to each of the others in turn the name of a different animal. After
naming them all, he must call out the name of some one animal, and the
person having that name must run out at the door. Having given the
whole company the name of horse, he calls horse whereupon they all make
a simultaneous rush for the door. A narrow door should be chosen, if
possible.
ROOSTER.
This is a short game, reaching a quick conclusion and exciting a
hearty laugh. Tell everybody in the room that you will give to each in
a whisper, the name of some animal, whose peculiar cry they are to
imitate in concert at a given signal. To all but one person the simple
charge to “keep perfectly silent” is given. Upon that one is bestowed
the name of “Rooster.” Then saying, “All be ready when I say three!”
Count “one, two, three,” when a lusty crow from the victim of the joke,
and a laugh from the others, tell him that the general amusement has
been at his expense.
CONSEQUENCES.
The players are each provided with a slip of paper and a pencil. Each
must write the name of some gentleman (who is known to the party),
turn down the end of the paper on which the name is written, and pass
the paper to the next neighbor. All must then write the name of some
lady (also known), then change the papers again and write “where they
met,” “what he said,” “what she said,” “what the world said,” and “the
consequences,” always passing the papers on. When all are written, each
player must then read his paper.
Mr. Jones....
And Miss Smith....
Met on a roof....
He said, “I trust you are not afraid.”
She said, “Not while you are here.”
World said, “It’s a match.”
Consequences, “He sailed for Africa next morning,” etc.
MESMERIZING.
This may be made very amusing, although no actual mesmerism is
attempted. A member of the party announces that he has been declared to
possess a vast amount of mesmeric power; not enough to gain absolute
control over a person, but sufficient to at least prevent him from
rising from a chair alone. His challenge being accepted by some one, he
seats his victim in a low chair and himself in a higher one close at
hand. Then, solemnly demanding a complete relaxation of will power and
a sober countenance on the part of the subject, he begins making passes
with his hands, stroking the forehead of the person beside him, and
otherwise imitating a genuine mesmerist. After a short time he quietly
says:
“Now see if you can get up alone!”
Of course, the subject rises to his feet at once, but so does the
mesmerist, thus proving to the former that having risen simultaneously
with himself, he has surely failed to rise alone.
GUESSING EYES AND NOSES.
A sheet is fastened up between two doors. Holes are cut in it, and
some of the party go behind the sheet and stand with their eyes at the
holes, while the others must guess to whom the eyes belong. Failing to
guess correctly they must give a forfeit.
BEAST, BIRD OR FISH.
The players sit round in a circle, and one player, who is “it,” points
to some one, and says either “beast,” “bird,” or “fish.” He then
counts ten as quickly as possible. The person pointed to must name
some “beast,” “bird,” or “fish” (whichever he was asked) before ten is
reached. If he fails, he must give a forfeit.
TRUTH.
The players pile up their hands, choose a number, and draw out in turn,
and the person who draws his or her hand from the pile at the number
selected has to answer truly any questions put by the rest.
NEEDLES AND PINS MADE TO FLOAT.
Take an ordinary pin, thoroughly dry. This is an object which water can
moisten, but less easily than glass. If, by some means or other, you
can manage to lay it on the water without wetting it, you will see the
water take a convex shape on either side of the pin, and this latter,
displacing a proportionate body of water, will float on the surface,
just as a lucifer match would do. The same experiment may be performed
with a needle, and it must not be supposed that a very fine needle or
pin alone is suitable.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: SHADOWS ON THE WALL.]
HIT OR MISS.
Great amusement is excited by this game when played in the presence of
a company of guests. Spread a sheet upon the floor and place two chairs
upon it. Seat two of the party in the chairs within reach of each other
and blindfold them. Give each a saucer of cracker or bread crumbs and
a spoon, then request them to feed each other. The frantic efforts of
each victim to reach his fellow sufferer’s mouth is truly absurd—the
crumbs finding lodgment in the hair, ears and neck much oftener than
the mouth. Sometimes bibs are fastened around the necks of the victims
for protection.
GOING SHOPPING.
A lively game of “talk and touch.” The company is seated in a circle,
and one who understands the game commences by saying to his neighbor at
the right:
“I have been shopping.”
“What did you buy?” is the required response.
“A dress,” “a book,” “some flowers,” “a pencil”—whatever the first
speaker wishes, provided always that he can, in pronouncing the word,
touch the object mentioned. Then the second player addresses his
neighbor in similar manner, and so on around the circle until the
secret of the game is discovered by all.
Whoever mentions an object without touching it, or names one that has
already been given, pays a forfeit.
THE THREE MATCHES.
[Illustration]
With your penknife slit one end of a match, and trim that of another
into a wedge shape. Insert this latter into the split end of the
former, so that the two shall form an acute angle. Place them on the
table, the angle upward, and prop them up by leaning another match
against them, the whole forming a tripod, as shown in the figure. Now
hand a fourth match to one of the company, and request him to lift with
it the other three from the table. Such is the problem to be resolved.
All that you have to do is to insert the fourth match just inside the
point of the tripod, between the two conjoined and the single match;
and with it to press the two joined matches lightly outward till the
third falls with its upper end on the one you hold. You lower this
till the end of the single match passes within the angle formed by the
juncture of the two first. If you then raise the match you hold in your
hand, the three others will ride astride upon it, the single match
on the one side, the two joined matches on the other. The table used
should have a cloth on it, that the lower ends of the matches may not
slip. Some little delicacy of handling is needful to make the single
match fall just in the right position, but this once achieved, the
three thus slightly supported might be carried a mile without any fear
of dropping them.
TO SPIN A CENT UPON A NEEDLE POINT.
[Illustration]
Bend a hair-pin as shown in our illustration. Place a cent horizontally
on the right-hand hook, which should be narrow enough to clip it
closely, and hang upon the left-hand hook a tolerably heavy finger-ring
(or two, if one is found insufficient). Place the free edge of the
coin on some upright point (that of a lady’s bonnet-pin, for example),
and you will find that the combination can be made to balance itself.
Furthermore, by gently blowing upon the ring, you can set the
apparatus revolving rapidly, without any disturbance to its equilibrium.
If you spin the cent upon a very sharp steel needle, you will find that
the needle will at length work its way completely through the coin.
You may therefore, if you please, propound your puzzle in this rather
striking form—How to bore a hole through a cent by merely blowing upon
it.
COUNTING APPLE-SEEDS.
This rhyme, formerly used in England, remains unchanged, except the
omission of the last three lines. Apples were an essential part of
every entertainment in the country. The apple, having been properly
named for a person, with a pressure of the finger, was divided, to
decide the fate of the person concerned according to its number of
seeds.
One, I love,
Two, I love,
Three, I love, I say,
Four, I love with all my heart,
And five, I cast away;
Six, he loves,
Seven, she loves,
Eight, they both love;
Nine, he comes,
Ten, he tarries,
Eleven, he courts,
Twelve, he marries;
Thirteen, wishes,
Fourteen, kisses,
All the rest little witches.
SPIN THE PLATE.
A tin pie-plate is set spinning in the middle of the floor; someone is
called from the party, who must catch the plate before it stops, or pay
a forfeit.
LIGHTING THE CANDLE.
This feat is a very amusing one and is performed as follows: Two
persons kneel on the ground, facing each other. Each holds in his left
hand a candle in a candlestick, at the same time grasping his right
foot in his right hand. This position compels him to balance himself
on his left knee. One of the candles is lighted; the other is not. The
holders are required to light the unlighted candle from the lighted
one. The conditions are simple enough, but one would hardly believe how
often the performers will roll over on the floor before they succeed in
lighting the candle. It will be found desirable to spread a newspaper
on the floor between the combatants. Many spots of candle-grease will
thus be intercepted, and the peace of mind of the lady of the house
proportionately spared.
A PROBLEM IN GYMNASTICS.
Place a low stool on the floor, close against the wall, and yourself
facing the wall, with your feet distant from it just double the width
of the stool. Stoop down and grasp the stool with one hand on either
side, and rest your head against the wall. Now lift the stool from
the floor, and slowly raise yourself to the erect position—or rather,
endeavor to do so. It is better to try the experiment for the first
time on a well-carpeted floor. On polished oak or parqueterie you
would probably have a bad fall. We have here a curious effect of the
displacement of the centre of gravity of the body, which renders it
almost impossible to stand upright without first replacing the stool on
the ground, and resting the hand upon it to get the needful support.
REDEEMING FORFEITS.
The girl who is to name the penalty by which the forfeit must be
redeemed lays her face on the lap of another who sits on a chair, while
a third, standing behind, holds the article over her head and asks:
“Here is a forfeit, a very fine forfeit; what shall be done to redeem
it?”
“Is it fine or superfine?” (i. e., does it belong to a gentleman or to
a lady.)
The sentence is then declared.
Another formula, used in the Middle and Southern States, is: “Heavy,
heavy, what hangs over you?”
The German usage is nearly the same, the question being: “Judge, what
is your sentence, what shall he do whose pledge I have in my hand?” Any
proper penalty may be named.
THE GAME OF LOCATION.
Sides are chosen and the opposing parties stand in separate lines as
for a spelling match. No. 1 of one side mentions the name of some city
or town in any part of the globe, and No. 1 of the other side must
locate it before his opponent has finished counting ten or twenty, as
may be agreed. He then, in turn, names a city which No. 2 on the other
side must locate. If anyone fails to give the correct location before
the expiration of the ten counts, a member from the side he represents
is chosen by the other.
THE GAME OF CLUMPS.
Sides are chosen, and a representative from each side goes from the
room. After choosing the object to be guessed, they return, each going
to his _opponent’s_ side, where he is asked questions to be answered
by “yes” or “no,” concerning the object selected. The side which first
guesses correctly has the privilege of choosing a member from the
opposing side. Then the successful guesser of one party and the player
who has been most nearly successful on the other go from the room
and choose a new subject. The two parties must be separated by some
distance and the questioning carried on in a low voice, so that nothing
said by one side can be heard by the other. An illustration:
For instance, the object chosen is the thumb on the right hand of the
Washington Monument.
Question. “Does it belong to the animal kingdom?”
Answer. “No.”
Q. “To the mineral kingdom?”
A. “Yes.”
Q. “Is it in existence now?”
A. “Yes.”
Q. “Is it in this country?”
A. “Yes,” and so on until a successful termination of the guessing is
reached.
ANT AND CRICKET.
One of the company being appointed to represent the _Cricket_, seats
himself in the midst of the other players, who are the _Ants_, and
writes upon a piece of paper the name of a certain grain, whatever kind
he pleases. He then addresses the first _Ant_: “My dear neighbor, I
am very hungry, and have come to you for aid. What will you give me?”
“_A grain of rice_, _a kernel of corn_, _a worm_,” etc., replies the
Ant, as he sees fit. The Cricket asks each in turn, and if one of them
announces as his gift the word already written upon the paper, the
Cricket declares himself satisfied and changes places with the Ant.
If the desired word is not spoken, however, the same cricket keeps
his place, scorning each article of food as it is suggested to him.
In either case the form of the question changes, and the supplicant
says: “My hunger is appeased and now I wish to dance. What dance do
you advise?” He therefore writes the name of a dance upon his paper
and the Ants advise in turn—“_A polka_, _a fandango_, _a minuet_,”
etc. The third Cricket declares himself unable to dance without music,
and requests that a suitable instrument be recommended. “_A lyre_, _a
kazoo_, _a mandolin_,” etc., say the Ants.
The fourth Cricket, tired of dancing, wishes to rest, and asks upon
what he shall take his repose. “_A rose-leaf_, _the moss_, _the heart
of a lily_,” are all suggested, but unless the name he has previously
written upon his paper is mentioned, he expresses himself dissatisfied.
The fifth and last Cricket confesses fear lest while sleeping he shall
be devoured by a bird, but requests advice concerning the choice of
a destroyer. “_A lark_, _a turtle-dove_, _a pigeon_,” are thereupon
mentioned by the Ants.
By carefully selecting the most uncommon names for replies, the same
Cricket may be kept through the entire set of questions. If the word
written upon his paper, however, is mentioned in any case, he must show
it to the unfortunate Ant, to whom he surrenders his place.
GUSSING CHARACTERS.
One of the party leaves the room while the others decide upon some
character, real or fictitious. The absentee is then recalled, and each
in turn asks him a question referring to the character he has been
elected to represent. When he guesses his identity the player whose
question has thrown the most light upon the subject has to go from the
room.
For example: A goes from the room and the company decides that he shall
represent King Henry VIII. When he enters, No. 1 asks: “Which one of
your wives did you love best?” No. 2 says: “Do you approve of a man’s
marrying his deceased brother’s wife?” No. 3 adds: “Were you very sorry
your brother died?” etc., while A, after guessing various names, is led
by some question to guess correctly, and the fortunate questioner is
consequently sent from the room to have a new character assigned him in
turn.
THE MAGIC CANDLE EXTINGUISHER.
Cut out of thin cardboard a couple of little figures, and insert in the
mouth of each, fixing it, say, with sealing-wax, a piece of quill (a
portion of a toothpick, for instance), through which he or she appears
to be blowing. Fill each tube with sand, but leave a minute space empty
at the end remote from the figure. In the cavity of the one place a
few grains of gunpowder, and in the other a tiny morsel of phosphorus.
The figures being thus privately prepared beforehand, you call for a
lighted candle, and announce that the one figure will blow it out and
the other relight it.
The moment the tube with the powder is brought near the candle, the
powder will ignite, and will produce an explosion of infinitesimal
proportions, but large enough to blow out the candle and cause a jet
of smoke in the direction of the second figure, which you hold in the
opposite hand. The heat of the smoke will cause the phosphorus to
ignite, and if you hold the tube which contains it pretty close to the
wick, the candle will again be lighted.
This is an experiment which should not be attempted by unskilled hands.
Both gunpowder and phosphorus require to be handled with great care,
but it might be possible to make, out of thin paper, little cartridges
containing a minute portion of each substance, to be introduced into
the tubes as occasion required. Unless the reader has some practical
knowledge of laboratory work, he should not attempt this experiment.
THE BROKEN MIRROR.
The painters have given the last finishing touches to the room
they have been redecorating, but before leaving they cannot resist
the temptation of a joke on whoever is sent to see that all is in
order. Imagine the horror of the servant-girl when she sees a great
crack, perhaps half a dozen, right across the big drawing-room
mirror. Meanwhile, behind her back the workmen are smiling over her
discomfiture. After having sufficiently chuckled over the success
of their innocent joke they offer to repair the damage, and, not to
keep their victim longer in suspense, one of them takes a wet cloth
and passes it over the supposed crack in the glass. Lo, a miracle!
The cracks disappear under the mere touch of the damp duster, and the
glass is whole again. She can hardly believe her own eyes. And yet
there is no witchcraft about the matter. If you are inclined to play a
similar trick, you have only to trace, with a small piece of soap, on
the mirror which is to appear broken, a few fine lines in imitation of
cracks. Their reflection in the glass will give them depth, and make
them seem as though they extended through the thickness of the glass,
while a rub with a wet flannel will make all right again.
A PARLOR ZOETROPE.
We have here the game of the “little horses,” so popular at Continental
watering-places, brought in a simplified and innocent form within
reach of everybody. Glue round the inside of the rim of a circular dish
of white porcelain, a number of little cardboard figures of animals;
or simply sketch thereon, with ink, similar figures or numerals,
equidistant from one another. Place the dish thus furnished, in an
ordinary dish of somewhat larger size, and having its centre slightly
elevated—a not uncommon pattern. You will only have to give a slight
impulse with the hand to the smaller plate to set it spinning within
the other. Should the larger dish not be raised in the centre, you have
only to pour into it a little water, enough to make the inner dish
just float, and it will then revolve with great freedom, the water
practically destroying all friction.
You can repeat the same figure, but with, say, the arms in different
positions, so that, when the plate is set spinning, you may have
depicted, in due order, the successive positions of a man raising and
lowering his arms. Thus, for example, if the first figure has his arms
hanging down close by his sides, the next will have them a little
further from the body; the third will have them extended horizontally;
the next following a little higher; and, finally, the last will have
them raised above his head. Now peep, with one eye only, through a
little hole made with a pin in a visiting-card or playing-card, and
gaze at any given point of the circle described by the figures. When
the dish is set in motion, you apparently see one figure only, but
such figure seems to move like a living being, its arms appearing to
take in succession the various positions which are really those of the
separate figures. You may amuse yourself by thus arranging several
series of such figures, their positions varied in proper succession,
thus reproducing, at merely nominal expense, the scientific toy known
as the Zoetrope or Praxinoscope.
A WONDERFUL PIN.
Take a piece of cord elastic, and through it thrust a pin bent by
twisting the ends of the elastic, held vertically between the thumb
and finger of each hand, and then drawing the hands apart, so as to
stretch the cord, you can communicate to this latter a movement so
rapid that the revolutions of the pin shall produce the shape of a
glass cup. The illusion will be the more complete if the pin is itself
brilliantly illuminated, while having a dark background behind it, the
operator should be in a darkened room, and a single ray of sunlight
from without, should fall through a hole in the shutters, upon the pin.
With a little skill in manipulation one can produce, using pins bent
in different ways, the semblance of the most diverse objects—say, a
cheese-dish, and aquarium, a bouquet-holder, or a goblet.
Should the form of the pin tend, by reason of centrifugal force, to
make it assume a horizontal position, this can be cured by securing
one end of it, by means of fine white silk, to the elastic. This
will usually be invisible when the pin is made to revolve as above
described, and, in any case, will not affect the appearance of the
figure.
SHADOWS ON THE WALL.
The exhibitor, as well as the cardboard figures, is placed behind the
spectators, a position which has many advantages. Place on the table
a lighted candle, and in front of it, at two or three feet distance,
attach to the wall a sheet of white paper to form your “screen.”
Between the light and the screen interpose some opaque body, for
example, an atlas or other large book.
But under such conditions how are we to cast the shadows on the screen?
Simply by the use of a mirror, placed at the side of the table. The
reflection of the mirror will appear on the wall as a luminous space,
oval or oblong as the case may be, and if you have placed it at the
proper angle with reference to the screen, and move your cardboard
shapes about cleverly between the candle and the mirror, you will
forthwith see little fantastic figures projected in shadow on the
screen, while the uninitiated spectator is wholly at a loss to discover
how you produce them.
THE ROTATION OF THE GLOBE.
When you next chance to eat an egg for breakfast, do not fail to try
the following experiment. It is one which always succeeds, and is
productive of much amusement to the company.
Moisten slightly with water the rim of your plate, and in the centre
paint with the yolk of the egg a sun with golden rays. By the aid of
this simple apparatus you will be in a position to illustrate, so
clearly that a child can comprehend it, the double movement of the
earth, which revolves simultaneously round the sun and on its own axis.
All that you have to do is to place the empty half-shell of your egg on
the rim of the plate, and keeping this latter duly sloped, by a slight
movement of the wrist as may be needful, you will see the egg-shell
begin to revolve rapidly on its own axis, at the same time traveling
round the plate. It is hardly necessary to remark that the egg-shell
will not travel uphill, and the plate must therefore be gradually
shifted round, as well as sloped, so that the shell may always have an
inch or two of descending plane before it.
The slight cohesion caused by the water which moistens the plate
counteracts the centrifugal force, and so prevents the egg-shell
falling off the edge of the plate.
THROUGH THE WATER DRY.
Into a basin full of water, throw a coin, or ring, or other suitable
object, and announce that you will take it out of the basin without
wetting your hand. All that is needed to effect this is to dust the
surface of the water with some form of powder having no cohesion with
water, and which, consequently, water does not moisten. Powdered
lycopodium, to be procured of any chemist, has this property.
Having sprinkled a little of this powder on the surface of the liquid,
plunge your hand boldly to the bottom, pick up the ring, and show the
company that your hand is as dry as it was before the operation. This
comes of the fact that the lycopodium has formed over your hand a
regular glove, to which the liquid cannot adhere any more than it can
to the plumage of the ducks, which we see plunge and plunge again, and
still come up dry as ever, by reason of the oily matter secreted by
their feathers.