Procure a piece of wood, about nine inches in length and about half an inch in thickness, and thrust into its upper end the blades of two penknives, on either side one. Place the other end upon the tip of the fore-finger, and it will keep its place without falling.
THE CHINESE MANDARIN.
Construct out of the pith of elder a little mandarin; then provide a base for it to sit in, like a kettle-drum. Into this put some heavy substance, such as half a leaden bullet; fasten the figure to this, and in whatever position it may be placed, it will, when left to itself, immediately return to its upright position.
TO MAKE A QUARTER DOLLAR TURN ON ITS EDGE ON THE POINT OF A NEEDLE.
Take a bottle, with a cork in its neck, and in it, in a perpendicular position, a middle-sized needle. Fix a quarter dollar into another cork, by cutting a nick in it; and stick into the same cork two small table-forks, opposite each other, with the handles inclining downwards. If the rim of the quarter dollar be now poised on the point of the needle, it may easily be made to spin round without falling, as the center of gravity is below the the center of suspension.
THE SELF-BALANCED PAIL.
You lay a stick across the table, letting one third of it project over the edge; and you undertake to hang a pail of water on it, without either fastening the stick on the table, or letting the pail rest on any support; and this feat the laws of gravitation will enable you literally to accomplish.
