Dancing Fairies. Most of you have seen the smooth, round beans called “magic beans.” They were brought to this country several years ago from the East Indies, and were a great curiosity until their secret was discovered.
First get a half-dozen or more of the dancing or “magic” beans. These are now sold in most of the large Japanese stores.
Cut out a half-dozen of tiny paper dolls. They must be made so that they are light, and so that their feet can be pasted securely to both sides of the bean. Cut out skirts of tissue paper which will cover the dolls’ legs and hide the beans without touching them. When these are made so that they will balance well, place them upon a heated plate and soon every little fairy will begin to dance in a mysterious way.
Describing a Lady’s Costume. When the guests arrive, have them all meet in one room. Every gentleman is presented with a card on which is written the name of some lady present, and the hostess announces that each gentleman must talk five minutes to the lady whose name his card bears. The reason for the conversation is not divulged. At the end of the appointed time, the ladies withdraw, and then the men are told to each write out a description of the dress the lady wore, the color of her eyes, of her hair, the fashion of wearing it, etc., etc. The ladies are now admitted and each one stands out, while a description of herself and costume is read aloud.
The Wonderful Hat. Upon a table place three pieces of bread, or any other eatable, at a little distance from each other, and cover each with a hat. Take up the first hat, and, removing the bread, put it into your mouth, letting the company see that you swallow it. Then raise a second hat and eat the bread which is under that, then proceed to the third hat in the same manner. Having eaten the three pieces, ask any person in the company to choose which hat he would like the three pieces of bread to be under, and when he has made his choice of one of the hats, put it on your head and ask him if he does not think they are under it.
Mirror-Drawing. To carry out this test you will need a sheet of paper, a mirror about the width of the paper, a pencil, and another sheet of paper or a large card or book.
Lay the paper flat on the table. Then prop up the mirror opposite you and the paper so that it is at right angles with the paper and reflects it. You may stand the mirror against a pile of books if it has no standard of its own. After you have done this, take the extra sheet of paper in your left hand and hold it so that it is between your eyes and the piece of paper which is lying on the table. You must hold the piece of paper in your left hand so that you cannot see the paper lying on the table, except in the mirror.
You are now ready to begin drawing, first announcing what you intend to draw. It should be some simple object, represented by some few straight lines, such as a kite, a box, or a square, with a straight line going from each corner diagonally across. You draw with your right hand, holding the paper with your left, so that you cannot see what progress you are making except in the mirror. Watch the mirror all the time until the drawing is completed.
The Dancing Skeleton. Get a piece of board about the size of a large school slate and have it painted black. The paint should be what is known as a dead color, without gloss or brightness. (A large school slate would answer the purpose.) Sketch out the figure of a skeleton on a piece of cardboard and arrange it after the manner of the dancing sailors and other cardboard figures for sale in toy stores, so that by holding the figure by the head in one hand and pulling a string with the other, the figure will throw up his legs and arms in a very ludicrous manner.