Fig. 6c.—Showing means whereby depressed gentleman is represented.
A variation can be introduced by taking a well-known nursery rhyme or fairy tale, and asking each person to make a Tangram to represent a different subject in the tale. Supposing “The Farmer’s Boy” to be the rhyme, one person would make the figure of that youth, to another would fall the horse, to a third the dog, and so on. As in the former case a prize might be awarded to the most successful manipulator of the little black pieces.
A Scissor Trick
Ask one of the ladies, who naturally knows all about scissors, to do the following trick. Holding the hands with palms upward, hang a pair of scissors on the little fingers, as shown in [Fig. 7]. The fingers should then be slightly bent so that the scissors stick upright as in [Fig. 8]; next ask her to turn the hands round rapidly back to back when the scissors will make a complete revolution, and should finally point upward again. But it is just at this point that the trick comes in, for the fair lady will find that instead of the scissors pointing up to the ceiling, they are directed down to the floor! ([Fig. 9].)
Fig. 7.—How to hold the scissors.
Fig. 8.—Showing fingers slightly bent and scissors sticking upright.
Fig. 9.—Position of scissors after complete revolution.