns and good-natured hits, add much to the fun in this game.
THE GAME OF TWENTY QUESTIONS.
This is one of the best of the games, though but little known. Such men as Canning, Wyndham and Pitt have played it; the latter two, indeed, were especially fond of it; so it does not lack recommendation. The rules of the game and its description are briefly these:
Two persons (usually a lady and gentleman), chosen by the company, privately fix upon an article or subject. Two others are then chosen to discover the subject so agreed upon, and they must do this by asking twenty questions as to its nature and qualities. A fifth person is usually selected as umpire, who is made acquainted with the subject fixed upon, and whose duty it is to see that all the questions are fairly put and answered. The questions are to be put plainly, though in the alternative, if desired, and the answers must be plain and direct. The object of the thoughts must not be an abstract idea, or anything so occult, or scientific, or technical, as to be beyond the reasonable information of the company, but something well known to the present day, or to general history. It may be, for example, any name of renown, ancient or modern, or any well known work or memorial of art, but not a mere event, as a battle, for instance. Of course, the discovery, if made, is to be the fair result of mental inference from the questions and answers, not of signs passing, or juggling of any description.