Home Entertaining: Amusements for Every One

by William Eastman Chenery

Cabinet Manifestations. The medium has a boy with her about seven years of age and quite small. He comes in with her, under her skirt or cloak, and is not noticed. She enters a cabinet, passes her hands through openings in the sides of the cabinet and her hands are held by a committee, or, her hands may be securely tied together before going into the cabinet, and all the usual cabinet work goes on. The boy rings the bells, plays musical instrument, etc., etc. The cabinet is made of some black material and the transparent gauze is of some light color. The boy may be dressed all in black.

Spirit Pictures. The performer shows a wooden frame, on which is a piece of cloth, both sides of which are shown, and this is placed on an easel. A lamp is then placed behind a cloth, thus rendering it transparent and impossible for any one to touch from behind without being seen. Lights are then lowered a trifle, a little music, and a spirit picture is slowly precipitated upon the cloth in colors, this being visible to every one present.

For this experiment, procure the following ingredients from some druggist: sulphate of iron, for blue; nitrate of bismuth, for yellow; sulphate of copper, for brown; make solutions separately of each, by dissolving a small quantity of each ingredient in warm water. Now make a solution of prussiate of potash, and put it in a bottle atomizer. With a brush for each color, make a picture, landscape, portrait or, anything you desire, on a screen of unbleached muslin. When dry, these are invisible. Show the screen and set it on an easel in front of cabinet. Slightly dampen the muslin and place a lamp back of it on a chair, lower lights a trifle; your assistant or medium in cabinet takes the atomizer, and from behind sprays all over the back of screen with the solution of prussiate of potash, which slowly brings colors out. The effect is weird, and, although perhaps not artistic, it is a novelty and is apparently done by unseen agency. If a light is placed at back of screen, the audience can see that no one approaches the screen. A little music covers the sound of the atomizer. Always see that the atomizer is screwed up air-tight before using it.

Parlor Magic. Make a hole in one side of each of six candles, cutting through until the wick is severed. These holes must be at various distances from the top—different in each candle. Now, if you should light one of these candles, it would burn steadily until the flame got down to the hole, when the cut in the wick would cause the candle to go out. If you should light them all together they would go out at different times, as the holes are at different places. This is where your trick comes in.

Place your candles in a row on a table, with the holes away from your audience, and then light all six. Now, you begin to relate a story about a little girl who was alone in the house and was afraid of the dark, and who lighted six candles to keep up her courage. She heard queer noises about the house, and drew close to the light, and then (pointing to the candle with the hole nearest the top) the first candle went out! Of course you time your first words, so that you say “out” just before the flame reaches the hole. As you reach the second point in your tale the second candle goes out, and so on throughout the rest of the six. You may have the holes vary but a fraction of an inch in their distances from the top of the candle, and tell a very short story, or you may have your tale a long one, with the distances of the holes from the top of the candle, varying an inch or so. By first lighting one candle and watching it burn for a few minutes you can tell almost exactly how long the flame will take to reach a given point. If you do not have the candles go out in rotation, but skip around from the first to the fifth, then to the second, to the sixth, the fourth and third, you can still further mystify your audience, and if your story be well told the effect will be very pretty indeed.

The Demon Bell. A small bell is examined and found to have no clapper. It is then presumed it can make no sound, save by visible means. However, the performer sets it upon a small examined table, which stands quite close to audience, and at command, the bell begins to ring. It obeys every demand made upon it, yet no means of producing sound can be found.

To produce this effect, use a small call-bell, such as used on a table. A black thread is carried across the stage, and one end is permanently fastened, while the other is in the hands of an assistant, who stands out of sight. In the middle of thread is fastened a small shot. The assistant uses this as a clapper, and when examination is desired, he drops the thread and shot on the floor, where they will not be visible.

The Animated Skull. This is a model in papier-maché, and being hollow, is very serviceable. It is caused to rise from the hat by means of a black thread, which is carried through a staple immediately over the performer’s table, thence through another staple out of sight and down to the assistant.

The Perilous Ring. Put flour on a plate in the shape of a high pyramid. On the very tip of the pyramid place a ring. Arrange the guests in line, and have each one in turn cut away part of the flour with a knife, warning them not to cut near enough to the ring to make it fall, or the one doing so will suffer a dreadful penalty. If the crowd is small each will have several turns. The flour must be cut away until the ring falls. It becomes very exciting toward the end, as each one tries to cut away as little as possible. When the ring finally drops, the unlucky one must pick it out of the plate with his teeth. Of course he gets flour all over his nose and chin.

Nose and Goggle Party. To fun-loving people who enjoy the grotesque, great sport will be found in giving a Nose and Goggle Party. Here two objects will be gained: merriment and disguise.