The Magician's Own Book, or, the Whole Art of Conjuring / Being a complete hand-book of parlor magic, and containing over one thousand optical, chemical, mechanical, magnetical, and magical experiments, amusing transmutations, astonishing sleights and subtleties, celebrated card deceptions, ingenious tricks with numbers, curious and entertaining puzzles, together with all the most noted tricks of modern performers.

by George Arnold; Frank Cahill

A magnet and a piece of iron attract each other equally, whatever disproportion there is between their sizes. If either be balanced in a scale, and the other be brought within a certain distance beneath it, the very same counterpoise will be required to prevent their approach, whichever be in the scale. If the two were hanging near each other, as pendulums, they would approach and meet, but the little one would perform more of the journey in proportion to its littleness.

TO PASS MAGNETISM THROUGH A BOARD.

Place a common sewing-needle on a smooth horizontal board, and move a strong magnet underneath the board, when the needle will revolve along the board, according to the peculiar motion given to the magnet.

THE MAGNETIC TABLE.

Under the top of a common table, place a magnet that turns on a pivot, and fix a board under it that nothing may appear. There may also be a drawer under the table, which you pull out, to show that there is nothing concealed. At one end of the table there must be a pin that communicates with a magnet, and by which it may be placed in different positions; this pin must be so placed as not to be visible to the spectators. Strew some steel filings, or very small nails, over that part of the table where the magnet is. Then ask any one to lend a knife, or a key, which will then attract part of the nails or filings. Then placing your hand, in a careless manner, on the pin at the end of the table, you alter the position of the magnet; and giving the key to any person, you desire him to make the experiment, which he will then not be able to perform. You then give the key to another person, at the same time placing the magnet, by means of the pin, in the first position, when that person will immediately perform the experiment.

INTERESTING PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE MAGNET.

Fire-irons which have rested in one position in a room during the summer months are often highly magnetic.

Iron bars standing erect, such as the gratings of a prison cell, or the iron railings before houses, are often magnetic.

The uppermost of the iron tires round a carriage wheel attracts the north end of a magnet, and has hence south polarity, while the lower end attracting the south end of the same, has north polarity.

CONCLUSION.