S.H. Sharpe - Good Conjuring

m

Price

GOOD CONJURING IN

PRACTICE

& THEORY

By S. H. SHARPE

....... GEORGE

LONDON: JO H N S O N ,

24 BU CK IN GH AM

STREET,

STRAND,' W .C . 2.

19

3

6

l ', L A B«'s

W ILL ALMA M .I.M .C . ( L O N D O N )

Made and Printed in E ngland by

SA IN T NICHOLAS P R E SS LTD ., 31a St. Nicholat Striet, Scarborough

The State Library ‘ALMA CONJURING

of V ictoria C O L L E C T IO N ’

PART ONE

GOOD CONJURING T is surprising h ow m an y elem ents go to m ak e up a com plete conjuring perfo rm an ce. M ore surprising still to find a conjurer w ho realises the sco p e o f his art a n d the com plexity of the science that serv es it and e n ab les him to produce his effects. Y e t it is only b y stu dying our su bject in all its asp ects and a p p lyin g our findings in practise that w e can ach ieve re a lly satisfactory results— the results arising from good conjuring. T h is is sim ple com m on sen se, not fireside theorising. H o w often d oes a conjurer stop to think w h at reaction the articles he uses in his perform an ce w ill cause in the m inds of his spectators, for in stan ce?

I

THE OBJECTS U SE D .

A conjurer should take into consideration the kind o f apparatu s to be visib ly introduced into each effect— w h eth er such could b e sim plified or discarded , or m ade m ore appropriate to the style of presentation . A p p aratu s adm issible in an O riental or C abalistic setting w ou ld be out of p lace in m odern draw ing-room conjuring. C ab in ets and m echanism in general often indicate inferior conjuring; and objects of a size to suit a theatre stage are out of proportion at close quarters, and vice-versa. L u c k y the b eginner w ho cannot afford to b uy sufficient p a rap h e rn alia to gladd en the d e ale r’ s heart. H e at least starts with a fair ch an ce of b ecom in g a go o d con jurer. Sufficient attention is rarely given to the ch oice of articles used in an effect, w ith the result that harm ony is lackin g an d m axim um lesu lts are not o btain ed. If, for instance, an effect is of a bizarre ch aracter, everyth in g used should be in k eep in g with the fantastic atm osphere it is intended to create. A n im personation o f a Ja p a n e se conjurer should not include objects only to b e foun d in C hina or India, let alone the E ast E n d o f Lo n d o n ! S o m e­ tim es a conjurer w ill attem pt an im pression of a p erfo rm er o f several decad es ago y et include tricks of recent in ven ­ tion in his p rogram m e. Such details m ay p ass the a vera ge sp ectato r’s notice but cannot fail to m ake a critical o n ­ loo ker im patient with the p e rfo rm er’ s lack of artistry. W h ere a vagu e or abstract im pression is aim ed at, the use of objects with com m on place associations w ill b re a k the spell in a sim ilar w a y . F o r ex a m p le, W ill o ’

2

the W isp conjurations w ith billiard balls or golf balls will bring to m ind these pastim es. But if the balls are sim ply “ balls ” of no recogn isable ch aracter— crystal balls p e r­ haps— the im aginative n atuie of their antics w ill b e supported and the desired im pression in duced in the on­ lo o k e r’ s m ind; particu larly if the sequ ence is given an im aginative title, such a s “ M agic of the S p h e r e s .’ * L u ck ily, the fact that m agical effects them selves a re abstract in character m akes most conjuring interesting to peop le with w id ely different outlooks quite a p art from the objects used in the eilects. But if “ T h e F lo atin g Ball ” is perform ed w ith a football, for instance, it is obvious that the feat w ill becom e m ore circu m scrib ed in its ap p eal and b e less m ysterious than w h en a golden or silver globe is used, b ecau se a football is an ev ery d a y object; but the ball of an unfam iliar nature lea ves room for the p lay of e v e ry b o d y ’ s im agination no m atter w h at their age or particular interest. On the other hand, the version with the football w ould concentrate the attention of one particular type of spectator. A gain , for a com edy conjurer to use flow ers or a n y ­ thing dainty is as inappropriate as trying to b e profoun d over som e va p id trick. T h e use of com m onplace rather than abstract or universal objects of necessity narrow s the a p p ea l of an effect and m akes it m ore local. “ T h e C hinese R in g s ” are no particular kind of rings; neither h ave the “ C u ps and Balls ” any com m onplace associations : co n sequen tly these feats interest peop le just as m uch in T im bu cto o T ootin g or Tahiti. G re at art of e v e ry kind is b ased on universal or abstract id eas and uses objects c f gen eral interest b ecau se only in this w a y can it avoid being circum ­ scribed in its a p p eal. MISDIRECTION.

Th is im portant subject is of the utmost im portance in m y opinion. A perform er w h o selects effects callin g for little ability in m isdirection adm its him self to b e in the novice class of conjurers. M agic pretends to one cause for its effects w h ile relying on another : and it is in disguising the real m ethod and m aking the fictitious cause seem feasib le that m is­ direction is brought into p lay . Conjuring is only b ew ild er­ ing w hen it seem s unnatural; but without carefu lly plan n ed m isdirection tricks cannot m ystify though they m ay sur­ prise. M agic, like nature, must con ceal the m eans b y w hich its effects are p rod uced if it is to b e re a lly enchanting. W e cannot cease w ondering how nature

3 w orks her m iracles ow in g to the cau se o f the com m onest phenom enon b ein g co n cea le d from us. W e kn o w that if you do this, that w ill h ap p en ; and if yo u do that, the other w ill result; but w e do not kn ow how the effects are prod uced . W e do not even k n o w h ow a seed turns into a plant, w hich in turn prod uces other seed s. A n d w h en w e think w e h ave d isco vered “ h ow it is done w e su dd en ly realise that w e h ave b een m isd irected . T h e m agician m isdirects his aud ience in the sam e w a y . In fact conjuring ch iefly consists in m akin g p eop le “ lc o k the other w a y .” T h e invention of suitable m isdirection is re ally part o f the originator’ s task, though he freq u en tly lea v es its arrangem en t to the p ractical conju rer. But as m isdirection is an essential part of e v e ry finished effect, the originator has only partly com pleted his w ork if he le a v e s others to design it. A ' trick and its m isdirection are eq u a lly im portant parts o f a n y effect; and one m ust b e tim ed to suit the other, w ithout w hich it is u seless. F urtherm ore, the m isdirection, like e v e ry other detail, m ust b e appro­ priate to the au d ien ce. P roced u re that m isdirects adults m ay not a lw a y s su cceed w ith children. CONSTRUCTION.

Construction co vers skill in C om bination (or S eq u en c­ ing) and Finish. T h e construction of the effects them selves rests w ith the originator or m agic-m aker; but program m e construction is the co n ju rer’ s ow n task unless he em ploys a prod ucer. T h e expon ent of conjuring is servan t to the m agic-m aker in this resp ect, but there is nothing to p reven t him b ein g his ow n m aster. N ow though an originator m ay invent good m agical plots, good dram atic plots, go o d m isdirection, and good m ethods, su ccess w ill only result if he has the ability to ad d these elem ents u p into one unified total in w hich all the parts fuse, each doing its appoin ted task— no m ore and no less— without obtruding itself. It is as though you had a com plete set of parts for a w ireless set an d had the task of m akin g them into a com plete receiver. T h e parts are so m an y things : the receiver one thing com pound ed o f them . T h e re is only one sen sible test o f a n y part o f a th in g : D o es it serve its pu rpose satisfacto rily? If a part m a y be d iscar­ ded w ithout m aking the w o rk less com plete, or altered to the w o rk ’ s ad van tag e, it is a blem ish even though it b e p e rfe ct w h en ju d g ed b y itself. T h ough a sleight, for instance, is suitable in one effect, it m ay prove quite un­ satisfactory in another through failin g to harm onise with the n ecessary actions or routine.

4 CHARACTERISATION.

T a k in g ad van tage o f an o b ject’s natural ch aracteris­ tics w h en designing an effect also calls for thought and skill. C onjurers often try to ad ap t a fresh ob ject to an old effect without realising the im portance o f C h aracterisa­ tion. From the technical point of v ie w it should be obvious that articles require different sieights and different m ethods of faking, ow ing to their varyin g sizes and sh apes. Y o u cannot palm a card as yo u w ou ld a b all, or switch a coin b y the sam e sleight that is satisfactory w ith h an d ker­ chiefs. But the characteristics of objects influence effects as w ell as m ethods : and a first-class effect w ith an y ob ject should, 1 suggest, be characteristic of that particular object. “ T h e Lin kin g R in g s ” can only b e p erfo rm ed with rings and affords a good exam p le of w h at 1 m ean. “ T h e M ultiplying T h im b les ” is characteristic o f thim bles because they are p rod uced on the finger-tips— their natural position. T o produce thim bles between the fingers, like balls, show s a disregard for characterisation. K n ots are characteristic of rope; sm oke o f cigarettes; colours dividing and com bining in designs, of h an d ker­ chiefs and liquids; writing, c f slates and p a p er; grow th, of flow ers; ticking and hand-m ovem ent, of clocks an d w atch es; w etness, o f liquids; heat, of fire; fragility, of eggs, tum blers and so on; chinking, of coins; tearing, of p ap er; and sim ilarly with other objects. C ard s, o w in g to their num ber and variety, lend them selves to m ore ch aracteris­ tic effects than alm ost anything else. W h en using eggs for an experim en t their fragile nature seem s to the spectator to ad d to the difficulty o f m anipulation; and this characteristic should b e em p h a­ sised. W h en a conjurer gets hold of an ivorine egg he gen erally forgets that it is thought, b y the aud ien ce, to be a real eg g w hich is liab le to crack unless carefu lly handled. I cannot agree with D evan t w h en he advises doing “ T h e E g g B ag ” w ith an adm ittedly hard-boiled egg, and “ K lin g K lan g ” (in w'hich an eg g and h an d ker­ chief change places) w ith a ping-pong ball instead o f an egg. A n d if it is suggested that the advice w a s intended for beginners, to m ake the handling easier for them , 1 should be inclined to rep ly that the b eginner m a y as w ell begin the right w a y as the w ron g w ay. W h en it is w ish ed to produce a fam iliar effect with a fresh object or on a different scale, it is not sufficient m erely to m ake an exact co p y of the original. F or

5 instance, “ T h e F loatin g B all ” is a far better sm all version of. levitation than to levitate a doll in im itation of the lad y in the illusion. In the sam e w a y , the variou s cut and restored rop es, h an d kerch ieis, card s and co on, are superior sm all exam p les o f this type o f effect than trying to do “ S aw in g T h rou gh a W om an ” w ith a doll, b ecau se the latter is not convincing. D e v a n t’ s “ T h e H om ing B e l ls ” is a ch aracteristic b ell effect b ecau se the sound m ade b y the bells is u sed as an essen tial part o f the presentation. “ T h e M iser’ s D ream ” is go o d coin co n ju r­ ing, p artly b ecau se the noise of the coins arrivin g in the hat is u sed to em phasise w h at is h appen in g. “ T h e B ow l of W ater Production ” and “ T h e R ic e B ow ls ” o w e much of their popu larity to the a p p aren t im possibility o f m an ipu ­ lating b ow ls overflow in g with liqu id; that is to sa y they are ch aracteristic liquid effects. T h e re are other m atters o f characterization e a sy to overlook despite their im portance in a n y w o rk o f art. W h en , for instance, C hung L in g Soo occu pied the stage, he w a s not M r. W . E . R ob in son dressed up, but C hung L in g Soo, T h e G re a t C hinese M agician . A ch an ge of costum e does not prod uce a ch ange of ch aracter : and, u nless the dress-suit co n ju rer is able to m etam orphose him ­ self to m atch the atm osphere he w ish es to create, all the m agical technique in the w orld w ill b e o f no a vail in im pressin g the aud ience w ith his p ro w ess. It should not b e thought that characterization im plies sp ea k in g the ch a racter’ s lan guage w h ere this is either foreign or dead . A C hinese con ju rer is not bound to sp ea k in either O riental lan guage or pidgin E n glish or else k e e p dum b : otherw ise, on this reasoning, “ T h e M ikado ” w ould n eeds be spoken in Ja p a n e se , and “ Ju liu s C a e s a r” in Latin . T o create the correct im pression it is only n ecessary to sim ulate the style of the ch aracter b ein g im p erson ated. The differen ce in tongue is then o verlook ed . It is not sufficient for a costum e conju rer to don an elaborate dress an d then “ do his stuff ” : he m ust b e an actor. A technical slip is of less con sequen ce than lack of exp ression or fau lty p o rtrayal of ch aracter. O ther details b earin g on artistic construction h ave been discu ssed in Neo Magic. T h e five elem ents so far dealt w ith m ainly con cern the design er or originator; the three enqu ired into h ere­ after are the exp o n en t’ s care. TECHNICAL M ASTERY.

If the co n ju rer’s skill is in an y w a y ap p aren t to a spectator, his presentation is fau lty. N o m anipulation or the like is p erfected until it reach es the stage o f second

6

nature; and even then there is all the difference b etw een b eing able to perform a sleight b y itself and using it u n ­ o b served to produce som e effect during the course of an actual presentation. T h ere should be no m ore n eed for a conjurer to look at his hands during a sleight than w hen he raises a glass of— w h atever he drinks from glasses— to his mouth. W h en a perform er finds it n ecessary to attend consciously to the execution o f his tricks th ey h ave not been sufficiently practised to w arrant public u se, b ecau se he w ill be unable to give sufficient thought to the dram atic side of his perform ance if m atters o f technique are on his m ind. H e w ill, in fact, b e called upon to do two things at once and p ro b ab ly m anage neither in a finished m anner. The perform er w h o shirks effects requiring con ­ siderable technical skill in order to a vo id practice or through fear o f m ishaps ought to be ash am ed o f him self. W hen w e visit a conjurer, or a singer, cr an actor, w e w ant to see w h at he, the m an, can do, not w h at his apparatus o f the assistants are cap ab le of. A m agician is one w ho conjures, not the m inder of penny-in-the-slot m achines. I must say that 1 n ever form a v e ry high opinion o f a conju rer unless he does som ething 1 cannot do m yself, or in a w a y I cannot fathom . I, for one, w ant to see a conjurer vanish coins by his ow r. m agic; 1 do not want to w atch him turning b lack -b ack ed coins o ver on a b lack -faced b o ard in a b are -fac ed m anner. It is this personal factor— or characterization— w hich lifts a p e rfo r­ m ance from the leve l of a m ere “ sh o w .” \ et one can be a good artist without faultless technique p ro vid ed the desired effect is p rod uced , for the sim ple reason that the im pression created and the feelings evok ed are alw ay s of param ount im portance. I w ill quote two m usical criticism s in support of this assertion : “ C om plete accu ra cy is desirable, but it is not the highest quality in pianoforte playin g. T h e fact that R u b enstein notoriously hit handsful o f w ron g notes on occasions does not preven t him b ein g one of the two greatest pianoforte p lay e rs of the n in e ­ teenth ce n tu ry .” “ W h en I left cut som ething in a p assage, a note or a skip, w hich in m an y cases he (Beethoven) w ish ed to h ave sp ecially em phasised, or struck a w ro n g k ey , he seldom said anything; y et w h en I w a s at fault with regard to the expression , the crescendi, or m atters of that kind, or in the ch aracter of the p iece, he w ould grow an gry. M istakes o f the other kind, he said, w ere due to ch an ce: but these last resulted

7 from w an t o f kn ow led ge, feeling, or attention. H e him self often m ade m istakes of the first kind, even w h en he p la y e d in p u b lic .” The ch ief effort m ust go to the em otional and intel­ lectu al side of the w o rk . T ech n iq u e is cold m echanism . But there is a flow in g out of vitality in a good artist w hich m agn etises the aud ien ce. DRAMATIC ABILITY.

G o o d conjuring dem ands consid erable ability in the a c to r’ s art, an d fe w of the effects d escrib ed h ereafter w ould be w orth attention without such ability. F o r in ­ stance, though in “ P oo r Y o rick ” (see p age 27) the feat, apart from the clim ax, is sim ply a repetition o f jaw clickin g b y a skull, the con ju rer must exp ress such va ried em otions as So liloqu y, Surprise, F e a r, Irony, C o n tem p la­ tion, P ity, W on d er, A m u sem en t, Irritation, D isgust, Curiosity, and Sorrow : and exp ress them so con vincin gly that the spectators w ill th em selves feel these em otions in sym path y w ith him . A n effect callin g for so w ide a range of feelin g in addition to technical skill puts a sufficiently h ea v y strain on the p erform er to be a good test o f his m erits as a conjurer. MANNER.

T h e manner of presentation depen d s larg ely upon the p e rfo rm er’ s individual person ality. H e m ay be ju d ged b y his self-con fiden ce, p o w er of w orkin g up a sym pathetic understanding in the au d ien ce, handling of assistants, and so on; but to teach a m an ** m anner ” w o u ld be to teach him to b e him self. T w o things one can sa fe ly ad vise. First, that his m anner b e that of a gentlem an. Second, that care b e paid to finished presentation. It is b y atten ­ tion to details that F in e A rt is p rod u ced . R o u gh c r clum sy w ork clashes with that term ’ s etym ology, w hich im p lies gracefu l, delicate, and painstakin g finish. R h yth m ic, illusive legerd em ain — or nim ble co n veyan ce, to use the delightful E lizabeth an term — is to cold m an ipu la­ tion as dancing to w alking, song to sp eech , or p o etry to p ro se. O ne is com m onplace, the other is sh ap ed w ith an e y e to b ea u ty. O ne enchants, the other is m erely u sefu l. A gracefu l m anner— w h ich is a va stly different thing from an effem inate m anner— m ak es conjuring p leasan t to b eh old . W e are told that even Y o u th an d M ercu ry (the G o d of E lo q u en ce and the Arts) w ere p o w e r­ less without the G ra c e s. H o w m uch m ore so then m ust w e exp ect a conjurer to be !

8 SPEED O F PRESENTATION.

A s for the sp eed of presentation, the ch ief thing to w atch is that it is appropriate to the m anner and effect und-er consideration. Som e tricks dem and fairly quick w orkin g and drag if an y attem pt is m ade to spin them out. O thers— particularly m ore elaborate ones— can only be appreciated to the full w hen ev ery point of im portance is em phasised and time is given for the details to sink into the sp ectato r’ s m inds. But as a general rule, it is far better to err on the side of rapid presentation than to be painfu lly slow — a point w hich am ateurs might w ell realise. It might be helpful if designers o f n ew effects and mise en scenes w ould suggest the sp ee d of presentation in their descriptions. STYLE.

M anner and Style are frequ en tly con fused. I use the term Style here to indicate the class or school o f presentation to w hich the perform er belon gs : M anner, to characteristics depend in g upon the individual artist. Profound, D ecorative (C abalistic, O riental, etc.). D ram atic, Fantastic, Sensational, C onversation al, C om ical, T rivial. W heth er these va ried styles can be justly co m ­ pared seem s doubtful becau se, other things b ein g equ al, the Profou n d must a lw ays be given preced en ce. M ost effects are cap ab le o f presentation in an y style b y a d a p t­ ing the patter and mise en scene : and the m ore serious the id ea behind the plot the greater its w orth, since the aim of a m agician is to evoke wonder— that is the ch a rac­ teristic w hich distinguishes him from other artists— and the m ore trivial his style the less w ill w on der be ev o k ed . B uffoonery and m agical skill are conflicting ch aracteristics. Fun m ay be cau sed by an appren tice or an onlooker m ixing the spells, or b y the conjurer him self in the guise of a M ephisto or a P u ck p layin g som e d iab olically m ischievous prank— as in turning a m an into an ass, or putting him into any other uncom fortable situation. But to cau se the greatest bew ilderm ent the m agician must be serious and of high ch aracter; b ecau se once he b egins stunting in an y w a y he surrenders the true m agical atm osphere. Fan tastic hum our is legitim ate in m agic; but a co m ed y conjurer is a caricature of a conjurer. B ro ad com edy is n ecessarily the result of som e kind of h orsep lay such as one cannot im agine a real m agician indulging in. H ere is a true little story : T w o peop le w ere discussing a concert they h ad just b een to. “ H o w did you like the co n ju rer? ” a sk e d one. ‘ “ C o n ju r e r ? ” said the other. " O h , you m ean So-and-

9 S o . W e ll, of course, he isn ’ t re ally a con jurer, is he ? H e just does a fe w tricks to hang his patter o n .” A s a m atter of fact the perform er in question w a s quite a good conjurer but he w an ted to b e a co m edian at the sam e time. Still, the v e ry nature of m agic m ak es it incongruous an d therefore lau gh able at tim es w ithout the aid of jo k es. If you see a pointer m oving round a dial o f its ow n accord to indicate chosen num bers, you first fe e l puzzled and then you w an t to sm ile. It is so silly b ecau se it is im p os­ sib le . Y e t though it is im p ossib le fo r the inanim ate pointer to act so, it does act so : and y o u laugh b ecau se yo u know it c a n ’ t. It is only w h en the atm osphere is so strained that the aud ience is h eld in unrelieved suspense an d n ever re laxes sufficiently to reach the incredulous state that conjuring fails to create am usem ent in addition to w onder. No one is a w ed b y a person of sim ilar or inferior m entality to th em selves. If a co n ju rer’ s m anner is prosy and fatuous the result w ill only excite m om entary interest h ow ever m uch clevern ess is d isp layed ; w h erea s stately m ystery im p resses itself d eep ly on the tablets of hum an m em ory. F urther, the profound style is b y fa r the most difficult to m aster, m aking its attainm ent all the m ore glorious. W ho can adm ire the m an w ho a lw ay s chooses the easiest path ? H e m ay, if he be lu ck y, gain fam e with the gen eral public, but it w ill only b e ep h em eral. It cannot last b ecau se it is on a jerry-bu ilt foundation. In the old w orld m agic w a s a serious affair influenc­ in g e v e ry m em ber of the com m unity; m agicians, poets and proph ets b ein g con sid ered the links b etw een m en and gods. A s science a d van ced the w on der-w orkers grad u ally died out, h avin g serv ed their purpose in the evolution of hum anity. M agic lost its p o w er and aw e but rem ained as an entertainm ent practised fo r its ow n sak e. W h y it shou ld be red u ced from a serious and profoun d art to the pu erily playth ing so often seen n o w ad ays is difficult to understand— unless it be a case of one extrem e b ein g fo llo w ed b y the other. But frivolous am usem ent soon gets tiresom e and w e long for d eep er ex p e rien ces : to h ear som ething that evok es thought, or to see “ .............................gorgeous Tragedy In sceptred pall come sweeping by.” O f course w e don ’ t all think alike. Som e shun am u se­ m ent of a solem n ch aracter, thinking that to be serious an d gloom y are the sam e thing, though that is all nonsense.

10

It is only the serious things that produce real lasting jo y . B road ly speaking, T ra g e d y , in its true m eaning, includes everyth in g nobler and m ere stately than a vera ge life : C om edy everyth in g m ean er or m ore grotesque. S even ty odd y e a rs ago, jo lly old Septim us P iesse w a s bem oaning the fact that “ T h e m odern conjurer has d e­ gen erated into a serious black-l.ailed coat and white n eck ­ tie gentlem an. A s to m aking you laugh w ith a good H a ! ha ! H i ! hi ! H o !— oh, d ear ! that is quite out o f the question. A s Sam Slick says, ‘ ’T ain t conjuring n ow : ’ tis illusion, an ’ no laughing allow ed ! ’ W h en I w as a b o y and w ent to see the conjurer, I didn’ t get o ver it for a w e e k ; m y sides used fairly to ach e with laughing, and the tears gushed out of m y ey e s till 1 cou ld n ’t s e e .” One can im agine R ob ert-H ou din sayin g (with M oliere), “ Nous avons change tout cela,” w hile still a g re e ­ ing that “ all styles are good excep t that w h ich is w e a ri­ so m e .” If w e are agreed that good conjuring is conjuring w hich m ainly depends upon the p e rfo rm er’ s ow n ability rather than on apparatu s or assistants, and w hich m ystifies the audience for whom it is intended (i.e., that it is a p p ro ­ priate), evidently the best conjuring is that w hich a p p e a ls to and m ystifies the best type of audience : and that, snobbish though it m ay seem , m eans the audience cap ab le of responding to ncb le ideas. A gathering of cultured (not n ecessarily w ealth y— let alone suburban) p eop le w ell versed in m atters m agical, tolerab ly critical and unw illing to praise botchw ork, is the best judge of an y art. “ B u t,” yo u m ay say, “ that m eans conjuring for conjurers, against which w e h ave so often been w arned. ’ O f course 1 do. T h e best conjuring is conjuring for conjurers; the best m usic, music for m usicians; and the best plays, p lays for critical p layg o ers. Is B eeth o ven 's Ninth Sym phony interesting to a non-m usical laym an ? O r Sh ak esp eare or S h a w to the casu al th eatre­ goer out on the sp ree ? No m ore is the best con ju rin g attractive to a popu lar aud ien ce; not b ecau se it is obscure — it must n ever intentionally be that— but b ecau se the full appreciation of an y art calls for a love c f that art. O n ly the m usician can appreciate good music to the full, and only a conjurer can understand finished conjuring. S p e c ­ tacular and sensational m agic, like jazz or revue, is e a s y to follow b ecau se there is nothing b eneath the superficial effect to call for serious m ental application ; and ’ * the tired business m an ” m ay let his troubled mind relax w hile enjoying the pre-digested fare put b efo re him . Good w ork dem ands an attentive and critical audien ce. The conjuring for conjurers w hich is not good conjuring is the

11

kind designed sim ply to trip up the w ight w h o thinks he know s all. T h u s m agic d egen erates into the kind of thing one exp ects to find on the jo k e counter of a toy-shop. As a catch it is often am using. M ost of us h ave spent m an y h ap p y hours show ing each other stunts of this kind and look fo rw ard to m an y m ore sim ilarly o ccu p ied ; but I doubt if tricks of this kind could be called good conjuring on that account. MAGIC-ARTIST V E R SU S SH O W M A N .

A discussion on G o o d C onjuring w ou ld be in com plete w ithout som e referen ce to show m anship. T o m e, show m anship, journalism , salesm an sh ip, and sophistry are all of a kind. T h e y m a y be classed as arts that gain their ends b y pleasin g the pu b lic— “ the public ” a lw a y s b ein g those m em bers of the com m unity w hose kn ow led ge of a su bject is nothing w orth m entioning. T h e arts of persuasion depen d , not upon skill or sound k n ow led ge of the matter dealt with, so m uch as in p lay in g to the desires and w eak n esses of hum an nature in order to gain p e o p le s’ confidence and sym pathy. T h e shrew d old diplom at, L o rd C hesterfield, w rote in one o f his letters : “ the b usiness of oratory is to persu ad e p e o p le ; and you ea sily fe e l that to p lease p e op le is a great step tow ards p ersu ad in g th em ,” w hich dictum is as m uch the basis o f show m anship as political speech -m aking. T h e m an w ho understands hum an nature sufficiently to kn ow h ow to p lease different classes o f p eop le b y p anderin g to their in d ividu al w e ak n e sse s in a plau sib le m anner is m ore lik ely to gain the support of the m asses than one w ho has real ability but refu ses to lard his opinions w ith false sentim ent o* su ppress them in favo u r of others w hich he thinks will gratify public taste: for p ersuasion is subtle fo rce. T h e popu lar journalist know s p ractically nothing o f m an y su bjects on w hich he w rites, but he disguises the fact from those w ho are eq u ally ignorant under an interest­ ing style o f w riting. A d vertisers, salesm en, and politicians puff and discourse on an y an d ev ery m atter w ith the least p ossib le b ackin g of facts, if they think it to their ad van tage. I h ey h ave learnt h ow to gain attention and support b y either ap p ealin g to p e o p le ’ s frailty or frightening them o ver the alleg ed terrible consequences of net fo llow in g their a d vic e. It is just the sam e w ith the show m an. So far as conjuring is con cern ed, he m ay know n ext to nothing about m agic and be feeb le so far as technical skill is concerned, y et be a b le to p ersu ad e “ the p u b lic ” — w hich, I repeat, are those persons w h ose kn o w led ge o f m agic is n egligible— to credit him w ith the title “ G re a t ” b y his im puden ce and self-confident bluff.

12 Show m anship, then, seem s to b e a kind of ve n e er gen erally used to give the appearance of excellen ce to shoddy w o rk, and to lead the uncritical into thinking it good w ork— an alluring jack et on the book o f entertain­ m ent. T h at the generality o f p eop le do not m ind b ein g taken in b y this kind o f artifice m akes it no m ore p raise­ w orth y. T h e finished artist, content to be ju d g ed by cap ab le critics, but unheedful of w h at the m asses think, has no need for show m anship, know ing that it cannot m ake good w ork better and only m ak es poor w o rk seem better. H e does not try to persuade p eop le into ap p lau d ­ ing his w ork at an y ccst or if they do not understand it, but is satisfied with genuine approval should it com e his w a y . T h e artiste is guided b y public opinion; the A rtist b y his own ideals. N evil M askelyne w as quite w ron g w hen h e con ­ dem ned the use of the term artiste on the grounds that it w as sim ply a pretentious form of “ a rtist.” U sage has m ade the two w ords distinct. “ A n artiste” is syn on y­ m ous for an entertainer or perform er : that is one w ho p lay s to public taste; w hich the A rtist ignores, being guided in doing this or that b y his ow n id ea s of p erfection . It is b ecau se he is alw ay s trying to p lease the public that the p rofession al entertainer is so seldom , an A rtist. H a vin g his living to get he c a n ’ t afford to be. T h e artiste is gen erally a show m an : the true artist is n ever a show m an. In proportion as he introduces sh o w ­ m anship does he becom e the lesser artist b ecau se b y so doing he surrenders his sincerity to general opinion. H e no longer says w hat he thinks but w h at he hopes people w ould like him to think. Still, his w o rk m ay b e p rod uced b y a show m an provid ed it is not tam pered w ith in the process of b ein g m ade attractive to “he gen eral public. But a suggestion o f show m anship is alw ay s liable to arouse suspicion about the real m erit o f a w o rk am on g the sophisticated; just as is a gashin g advertisem ent, an overcom plaisant salesm an , or elaborate printing to puff som e doubtful shares in the m oney-m arket. 1 he show m an aim s at producing the appearance of ability; he tries to im press p eop le that he is cle ver w h en he isn ’ t. T h e artist tries to im press p eop le that h e is not clever, though he is, b y m asking skill under an effort­ less style of presentation. T h e artiste re lie s on the ignorance of his audience; the artist on their intelligence. G o o d art seem s artless b ecau se it is so careixilly plan ned that the skill u sed in producing the result p asses unnoticed and the finished effect a p p ea rs to be spontaneous.

13 T h e show m an is shallow ; the artist is d eep . The artist soars high; the show m an is m ercen ary. T h e artist is the servant o f one u n sw ervin g sin gle-p urposed m ind— his ow n. T h e show m an is the slave of a m illion -headed m onster w ith as m any fickle m inds all clam ouring together. 1 he artist’s m etal w ill stand the acid test; the sh o w m an ’ s is m ere pinchbeck. Legitimate showmanship is that which begins where art ends. It m ay be said that Art is a m eans o f co n veyin g an artist’s feelin gs and im aginings to others; Technique the craftsm an ’s skill u sed in prod ucing the w o rk ; and Show­ manship a w a y o f m aking the result attractive— a lure that m ust neither interfere w ith the w ork nor give a false im ­ pression of its quality. T h e re is no reason w h y a show m an should not entice unsuspecting hum an flies into his p arlour provid in g he has som ething sound to offer them w h en they get there. T h e artiste flirts w ith a p p lau se; the artist courts beauty. Y o u can n ever be a fine artist b y tryin g to p lease anyon e but yo u rself; that is against the w h ole nature of art. A n artist is essentially one w h o exp resses himself regard less o f h ow p eop le ju d g e the result. H e decid es to serve A rt and risk b ein g m isunderstood rather than to serve The Pu blic in an attem pt to gain ih eir plaudits. It is p ro b ab ly safe to sa y that aill show m anship is b ased on H um an Interest. If, for exam p le, a conjurer em ploys a person w h o is “ in the n ew s ” to take part in an illusion he m a y ex p e ct to attract good aud ien ces; but this doesn t m ake his conju ring an y better : it m a y m ake it w orse b y divertin g notice to som e extent from the m agi­ ca l effect. The introduction o f local or topical interest in an y w a y is a type of show m anship w hich can often be used h elp fu lly; but it has no real influence on the quality o f an effect itself though it assists in keep in g a show alive and fresh. A n o th er type of show m anship is to see k ap p lau se through other channels than person al ability. It is u sually m an ag ed b y satisfying a “ w a n t ” or stim ulating an em otion. P rod u cin g variou s flags, the largest of w hich represen ts the country in w hich the conju rer is p e rfo rm ­ ing, is an instance o f Patriotic Stim ulus. C onjuring-up eatab les or drinkables and passin g them round, kn ow in g that m any p eo p le fe e l w ell disp osed to anyon e w h o p leases their bellies, even if his con ju rin g is slipshod, is another fam iliar w a y of cadging— or rather buying popu larity. It m ay be term ed A p p etite Satisfaction. T h e re is no reaso n w h y a conju rer should not do these things provid ed he

14 does not substitute them for skill, as perfo rm ers like A n d erso n h ave done. T h e only thing for w hich a conjurer should exp ect ap p lau se is his m agic. A rt is m anner not m atter. A thing is done artistically if it is done with the id ea o f m aking it p erfect : not only functionally perfect but aesthetically or im agin atively p e r­ fect. T h e artist’s w ork is sound through and through not m erely w h ere it is noticed. A n artist, b ein g essen tially a lover of b eau ty, cannot b ea r to scam p the unseen part o f his w ork, though he m ay get no credit fo r troubling to p erfect it. H is conscience pricks him if an y part is less p erfect than he could h ave m ade it. H is satisfaction com es of w orking to an ideal. T o m ake a thing in a w a y that ap p ears to him less p erfect than it m ight h ave been, sim ply b ecau se a greater num ber of p eop le are lik ely to praise it that w a y , seem s an underhand pro ceed in g. H e feels in his own w a y as that great sculptor and frescopainter, Michael A n g elo , felt w h en he said : “ Nothing m akes the soul so pure, so religious, as the en d eavou r to create som ething p erfect; for G o d is P erfectio n , and w h o ­ ever strives for perfection, strives for som ething that is G o d -lik e .” A con ju rer’ s business is not to deceive but t o 'e v o k e w on d er b y artistically-perfect m agical effects. Show m anship and stage-craft are clo sely allied. I think the difference betw een them is that stage-craft deals with elem ents essential to the p erform ance of an effect in such a w a y that the utmost is m ade of it, including the handling of suspense, surprise, clim ax, timing, con ­ trast, entrances, exits, and a hundred other details of presentation; w hile show m anship is som ething substituted or su per-im pcsed solely for the purpose of pleasin g those w ho do not understand good craftsm anship. T h e intro­ duction of irrelevant jo k es or patter; of u n n ecessary sp ectacle; of show -ladies and h ap p y endings w h ere they h ave no p lace; of u nnecessarily sensational clim axes; and everyth in g over-done to catch ap p lau se, is show m anship. In b rief, the show m an-artist is a quack. SUMM ARY.

G o o d C onjuring is Attractive, Clear, and Magical. U nless it is A ttractive p eop le w ill not bother to w atch the C onjurer. U n less the in tended effect is C lear to ev e ry b o d y they w ill be unable to follow w h at is going on, and thus lose interest. If the p erform ance is A ttractive and C lear but not M agical, it cannot pro p erly be called Conjuring.

PART TWO

POEMS IN ILLUSION CATCHING THE POST N en velo p e is show n em p ty and h eld b efo re a light to pro ve that nothing is co n cealed . If w orking close up it m ay be exam in ed and initialed b y a spectator. It is then sealed and p la c e d in the clip of a d isp lay stand, o r leant again st som e article in full view .

A

Patter: “ H a v e an y of you ever posted a letter and then found that you h ave left som ething out— such as a ph otograph or a ch equ e. Y o u ca n ’ t get the letter b ack and w on d er w h at you had better do. 1 w ill show yo u h ow a m agician saves him self the ruinous exp en se of using another stam p to sen d the o verloo ked snapshot sep arately. B ut first, w ill som eone nam e a court card that w e w ill use to represent the ch eque or snapshot that has b een left cu t. T h e Q ueen of D iam onds. V e r y w ell, w e w ill take the Q eeen of D iam onds from the p ack . H ere she is. A ll the m agician has to do is to toss the snapshot in the direction of the letter-box in w hich the letter has b een posted , and at the sam e time exclaim Post H aste ! — like this. Post Haste ! ” T h e card is tossed in the d irec­ tion of the en velop e and it van ish es. It is really backp alm ed . T h e b ack o f the hand is show n once only in a natural w a y w ithout an y suggestion of m anipulation, and then re verse d again, leavin g the card b ack -palm ed. T h e hand drops to the side and com es u p again to take the en velo p e as the con ju rer w alk s tow ard s it. A s the en velo p e is taken, the ca rd is reversed to bring it into contact w ith the en velo p e so that both can be h eld to­ gether. D uring these actions, the en velop e should b e on the co n ju re r’ s left side of the stage and the m anipulation be done b y his left hand. W ith his right h an d he takes up a p ap er-kn ife and slits open the en velo p e. A fte r rep lacin g the knife on the table he holds the en velo p e w ith the open ed ge dow nw ard and sh ak es it, at the sam e time letting the card fall into the right hand. T h e card seem s to com e from within the en velop e an d creates a better illusion than ap p aren tly taking it out from the top.

16

CARD BUBBLES This is another effect utilising the b ack-palm . U nder co ve r o f a h an d kerch ief a chosen card is a p p aren tly dissolved in a glass of so ap y w ater said to possess m agical properties. U sing a cla y p ip e, the con­ jurer then blow s several bubbles with this w ater and bursts each in turn b y catching them betw een finger and thum b. T h e third bubble ch anges on bursting into the chosen card. Method. A piece of clear celluloid the size of a card is on the top of the pack. H a v e a card fre e ly chosen. Palm the fak e card in the right hand and p lace the p ack aside. R e c e iv e the chosen card b ack on the palm of the left hand and then take it in the right hand, secretly placin g the fa k e over it so that both can be held as one. D o not look at the chosen card but hold it up for all to see. R e m o ve a h and kerch ief from the b reast pocket and throw over the card and fak e , l a k e hold outside with the left hand and palm the card in the right. N o w take hold o f the celluloid through the h an d kerch ief b y the right hand, holding the fak e b y the side so that there can be no doubt that a card is there. H old up the tum bler of so ap y w ater and exp lain that it contains a chem ical cap ab le of dissolving anything p laced in the solution. L o w e r the h an d kerch ief o ver it so that the fak e card is subm erged in the liquid. H old one corner of the h an d kerch ief in the right hand to help con ceal the palm ed card. A fte r a fe w m om ents’ pause d isso lve,” sm artly d raw a w a y the the glass up to the light to show invisible. T h e so ap y w ater h elps

** to allo w the card to h an d kerch ief and hold the card has b ecom e to hide the fak e .

Standing w ith the right side to the aud ien ce, p lace the h an d kerch ief on the table and take up the c la y p ip e. B low a bubble and burst it w ith the left hand. T u rn to the right, low ering the right hand and back-palm in g the card as the left hand holds the pipe and another bubble is blow n. Burst this with the right hand k eep in g the card h idden. C asu ally lo w er the hand again to avo id an y un­ natural position of the fingers b ein g noticed, and b lo w a third b ubble. K e e p in g w ell a w a y from it so that all m a y see the effect, burst it betw een the fingers an d thum b o f the right hand, at the sam e time producing the card from

17 the b ack-p alm . H o ld the hand quite still in this position w h ile yo u count four slow ly, m eantim e looking stead fastly at the card so that the effect will h ave time to register on the m inds of the spectators. T h e card should h ave b een palm ed w ith its face to the palm in the first instance, so now the b ack w ill be visib le. A s k for the n am e o f the chosen card ; then turn the ca rd in the hand o ver slow ly, and it will be seen to be the one required . A little glycerin e a d d ed to the w ater w ill help to m ake the b ub b les less lik ely to burst spontaneously.

LOVE: THE MAGICIAN “ A little rom ance called “ L o v e — T h e M ag ician .” I hope you w ill love the m agician for show ing it to yo u !

“ W e w ill use the K in g of H earts to represen t our hero (removing it from the pack °nd placing it upright against some object on the table), and one of the b lack Q ueens for the love-lorn lad y . W h ich do y o u p refer, S p ad es or C lu b s? C lu b s! V e r y w ell, the P rin cess o f Clubs comes along and falls vio len tly in lo ve with the handsom e K in g as socn as she sees him. (The Queen of Clubs is removed from the pack with the Queen o f Hearts secretly behind it, and held in the right hand facing the K ing on the table some distance away. The pack is placed on the table). “ T h e K in g is so enraptu red b y her grace and b ea u ty that in his ey e s she seem s to be an angel. (The card is turned to face the audiencc, who see that it is now the picture of an angelic-looking Queen of Clubs with wings. This is managed by using a prepared card which can be

18 changed from a Queen into a painting executed in similar style and colours by secretly turing a jlap while the card fa c e s away from the audience. The jlap is made with the hinge down the length o f the card— not across it— as there is then less chance of the change being detected owing to the arc through which it swings being smaller. The card is held as shown in the drawing with three fingers at the top edge and the thumb at the centre o f the lower edge. Only the third finger supports the top of the card. The second finger loosens the flap and pushes it forward. As soon as the flap is past the centre the little finger presses the back, of the card slightly, and this bending causes the flap to spring to its new position against the card. The card behind the prepared one does not inter­ fere with this manipulation, which leaves the two cards held ready for the next sleight.) “ A s the passion is m utual, they soon b ecom e en ­ gaged . (The Queen is placed face down— on, but not quite covering the King. In taking the Queen in the left Hand from the right to do this, the palm-change is executed, which leaves the prepared Queen of Clubs palm ed in the right hand, the Queen of Hearts alone going on the King. The palm-change is made by sliding out the back, card from between the front card and the palm by the left thumb, and at the same time pressing the front card into the right palm with the left fingers. This change is Very deceptive. Pick UP the pack with the left hand.) B efore long th ey are m arried (make a pass over the two cards), and of course the lad y b ecom es the Q ueen o f H earts. (Show the change and quietly pocket the palmed card during the distraction. O r it may be dropped behind the card-easel if one is used.) " But the Q u een ’ s father does not agree with the m atch and h as her k idn apped and hidden a w a y in a secret castle. H a lf the p a ck shall represen t the castle. W h ich part do you p re fe r— the top or the bottom ? T h e top. T h en p lease place the Q ueen on top of these cards and cut them to bring her to the centre w h ere she w ill be quite in accessible. (After the King and Queen have been shown they are placed face-down on the table or against a support. During the conversation the pack has been casually shuffled without disturbing the top card, which is the Jack °f Hearts, it having been placed there when finding the cards at the beginning of the trick- In placing the K ing of Hearts down, it is substituted for the Jack by the top-change. H a lf the pack !S chosen. If the top is named, the pack ‘s cut °nd the upper part handed to the spectator. If the bottom, the top card— the K ing of

19 Hearts— is slipped to the lower part in cutting so that in any case the K ing is on top of the chosen packet. The Queen is picked up, shown, and handed to be placed on the packet and cut to the centre.) “ T h e K in g of H earts, of course, is livin g in his own castle, w hich shall be represen ted b y the rest of the pack . (Take up the Jack °f Hearts and place it on the other packet of cards, letting it be seen just sufficiently for any­ one to notice that it is a red Heart court-card but not to detect the change from K ing to Jack■ Cut to the centre.) “ W h en he finds that his la d y h as b een abd u cted he is alm ost driven to distraction. But L o v e the M agician surm ounts all obstacles. U n d er his all-p o w erfu l spell, distance an d difficulties of all kinds m elt a w a y so that nothing can p revent the lo vers from finding each other. In fact 1 shouldn’ t be surprised if even w hile w e h ave b een talking the K in g of H earts has found the lad y o f his heart. S h all w e investigate ? (Running through the cards in which the K ing was placed.) " W ell, he h as left his ow n castle an yw ay . W ill you kin dly see if h e has found w h ere his Q ueen w a s h id d en ? H e has ! T h en I think this little rom ance p ro ves that, ev en in C ard lan d , L o v e is a M ag ician .”

THE TWO JEWELS A Fable. “ T h e re w e re once tw o exp lo rers. T h e first set out to find je w e ls w ith his hands (Showing them empty by the change-over sleight. A large property jewel, red and brilliant, is really palm ed and left in the right hand.) in the far-off m ountain stream s; and after a w hile he dis­ co ve red a valu ab le gem o f rare size and b eau ty. (Produc­ ing the jewel from the air.) “ H e sh ow ed his find to the few com panions that w e re w ith him (passing it from hand to hand for all to see) an d then set oft w ith it for civilization. H e n ever let his treasure le a v e his person an d slept w ith it cla sp ed in his hand. (Palm-passing it to the left, which is then tightly clasped as though holding it, and held aloft so that all can see. The right hand disposes of the palm ed jewel.) “ But one of the com panions he h a d show n it to w a s a rogue. H e fo llo w ed the ow ner o f the gem and stunned him in the night and stole the je w e l. (The hand is opened and shown empty.) A n d the exp lo rer n ever saw it again. “ T h e second exp lo rer set out in a different w a y . Instead of going abro ad he stayed at hom e and did the

20 explorin g w ilh his m ind. F or he w a s a philosopher and sought for je w els of thought. Th is is his hat under w hich the thoughts cam e. (Showing hat empty, and turning it upside down.). L ik e the first explorer, he too found a valu ab le je w el. H e had often com e acro ss je w els with his m ind b efo re, but this one w as exception al and m ore preciou s than rubies; for w h o ever should ow n this je w el and n ever ce ase contem plating it w ould be etern ally h ap p y. (Producing a transparent gem from the hat and then putting it back..) ‘ ‘ 1 his exp lorer did not try to k eep his gem , or even to sell it : he gave it a w a y . (Removing the gem from the hat and placing it on a black veloet-covered tray.) N o w the funny thing about je w els that adorn the m ind, that m akes them so different from je w e ls w hich adorn the body, is that everyo n e in the w orld can h ave the sam e m ental je w e l at the sam e time. So this explorer ga ve his precious je w e l of thought to another person, and another, and another. (Producing a succession of jewels from the hat.) In fact he gave it to e v ery b o d y w ho w ou ld h ave it. (Handsful o) gems are produced from the hat and placed with the others on the tray. 7 hey have all been hidden under a mask >n the same manner as in the “ Eggs from a H a t.” ) “ A n d yet, ow ing to the pecu liar property of m ental je w els I have just m entioned, after he h ad given this one a w a y to so m any p eop le, he still had it left for him self. (Producing a final jewel and placing it apart from the others.) " So ev ery b o d y w as h a p p y .” If p referred , the je w e ls could b e prod uced from an inexhaustible b ox, w hich could represent the ph iloso ph er’ s study.

REFLECTED THOUGHTS

On the stage is seen a large m irror in a fram e sup­ ported on standards. A lad y is invited to assist in the experim en t; and it is first suggested that she use the m irror in the a p p ro ved m anner. She next selects a postcard from a p ack of them, each o f w hich b ears the photo o f a film star, and is ask ed b y the conjurer to look at it and then gaze steadily into the m irror, thinking the w hile of the star chosen. It is exp lain ed that thoughts are tangible, but as their ra y s function on a different p lan e from those of ph ysical bodies they are invisible to norm al e y e s. A m agic-m irror can reflect thoughts and so m ake them visib le. U p on the m agician m aking a cab alistic pass b etw een the lad y and the glass, a reflection of the thought— that is to say, a large reflection of the star’s photo— grad ually form s in the m irror.

21

T h e lad y is now asked to forget the photo she is thinking o f and m ake her mind a b lan k. O f cou rse, the reflection fad es a w a y. T h e experim ent is rep eated with a different postcard . “ It has been v e ry kind in d eed of you to m irror y o u r thoughts in p u b lic .” concludes the m agician. “ If you w ill take the postcards you h ave chosen and try the e x p e ri­ ment again at hom e, y o u m ay b e eq u ally su ccessfu l. If not, it w ill p ro b ab ly be b ecau se the m agic spell has w orn o u t.”

Method. T h e m irror is a sheet o f ordinary silvered glass; but instead o f the usual b ack in g of paint and p a p e r it is p ro ­ tected b y another sheet of thin glass. Such a m irror acts in the usual w a y w h en lighted from the front; but w h en a stronger light is beh in d it than in front it b eco m es transparent. A shallow b ox lined w ith b lack ve lv e t is built b e ­ hind this m irror as show n in the figure. In the centre of the b ack o f the cabinet an enlargem ent o f the second

22 card to b e forced is fixed; and on it is focu ssed an electric light behind the top fram e. T h e lead s to the light b ulb run through a rheostat-sw itch in the hands of an assistant off-stage. In front o f this card is a big duplicate o f the first card the lad y is to " fre e ly s e le c t,” resting in grooved supports, enabling it to b e draw n sid ew ays beh in d a b la ck screen . T h e co n cealed assistant m anages this w ith the aid of a thread fastened to the card. Worltfng. T h e p ack o f “ stars ” first show n is sw itched for another consisting o f two banks o f card s rep resen tin g the two stars behind the m irror. A n indifferent card sim ilar to that in front of the first p ack is on the bottom . The top of this pack is fann ed for the la d y to take one. T h e assistant pulls over the sw itch, and tfte “ r e ­ flection ” grad ually ap p ears. R e v e rsin g the sw itch cau ses it to fad e a w a y. T h e front card is then draw n beh in d the screen . T h e second card is forced b y fanning the bottom h alf of the p ack and the p rocess repeated . The conjurer m ay quietly prom pt the lad y to approach the m irror and tap it w ith the cards or her hand at the conclusion to show that the glass is solid.

CITIZENS OF THE WORLD A globe of the w orld som e six inches in diam eter, and fitted to revolve on a pedestal, is show n em p ty and spun round so that the w h ole outside can b e vie w e d . ” W hen m en first united in groups to fight each other and to defend their own particular traditions and terri­ tory, the each invented ban ners to represen t their ow n tribe or clan. A s y e a rs w ent by, these territories got bigger and b igger until most of the peop le in the w orld lived under one or other of about a dozen flags. (Out of the globe the conjurer produces, one by one, silk, flags representing the chief countries in the world; then he shows the globe empty again.) “ But they w e re stiil divided against each other and kept fiercely w arrin g over their grievances just as they a lw ay s had done. Im agine a revolution n ow in pro ­ gress. (The flags are pushed back into the globe, which is then closed and revolved. The flags are removed a moment later all torn and burnt. The globe is again shown empty.) “ T h e futility of such strife grad ually began to daw n on the p eop le w hom these flags rep resen ted ; so after a great deal of talking and b argainin g th ey w en t into con ­ vention and decid ed to join hands b y signing an a g re e ­

23 m ent to try w orking together for m utual benefit in future. (The torn flags are pushed through a sheet of paper into a tube and emerge restored and tied together in a streamer. The tube is unrolled and seen to be empty; but on the paper is boldly written, “ The League of N ations.” ) “ A fte r this state of affairs had w o rk e d satisfactorily for som e time and turned out to be a good deal m ore p leasan t w a y of settling argum ents than using gu n pow der and gas, the peop le g rad u ally b egan to find that th ey no longer b elon ged to in dependant states, b ecau se th ey had all becom e “ Citizens o f the W o rld .” (Gathering the flags in his hands, the conjurer suddenly changes them into a banner about five feet by four, consisting of a white back­ ground on which are ever enlarging circles of all colours.) The Globe.

W O R K IN G

DETAILS.

In a p p ea ra n ce the globe is an ordin ary globe of the w o rld revo lvin g on a ped estal, excep t for h avin g an o p en ­ ing at the top that can be closed b y a door hinged with a single rivet so that it can be sw ung round to uncover the opening. Inside the globe there is a secon d globe w hich revo lves on tw o pivots in alignm ent with those of the real glob e. T h is inner globe has two circular o p en ­ ings cut in its su rface in such positions that they register w ith the visib le open ing accordin g to the relative positions of the inner and the real glob e. The inner globe is divi­ d ed into two com partm ents b y a partition betw een these tw o openings. N orm ally, the inner globe hangs with one side dow n­ w ard , as show n in the figure, ow ing to that side b ein g just sufficiently w eigh ted fo r the pu rpose. T h e u p p er open ing is n ow under the door of the outer glob e. A springstop is fixed to the w a ll of the real glob e, so that w hen the globe is re vo lved the stop p asses through the outer giobe and en g ag es a hole in the container, sw inging it u p w ard s with the outer opening under the door. T h is stop can be d isen gaged b y pulling it u p w ard on the w e a k spring-arm and sw inging it sid ew ays slightly so that the pin does not enter the h ole in the outer glob e. T h e globe m ay now b e fre e ly re vo lve d without affecting the position o f the container. A spring fitted by a collar to the pedestal-arm (like a fountain pen clip), and h avin g a p iece of ru b ber or w ash leath er on the end to preven t dam age to the glob e, p resses on the su rface of the globe sufficiently to act as a b rake an d hold it in position against the pull of the con tain er’ s w eight w h en the latter is b eing held up. T h is b rak e is tw isted off or into contact as required.

24 A s the sam e rivet acts as hinge to both the globe door and the stop-arm , the latter ap p ears to b e p art o f the door if it is noticed at all. Both door and stop are painted as though they w ere part o f the globe itself.

I he globe is p rep ared b y packin g the lighter o f the two com partm ents (which are painted b lack inside, as is the outside of the inner globe), w ith first the torn flags, then the others. T h e w eight w ill now carry this side dow n. T h e stop is w ithdraw n to the “ off ” position. The wording is as follows :— A fte r placin g the hand m the em pty side o f the globe and turning it upside-dow n (the hand p reven tin g the con­ tainer revolving), the door is shut and the globe set spinning. In turning it round to b ring the door to the top, the stop is released and en gages the inner globe, w hich is thus brought with the load ed side upperm ost. The b rake is put on. W h en the door is open ed the globe is seen to be full of flags, the first h alf of w hich are p ro ­ duced. T h e door is closed , the stop w ithdraw n and the

25 globe revo lved . T h e lo ad ed side w ill again han g dow n ­ w ard s and the globe a p p e a r em pty. T h e flags are p laced in. A s this side is w eigh ted , and the tw o sets o f flags b alan ced , it w ill sw in g dow n as soon as the hand w hich has b een holding the ed ge of the o p en ­ ing, ap p aren tly to stead y the globe, is rem o ved an d the door shut. T h e torn flags are thus brought u pperm ost; and, after th ey have b een rem oved, the globe can b e show n empty again. Second Phase. T h e next ph ase o f the effect is to ch an ge the torn flags to a stream er of ren ovated ones b y passin g them through a p a p e r tube; an d to produce the w o rd s " T h e L e a g u e o f Nations ” on the p a p er itself. If the latter part is om itted, an y version o f the “ D yin g Silk's ” in w hich a ch anging tube is lo ad ed and later d isp osed o f can b e used. S e v e ra l versions are given in H offm an n ’s Later Magic. T o prod uce the com plete effect as described, the p a p er tube itself is sw itched for a duplicate containing a dye-tube of the regu lar pattern in w hich are p a ck ed the flags form ing the stream er. T h e w riting is done in bold letters on the inner su rface of the p a p er; and on one end o f the tube is a rubber ban d. T h is lo ad ed tube is p laced on two hooks on the b ack of a table so that it rests just below the top ed ge, see P late. T h e b ack of the table b e lo w the tube is open, the rem o ved part b ein g hinged at an angle to act as a chute, so that anything d rop p ed on it goes into the p a d d ed box-top of the table. T h e substitution is m ade b y standing at one side of the table to roll up the p a p e r w hich is then held in the h and rem ote from the aud ien ce. T h e other hand takes a ru b ber b an d from the table and puts it on one end of the tube. In taking up a second band, the tube is quietly d ro p p ed on the chute and the hand m oved fo rw ard to take the d u plicate. T h e conjurer should look at the aud ien ce and m ake som e rem ark at the tricky m om ent; and there should b e no perceptib le m ovem ent as the sw itch is m ad e. T h e seco n d b an d goes on this lo ad ed tube. A s the stream er is rem o ved b y the right hand, it is gath ered in sm all loops into the left hand, w hich holds the tube n ear the bottom end. T h e dye-tube, w hich is co ve red with a p iece o f flag to act as cam ouflage, is allow ed to slide into the bunch of flags as the stream er com es out, and flags and tube are p laced on the table. T h e p a p er can n ow be o p en ed to show the w riting; this

26 action incidently show ing that the torn flags are not inside it. Third Phase. The F la g o f the W orld is lo ad ed from the b o d y in a sim ilar w a y to the butterfly in T h e Invisible S ilk w o rm ,” describ ed on p age 24 of Conjured Up. In lifting the stream er from the table, the fak e goes into the chute-servante. W h ile gathering the stream er into loops the load is secured; and w hen the b ig flag is open ed with a flourish the bunch o f sm all flags is held behind one corner; to be d ropped on to the table as the flag is spread over it. If p referred , body-loading can be avo ided b y h avin g the banner in an open w ell in the table and secretly p ick ­ ing it up with the stream er.

THE WORLD’S PEARL T h is illusion is intended to form a sequel to “ Citi­ zens o f the W orld ” for stage use. T h e flag in this case is m ade b igger and hides the conjurer as it is unfurled b y cords from the w in gs h ooked to the upper corners; it also hides the globe, w hich is attached to a floor-stand. Both globe and conjurer h a v e been standing on a sm all platform raised from the stage. A t a clap of the m agician ’ s hands the flag is slow ly raised to disclose, instead of the little glob e, a m onster one su p ­ ported on the shoulders of a hum an A tlas. C O N JU RER (making appropriate gestures): “ T h e w o rld ’ s m ine oyster, w hich 1 with w and will o p e n .” (The globe slowly opens like an oyster, the upper half being pushed up by a lady symbolizing Peace.) PEA C E : I am the P ea rl o f the W orld : A gem in restless toil the nations seek In vain to trace and set; for then the leak O f hum an b icod w ill end, and all strife ce ase . M y nam e is P e a ce . Curtain. Working Details. T h e b ig flag is pleated and rolled into a cylin d rical shape and secured w ith two tissue ban ds. In this con di­ tion it is p laced in the table-top through a square trap co ve red b y a loosely-hinged door, the hinge b ein g tow ards the audience, see P late. A w ire loop from one corner protrudes through the trap. In taking up the flags from the tab le, the lo o p is secured and the load draw n out of the trap, w h ich falls to again o f its ow n acco rd . T h e ends o f the tw o cords

27 from the w ings are h ooked together and h an g in the air over the platform . The conjurer reach es for these and clips one to each ring on the flag that is held am on g the bunched-up stream er. A t the correct m om ent the cords

are ra p id ly h au led in b y assistants, w h ipping the b ig flag into v ie w so that it hides everyth in g on the platform w hich its bottom ed ge touches. T h e conjurer drops the sm all flags under the globe and steps from behind the b an n er. The platform is supported on six legs; and from the front-centre leg to the rear-corn er ones are fixed tw o m irrors at right angles, as show n in the illustration, w hich reflect the front corn er legs (A) to represent the one (B) at the b ack that th ey hide. T o a trap in the platform within the m irrors is fasten ed the glob e-p ed estal. T h e b ig globe containing the la d y is attached to a strong iron support scre w e d to a sm all platform the size of the trap opening that is con ­ trolled b y counterw eights b eneath the stage.

28 U nder cover of the flag an assistant reach es through a trap in the stage and releases the bolts holding the platform -trap, w hich is then rem o ved bodily b en eath the stage, the sm all globe and flags going with it. A n assistant representing A tlas takes up his position on the counter­ w eigh ted platform , crouching in front of the globe-support so that he him self ap p ea rs to be holding u p the globe. T h e platform is run up in the guides and tak es the place of the trap just rem oved ; the flag being then h au led u p to disclose the transform ation. B y producing the illusion in a B lack A rt setting the trap could be dispensed with. T h e b ig globe w ou ld be on a platform behind a b ackground-m ask and be pushed into position under co ver of the flag. A n invisible assis­ tant w ould rem ove the sm all globe and the d iscard ed m ask before the flag w as raised to disclose the transform ation.

POOR YORICK! Enter the conjurer thoughtfully handling a skull and rem oving pieces of earth. “ T o think this skull once had a tongue in it and could sing. It might be the pate of a politician w hich that ass of a grave-digger o ’ er-ofhced; (ironically) one that could circum vent G o d . W h y did he suffer the rude kn ave to knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel ? Or of a courtier, w hich could say, ‘ G ood-m orrow , sw eet lord ! H o w dost thou, good lo rd ! ’ Y e t the kn ave sayeth ’ tis Y o ric k ’s skull, a k in g’s jester of olden tim e. A la s, poor Y o r ic k ! W h ere be you r gibes n o w ? Y o u r gam b les? Y o u r so n gs? \ o u r flashes of m errim ent that w e re w ont to set the table in a ro ar? (The jaws click several times. 7 he conjurer looks astonished and quickly places it on a table, rear-centre.) “ H ow n ow ! A rt h au n ted ? W ouldst clam p thy jaw s to m ake mine own teeth chat, and m ock w ith grin right high -fantastical? (Three clicks.) T h o u m ust in d eed be Y o rick to jest in such a m ouldy plight. (Three clicks.) T h rice clicked his ja w s. W h at m eanest h e ? Y e a or n o ? I have’t ! P rith ee, skull, canst click thy ja w s ? (Three clicks.) A g a in thrice. T h re e clicks m ean Y e a ; y-e-a. T h en tw o m ean no; is ’ t so, je ste r? (Three clicks.) Y e s ! D ost thou know w ho thou art? (Three clicks.) T h ou dost ! G o o d ! T h en tell m e; art Y o ric k ? (Three clicks.) Y e a ! T e lle st thou the truth, sku ll? (Two clicks.) N o ! T h o u liest, th en? (Two clicks.) No a g a in ! A p lagu e take the coxcom b; he neither lies nor telleth the truth. T h o u hast a nim ble wit for a num bskull, jester. W h ere be thy b rain s?

29 He answereth not! Hast any brains? (Two clicks.) No! 'Tis clear thou hast none, for thy pate holds nought but dirt. “ Dost thou think Mussolini will look o’ this fashion i’ the earth? (Three clicks.) Yes! Then pomp, it seems, spans not the wormy grave. “ And my lady? Though she paint an inch thick, to this grim favour must she also come ? (Three clicks. Then despondently:) E ’en so. And smell so, too ? Puh ! (Holds handkerchief to nose, then throws it over skull. Three clicks are heard.) One, two three. She must. (The covered skull is placed on a plate on a small table to the side of the stage in front.) “ One, two three. She must. (The covered skull is placed on a plate on a small table to the side of the stage in front). ‘‘ Methinks thou could’st do with new lodgings. (Conjurer moves to far side of stage as though the smell is objectionable.) Can'st hear me now, jester? (Three clicks are heard.) “ Maybe thy sight doth also serve thee still. How many fingers seest thou? (Holds up one finger. One click-) " And now? (Four fingers. Four clicks.) " This time how many? (None held up. Silence.) “ Come! Art blind? O strange paradox; to see, yet have no eyes; to hear, yet have no ears. Thy spirit must indeed be immortal, jester. How many years hast been under the cod? (The skull begins to tap deliberately until it reaches about seven, when the handkerchief collapses. The performer rushes over in surprise and carefully lifts the handkerchief. H e picks up a few small objects from the plate and throws them back one by one; they are teeth,) “ Alas! ’Twas too much strain for thine old head. (Blowing a cloud of dust from the plate which he has taken from the table.) “ Poor Yorick! First Method. While the skull is being held, the jaw is secretly moved by the hand remote from the audience. After it has been placed on the table, either the familiar horizontal thread across the stage with one end in the hands of an assistant, or the electro-magnetic con­ trol may be used. The latter is the cleanest and most deceptive method and is managed by having an electro­ magnet hidden in the table with the wires led down the legs to batteries and a switch behind the scenes. In the skull’s jaw, which is normally closed by a balance-weight,

30 a piece of soft iron is loaded. This is arranged to come just above the pole of the magnet in the table. Every time the circuit is closed by the assistant the iron is attrac­ ted and the jaw opens, closing again when the current is switched off. Alternatively, the batteries may also be hidden in the table with the switch concealed under a carpet so the performer may actuate it with his foot.

1 he size of the magnet and strength of current re­ quired to work the jaw depends on the distance between the jaw and upper pole of the magnet. Given sufficient power and a carefully counterweighted jaw, the magnet may be under the floor instead of in the table-top. A suitable magnet for fairly close work can be made by winding 18 s.w.g. double cotton-covered or enamelled copper wire on a soft iron core 3 inches long and A an inch diameter, with discs of fibre pressed on each end to form a bobbin, making a coil 2 inches in diameter. Use six volts current. A fine wire form is over the skull from the start, and this represents the skull under the handkerchief after

31 it has been secretly dropped into a large bag-servante behind the table, hidden by a background-mask fitted be­ tween the back legs, the top, and a strengthening-bar on the legs about nine inches from the floor. The illustration shows the mask reaching to the floor. This would make it necessary to have the floor-covering the same colour as the background. A dark screen is behind the table, apparently to show off the skull. A table-cloth may be used to hide the servante instead of the mask if preferred. The side-table is fitted with a piston actuated by an assistant. The end of the piston fits into a socket in a disc let into the plate. As the handkerchief is placed over the plate, the piston is raised to support the form. 1 he assistant is also responsible for the sound of clicking heard when the skull is covered. This must, of course, be more muffled than the other clicks and should be in a position directly behind the handkerchief so that a com­ plete illusion is produced. The handkerchief falls when the piston is released and the form is removed and dropped unseen to the floor in taking up the handkerchief. The teeth are on the plate (which should be deep) all the time, hidden by the front edge. As the piston-disc is loose and painted on top to match the plate, the plate can be removed from the table to assist misdirection without disturbing the piston itself. Second Method. The skull remains throughout on the centre-table, which is built on the “ Sphinx -’ principle. The assistant behind the mirror-masks works the jaw by means of a fine wire rod pushed through a hole in the table-top. The vanish is managed by him lowering the skull on a removable (not hinged) trap, which is then replaced with the teeth and heap of dust on it. Instead of vanishing the skull from under a handker­ chief, a box may be used. A fairly large inexhaustible box of the tip-over type (Modern Magic, p. 391) would be suitable; the skull being placed on the V section and concealed by tipping the box forward on the table to leave the skull behind before opening the lid. A different method would be to use a box as illus­ trated with the bottom made to hinge up inside against the back and be held there by a catch operated from outside the box. This box would stand over an open well in the table into which the skull would fall. The well would then be closed by pushing a knob on the surface of the table-top connected to a disc that would swing over the opening under the table-cloth, a slit being provided for

32 the knob to move in. in closing the lid of the box, the catch would be released to allow the bottom to fall into position.

The well could be concealed either by a drape or by two mirrors on the Sphinx principle adapted to the upper part of a table of the type illustrated. As the open-work design of such a table forms a partial obstruc­ tion to the view, a black screen between two legs (as in the second mirror-arrangement illustrated—the single mirror or background-mask should face the audience and not be at an angle as shown) would be practical under most conditions. In each of these cases the box could be held in the hands and secretly tapped with a finger-nail to imitate the jaw clicking inside; or it might be left on the table, an assistant behind the scene providing the clicks. The best method is the one that best suits the conditions of presenta­ tion. The final vanish may be omitted where its inclusion is impracticable, the effect finishing with the skull (in response to the question “ How many years hast been under the so d ?” ) clicking on and on and on. “ Poor Yorick! ” exclaims the conjurer.

ALICE IN CONJURELAND (With apologies to Lewis Carroll.) LOOKING-GLASS

PEOPLE.

The scene is a curtained set; and in the centre of the stage stands a chair and a mantelpiece on castors, over which is a large mirror against a section of wall, see Plate. A curved metal rod fitted to the mirror-frame carries a curtain that can be drawn to hide the middle of the mirror.

33

Alice is squatting on the chair gazing at the mirror. 1 wonder who lives in Looking-glass House. 1 know there is a little girl who looks just like me, because I ve often seen her. But there must be other people be­ sides. (As she watches, a reflection of the Mad HaTTER eating bread and butter gradually forms in the mirror. After a moment this fades away and the reflection of the M arch H are appears; which is followed lin turn by Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the Red King.) What strange people. I do wish they would come back again. Perhaps I shall be able to see them if I get on to the mantelpiece. (Climbing up by way of the chair and pressing her face against the glass.) “ 1 wonder if they have a fire. Oh ! I do wish I could get through into looking-glass House.” ALICE :

T H RO U G H THE LO OK IN G CLA SS.

(The Mad HaTTER steals in from one side and draws the curtain round ALICE. A lic e ’s voice is heard.)

34 “ Let's pretend the glass has got all soft like gauze so that we can get through. Why, it’s turning into a sort of mist now, 1 declare ! Oh ! what fun; I ’m through into Looking-glass House already.” (The MARCH H are enters from the opposite side to the Mad HaTTER and draws the curtain back., showing that ALICE has gone. 7 hen they both turn the mantelpiece round on the castors to show the opposite side, which is a duplicate of the other, with ALICE just through the mirror.) “ W o n’t they be cross when they see me through the glass in here, and can’t get at me ! (Jumping down.) Oh ! who ever are you ? HaTTER : “ Don’t you know it’s rude to ask personal questions ? ” M arch H are : ‘‘ Speak when you’re spoken to. No one invited you to the tea-party.” ALICE : “ W h y ! I didn’t know you were having a tea-party. I don’t see any tea things.” THE MAD HATTER.

HaTTER : “ That’s because you aren’t looking in the

right place,

'l our hair wants cutting.”

A lic E : ‘‘ Now you’re making personal remarks.

I think you’re very rude. But where are the tea things? ” M arch H\RE : *‘ In there.” (Pointing to the Mad H a t t e r ’s hat. The H a tte r takes it off and hands it to A lice , who looks inside, handling it so that the audience can see it is empty.) H atter : “ Have a glass of w ine.” A lic e : ‘ Don’t be silly. There isn’t any wine in

the hat : or anything else for that matter.” (Handing the hat back.) H aT T ER : “ Are you good a t riddles?” ALICE : ‘ Well, if they’re not too hard.” H a r e : “ When is an empty hat not empty? ” H a T T E R : ‘ When it’s full of tea-cups and saucers.” (Taking some from the hat and passing them to the M arch Hare, who puts them on the mantelpiece. These are followed by spoons, a milk-jug, a tea-pot, plates of bread and butter, and two napkins. The HaTTER and the H are tuck the napkins in their collars. ALICE watches in amazement.) A lice : “ But I’m sure they weren’t in your hat when 1 looked.” H are : They aren’t in his hat now, anyway.”

35 HaTTER : “ It isn’t my hat.” ALICE: “ Surely you didn’t steal i t ? ” HaTTER : “ 1 keep them to sell. I’ve none of my own. I ’m a hatter.” (The H are and ihe HaTTER k.eep eating bread and

butter from the plates.) A lic e : “ You do seem hungry; how long is it since you began your tea? HaTTER : “ Not above a week or so; and what with the bread and butter getting so thin— and the twinkling of the tea— ” A lic e : ‘‘ The twinkling of what ? ” H are : “ It began with the tea.” ALICE : ‘‘ 1 know twinkling begins with a T. Do you take me for a dunce? Time’s too precious to waste it like this.” H a tte r : “ If you knew Time as well as I do you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him .” A lic e : “ I don’t know what you mean.” HaTTER : “ If only you keep on good terms with him he’ll do almost anything you like with the clock. But I fell out with him last March, and ever since its always been five o’clock. It’s always tea-time now.” (Looking at a transparent clocf(-dial hanging from a stand on the mantelpiece. The single hand points to five.) A lic e : " Y o u must get tired of having tea. Do you think Time would do what I liked with the clock? I ’m sure I have never offended him.” HaTTER : “ He might. Suppose it were nine o’clock is the morning, for instance, just time to begin lessons (the pointer swings round to nine as they watch) and you whispered a hint to Time, round would go the hand in a twinkling to one o’clock, time for dinner.” (The hand moves to one.) H are (aside) : “ I only wish it was.” A lic e : “ That would be grand certainly; but then, I should not be hungry for it, you know.” HaTTER : “ Not at first, perhaps : but you could keep it at one as long as you liked.” A lic e : “ But I thought you said this clock always said five now ? ” HaTTER : “ So it does. (The hand swings bac\ to five. The HaTTER goes up to it and spins it several times. It always stops at five. Then he says— dejectedly): Always five o’clock. It’s always tea-time now.”

36 A lic e : “ Curiouser and curiouser ! But the clock hasn’t any works, so it can't be right.” HaTTER : “ That’s where you show how ignorant you are. It’s the works in a clock that make it go wrong.” HaRE : “ Where’s the doormouse?” HaTTER : “ In the teapot.” A lic e : “ Ough ! I shouldn’t think the tea would taste very nice.” H a t t e r : “ It doesn’t taste very nice : just ordinary nice.” A lic e : “ If you had been properly brought up you would ask me to have a cup with you.” (The HaRE and the HaTTER look startled. They put their cups and saucers on the mantelpiece in a hurry, and between them drag it off the stage, shouting) : “ There’s none to spare; none to spare; none to spare.” ALICE: “ W e ll! of all the greedy things. But never mind; I don’t want any of their silly old tea out of a tophat.” W H O S E D R EA M ?

(/Is A LICE gazes about in a dazed way, the back cur­

tains part some distance in the centre disclosing a wood­ land setting. In the distance a figure can be seen hunched up asleep near a tree. Towards the front stand TW EEDLE­ DUM and TwEEDLEDEE,) TWEEDLEDUM : ‘‘ If you think we’re wax-works, you ought to pay, you know. Wax-works weren’t made to be looked at for nothing, nohow,” TwEEDLEDEE : “ Contrariwise, if you think we’re alive, you ought to speak.” ALICE: “ I ’m sure I’m very sorry.” TWEEDLEDUM : ‘ ‘ I know what you’re thinking about, but it isn’t so, nohow.” TwEEDLEDEE : ‘ Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.” (The sleeping figure begins to snore loudly.) A lic e (alarmed) : ‘ Are there any lions or tigers

about? ” TwEEDLEDEE

: ‘ It’s only the Red King snoring.”

1WEEDLEDUM : ‘ Isn t he a lovely sight? Snoring fit to

snore his head off! A lic e : 1 m afraid he 11 catch cold lying on the damp grass.”

TWEEDLEDEE : “ H e’s dreaming now, and what do you think he’s dreaming abo u t?”

ALICE: “ Nobody can guess that.” TWEEDLEDEE: ‘‘ W hy, about you. A n d if he left off dreaming about you, where do you suppose you’d be? ” ALICE: “ W here I am now, of course.” TWEEDLEDEE : “ Not you ! Y ou’d be nowhere. Why,

you’re only a sort of a thing in his dream.” Tweedledum : “ If that there King was to wake, you’d go out—b an g !—just like a candle! ALICE : ‘‘ 1 shouldn’t ! Besides, if I ’m only a sort of thing in his dream, what are you, 1 should like to know? ” Tweedledum : “ Ditto.” TwEEDLEDEE (shouting): “ Ditto, d itto !” Alice.- “ H ush! Y ou’ll be waking him, I’m afraid, if you make so much noise.” TWEEDLEDUM : “ W e ’re all things in each other’s dreams. Our noise won’t wake him up any sooner than it’ll wake you up.” TwEEDLEDEE : “ Contrariwise. Whoever wakes first sends the others to nowhere. You don't think you’re real, do you ? ” ALICE: “ I am real. (Crying.) If I wasn’t real I shouldn’t be able to cry.” TWEEDLEDUM : “ I hope you don’t think those are real tears. (Then, excitedly pointing to something on the ground) : Do you see that ? ” A L IC E : “ It’s only an old rattle.” TWEEDLEDUM : “ 1 knew it was ! It’s spoilt, of course ! My nice new rattle. (To Tweedledee): Of course, you agree to have a battle? ” Tweedledee (glumly): “ I suppose so.” (They begin to scuffle, making a lot of noise with the rattle. The whole scene through the curtains is gradu­ ally transformed to a room with the mantelpiece and mirror at the back- A lic e dreamily enters and lies down on the hearth-rug; then turns and knocks over the fire-irons with a clatter that wakes her up.) A lic e (rubbing her eyes) : “ I don’t know where I am. Where are those funny Looking-glass people? Of course, I remember; the Red King was part of my dream— but then, I was part of his dream too ! I wonder if either of us were real? (To the audience) : W hat do you think? Curtain.

38 W O R K IN G DETAILS.

Looking-glass People. The mirror is made of silvered glass backed by another thin sheet of glass instead of the usual protection of varnish and paper. Such glass acts as a mirror on either side in reflected light, but is transparent when lighted from behind. At the back of the mirror is a smaller plane mirror is fitted at an angle of 45 degrees as shown in the figure. In the wings is a plane mirror about three feet wide by four feet high fixed parallel to the stage-mirror so that the two form a kind of periscope. In front of this mirror, and strongly illuminated, stand the people to be reflected. A black screen should be behind them for a background. The distances between the figures and the mirror, and the first and second mirrors, reduces the size of the final image sufficiently for it to occupy the centre of the visible glass. This image is seen by the audience through the trick-glass on the mantel-piece provided the stage lighting is very feeble. The lamps illuminating the figure are dimmed while the actors change places, and are then turned up again to show the fresh reflection. When this phase of the effect is over, the plain mirror behind the lookingglass must be removed by an assistant through a stage-trap. If preferred, the two mirrors could be arranged on the periscope principle to work from below the stage, through the trap, instead of from the wings. As an alternative, these two secondary mirrors may be dispensed with. Behind the transparent mirror a shallow cabinet would be arranged as in “ Reflected Thoughts,” page 19. The characters would then secretly enter this cabinet in turn by the trap and have the lights gradually turned on them so that their heads and shoulders would be visible through the looking-glass to the audience. The trick-cabinet would finally be lowered through the trap. Through the Looking-glass. The section of the looking-glass enclosed by the three straight sides of the frame and the straight curtain-bar (see Plate) is movable and can be pushed down into a slot in the mantelpiece like an old-fashioned window. On each side at the top, the mirror extends behind the visible top section. The space between these extensions is for the passage of Alice when the glass is lowered. Counter­ weights suspended over pulleys in the mirror-frame are fitted to the movable glass— also like a window. The straight bar across the mirror—which appears to be part of the curtain-rod fitting— hides the junction between the moving and fixed parts of the glass. The space between

39 the straight and curved curtain-bars is filled with material to prevent any top view by people in the upper circles of the hall.

When the curtain is drawn round her, Alice moves the glass by pressing one end of a Z-shaped piece of steel wire in a small hole in the top of the glass and pulling it down. She then climbs through the space be­ tween the mirror and rod and shuts the glass again behind her. Though the sides of the mirror move down during the action, the fact is not noticed by the audience (pro­ vided there are no tell-tale marks on the surface) because the extensions at each side come into view. The opening in the glass is within the curtains. If preferred, the glass can be arranged to move up instead of down, as in Alexander Herrmann’s “ Vanity Fair ” illusion (see H opkin’s Magic). The Mad Hatter. The tea things are in the hat all the time hidden by a black cloth-covered disc fitted about three inches down from the brim. One side of the disc is hinged at the

40 centre to open upwards so that it can be swung over for the removal of the load. The hat must be strengthened inside to bear the weight of the load, though this can be reduced to some extent by having most of the “ crockery ” made of papier mache. The napkins are arranged to pre­ vent rattling. The hand of the clock is slightly weighted so that it normally hangs pointing to five. The boss of the hand jams on to the spindle, which revolves in a bearing fitted to the dial. On the back of the spindle is a pulley-wheel. A horizontal thread is raised by two assistants in the wings and lowered over this pulley-wheel; and by it the hand is controlled. See Plate. W hen the thread is removed by drawing it to one wing the hand returns to five through being weighted. Whose Dream ? I he transformation of the woodland scene in which the conversation with Tweedledum and Tweedledee takes place, into a room, is managed by the “ Walker Illusion ” as shown in the plan on the accompanying Plate. The small scene viewed through the opening in the curtains is raised about nine inches from the stage proper. A plane mirror having its forward vertical edge prepared by sticking a strip of very thin mirror over it to prevent a hard line being seen, slides across this small stage at an angle of 45 degrees, thus hiding the room-scene and show­ ing a reflected image of the wood-scene that is built be­ hind the curtains. This reflection appears to be a sub­ stantial scene to the audience; and it is to the images of Tweedledum and Tweedledee—not their real selves— that Alice talks from her position on the front stage. T he transformation occurs by assistants rapidly with­ drawing the mirror behind the curtain, silent rollers being fitted to the supporting carriage for the purpose. To the audience, one scene seems to dissolve rapidly into the other; and Alice can now enter the “ room ” and approach the mantelpiece at the back unhindered as the mirror has been removed. The lighting on each side of the mirror should be about equal in strength. A similar change could be worked by using a trans­ parent reflector across the back stage as in “ Pepper’s Ghost ” (see Robert-Houdin’s The Secrets oj Stage Conjur­ ing)', but in this case Alice would not be able to approach the mantelpiece for the finale unless arrangements were made to withdraw the glass— a thing that has never yet been done (to my knowledge) with this illusion. Of course, it is always withdrawn in “ lMetampsychosis.” which illu­ sion is explained in Hopkins’s Magic. Tlic State Library of Victoria ‘A L M A C O N J U R IN G C O L L E C T IO N ”

G EO RG E J O H N S O N

THE

M A G IC W A N D

OFFICE

5

CONJURED UP By

S. H. SHARPE. Tricks, Illusions, Patter, Theory. Uniform with “ Good Conjuring.” Well Illustrated.

Demy Svo.

I S Post £ I O lid.

U.S.A. 75c.

O

flj NEO MAGIC sflL SHARPE. A book on the Art of the Conjurer. Cloth.

Demy Sva.

U.S.A. $2.10

3

Q If

Post 4d.

O /O

HOFZINSER’S

CARD CONJURING

By OTTOKAR FISCHER. Illustrated English Edition. Edited with Notes by S. H. SHARPE.

Cloth. 184 pages.

U.S.A. $3.00

3

t A / / lU / U

Post 4d.

THE MAGIC WAND £*! 2/6 If

Famous the World over.

Subscription 10/6

Annual

U

2/8

By post

farter: QUARTERLY

BOOK LISTS, New and Second-hand, lid. 24

B U C K IN G H A M STREET

STRAND LONDON W C 2