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Magic
In which are given clear and concise explanations of all
the well-known illusions, as well as many new ones
_by_ ELLIS STANYON
Philadelphia
The Penn Publishing Company
1910
COPYRIGHT 1901 BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY
Contents
CHAP. PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION 11
II. PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT OF HAND APPLICABLE TO SMALL OBJECTS 26
III. TRICKS WITH COINS 33
IV. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS 57
V. TRICKS WITH BALLS 93
VI. HAT TRICKS 114
VII. ANTI-SPIRITUALISTIC TRICKS 127
VIII. AFTER DINNER TRICKS 142
IX. MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS 159
X. STAGE TRICKS 209
XI. SHADOWGRAPHY 228
Preface
The art of pretended magic dates back to the remotest antiquity. It has
been known under various names, such as White Magic, Conjuring, Natural
Magic, and Prestidigitation. Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of
Pharaoh, contended against Moses and Aaron. In the British Museum there
is an Egyptian papyrus, which contains an account of a magical seance
given by a thaumaturgist named Tchatcha-em-ankh before King Khufu,
B.C., 3766. In this manuscript it is stated of the magician: "He
knoweth how to bind on a head which hath been cut off, and he knoweth
how to make a lion follow him as if led by a rope." The decapitation
trick is thus no new thing, while the experiment with the lion,
unquestionably a hypnotic feat, shows hypnotism to be old.
The temples of Egypt, Greece and Rome were veritable storehouses
of magic and mystery. The pagan priesthood attained a wonderful
proficiency in optical illusions. In the Middle Ages magic was greatly
in vogue. Later on Nostradamus conjured up the vision of the future
king of France for the benefit of the lovely Marie de Medicis. This
illusion was accomplished by the aid of mirrors adroitly secreted
amid hanging draperies. Reginald Scott, in 1584, in Discoverie of
Witchcraft, enumerates the stock feats of the conjurers of his day. The
list includes "swallowing a knife; burning a card and reproducing it
from the pocket of a spectator; passing a coin from one pocket to
another; converting money into counters, or counters into money;
conveying money into the hand of another person; making a coin pass
through a table, or vanish from a handkerchief; tying a knot, and
undoing it 'by the power of words'; taking beads from a string, the
ends of which are held fast by another person; making corn to pass from
one box to another; turning wheat into flour 'by the power of words';
burning a thread and making it whole again; pulling ribbons from the
mouth; thrusting a knife into the head or arm; putting a ring through
the cheek; and cutting off a person's head and restoring it to its
former position."
A number of these feats, in an improved form, survive to this day. In
the early part of the eighteenth century conjuring made considerable
progress. Men of education and address entered the profession, thereby
elevating it from the charlatanry of the strolling mountebank to the
dignity of a theatrical performance. The nobility of Paris flocked to
the opera house to see the great Pinetti perform. Following him came
Torrini, Comte, Bosco, Philippe, and finally the king of conjurers,
Robert-Houdin. In the year 1844, Houdin inaugurated his Fantastic
Evenings at the Palais Royal, Paris, and a new era dawned for magic. He
reformed the art by suppressing the suspiciously-draped tables of his
predecessors, substituting for these "clumsy confederate boxes" light
and elegant tables and little gueridons, undraped. He went still
further in his innovations by adopting the evening dress of everyday
life, instead of the flowing robes of many of the magicians of the old
regime. His tricks were of a different order, sounding the death knell
of double-bottomed boxes, and apparatus which was too evidently
designed for the magical disappearance and reappearance of objects.
Houdin has well earned the title of "The Father of Modern Conjuring,"
and his autobiography makes fascinating reading.
Since Houdin's time, conjuring has made rapid strides. The wide
dissemination of literature on the subject and the consequent exposes
have stimulated magicians to invent new tricks, or improve old ones.
The study of magic in addition to being a fascinating amusement has a
pedagogical value, admitted by all professors of psychology; it
sharpens the mental faculties, especially those of observation and
attention.
A comprehensive but concise manual on the subject of up-to-date tricks
will be welcomed by the student.
I take pleasure in introducing to American readers, Professor Ellis
Stanyon's capital manual on sleight-of-hand. Professor Stanyon is one
of the most prolific as well as one of the cleverest living writers, on
the subject of legerdemain. He has done much to popularize the
fascinating art of white magic. His excellent chapter on "After-Dinner
Tricks" is particularly recommended as being within the province of
almost any amateur who possesses a modicum of personal address and a
fair amount of digital dexterity. I have supplemented the work with
chapters on "Shadowgraphy," and "Stage Illusions," also a number of
tricks which have proved "drawing cards" in the hands of American
conjurers, like the late Alexander Herrmann, and living artists like
Kellar, Elliott, Plate, Robinson, Fox, Powell, etc. In the preparation
of the additional matter, I am indebted for many valuable hints to
those dexterous and clever performers, Doctor Elliott, Adrian Plate and
William E. Robinson, who are especially noted as inventive minds in the
realm of pure sleight-of-hand.
HENRY RIDGELY EVANS,
Washington, D.C.
Magic
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
There are one or two leading principles to be borne in mind by any one
taking up the study of magic. The first and foremost is, Never tell the
audience what you are going to do before you do it. If you do, the
chances of detection are increased tenfold, as the spectators, knowing
what to expect, will the more readily arrive at the true method of
bringing about the result.
It follows as a natural consequence that you must never perform the
same trick twice in the same evening. It is very unpleasant to have to
refuse an encore; and should you be called upon to repeat a trick study
to vary it as much as possible, and to bring it to a different
conclusion. There will generally be found more ways than one of working
a particular trick. It is an axiom in conjuring that the best trick
loses half its effect on repetition.
Should a hitch occur in the carrying-out of the programme by the
accidental dropping of an article, or from any other cause, above all
things do not get confused, but treat the matter as a good joke, and
meet the difficulty with a smile, making use of some such expression as
the following: "Well, you see I put it down there to show that it would
go. It is perfectly solid and does not stick." By this means, instead
of spoiling the entertainment, you add greatly to the amusement of the
spectators.
Do not cultivate quick movements, at the same time it will never do to
be painfully slow; but endeavor to present your tricks in an
easy-going, quiet, graceful manner. It is generally understood that
"the quickness of the hand deceives the eye," but this is entirely
erroneous. It is impossible for the hand to move quicker than the eye
can follow, as can be proved by experiment. The deception really lies
in the method of working the trick, and in the ability of the performer
in misdirection, as will be seen from a perusal of the following pages.
A little well-arranged talk as an introductory to an entertainment will
be found to put you on good terms with your audience. A few words,
something like the following, will suffice: "Ladies and Gentlemen, with
your kind attention I shall endeavor to amuse you with a series of
experiments in legerdemain. In doing so I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I shall do my best to deceive you, and upon the extent
to which I am able to do so will depend my success."
At the close of an entertainment a little speech, of which the
following is an example, will be found to prove a good finish: "Ladies
and Gentlemen, in concluding my entertainment I have only to say that,
apart from deceiving you, which was but a secondary consideration, if I
have been able to afford you some slight amusement I feel amply
rewarded."
In concluding these remarks I must enforce upon the novice the
necessity for constant practice, without which the clearest instruction
would be useless. This applies, not only to conjuring, but equally well
to any form of amusement, so the would-be magician may congratulate
himself on the fact that the difficulties to surmount are not in excess
of those of any other form of entertainment.
Before proceeding to describe the various tricks it will be well to
notice one or two appliances of general utility.
THE DRESS.--The usual attire of the modern magician is the conventional
evening dress, but I have known performers of the present day to adopt
various fancy costumes.
Where the ordinary dress coat is used, each tail is provided with a
large pocket, known as a profonde, the mouth of which is on a level
with the knuckles, and slopes slightly to the side. These pockets,
which are usually seven inches square, are lined with buckram, and sewn
on rather full, to keep them constantly open. They are used to contain
"loads" for hat tricks, etc., also to vanish articles, such as watches,
eggs, or balls.
In addition to these pockets, two others, known as pochettes, are used
on the trousers. These are sewn on rather full at the back of the
thigh, on a level with the knuckles, and covered by the tails of the
coat; they are useful to contain rings, coins, or other small articles
required in the course of the performance.
There are also two pockets known as breast pockets, one in each side of
the coat. These should be of a size large enough to contain a dinner
plate, and should be made with the bottom sloping a little toward the
back, to prevent articles placed in them from falling out. The opening
should be in a perpendicular position one and a half inches from the
edge of the coat. These are loaded with rabbits, doves, etc., or any
large or cumbersome article required for magical production.
In the case of fancy costumes the pockets, if required, must be
arranged as the attire permits. If you perform in a dinner jacket, the
ordinary side pockets can be used for producing or vanishing the
articles. The breast pockets, as already described, can be retained.
THE TABLE.--There are a great many tricks which can be performed
without the aid of a special table; in fact, tables of any description
are very secondary articles in the stage settings of conjurers of the
present day. Where they are employed they are usually of the small
round tripod pattern, fancifully made for show, and are used only for
the purpose of an ordinary table.
Tables with traps and other mechanical appliances are almost, if not
entirely, out of date, no performer with any pretensions to originality
making use of them.
A neat little table can be made from a piece of board eighteen inches
in diameter, covered with red baize, and hung with fancy fringe to
taste; the legs taking the form of an ordinary music stand. The
under-side of the table is fitted with a brass plate holding a pin,
about two inches long, to fit the socket of the stand. This forms one
of the most compact tables possible, and is greatly in vogue, as the
stand can be folded up into a small compass, and placed, together with
the top, in a black canvas case for traveling. Two of these tables will
occupy very little more room than one, and they look well in pairs.
They will generally be found to afford sufficient convenience for an
evening's entertainment.
THE SERVANTE.--This is a secret shelf behind the performer's table, on
which are placed articles to be magically produced in various ways. It
is also used to vanish articles as occasion may require.
In the absence of a specially prepared table a servante can be readily
devised by pulling out the drawer at the back of any ordinary table
about six inches, and throwing a cloth over the whole, the cloth being
pushed well into the drawer so as to form a pad to deaden the sound of
any article dropped into it.
If a table with a drawer cannot be obtained, a servante, which will
answer every purpose, can be arranged by throwing a cloth over the
table and pinning it up behind in the form of a bag.
In the case of the small round tripod tables, a small drawer, made from
a cigar box, can be attached to the under side of them, and pulled out
as required. The fringe decorating the edge of the table will conceal
the presence of the drawer; but if the whole of the under side of the
table, drawer included, be painted black, it cannot be detected at a
few paces.
There are various forms of portable servantes for fixing to the back of
a table or chair. A description of one for use on a chair will be
sufficient to give a clear idea of the construction of others, which
can be arranged as required by the ingenuity of the performer. A piece
of one-half inch board, seven inches by five inches, is covered with
green baize, and slightly padded on one side with cotton wool, to
prevent injury to any fragile article that may come in contact with it
in the course of the performance. To this is screwed an iron frame
(Fig. 1) of the same dimensions as the board. The frame, which carries
a network as shown, is screwed to the board in such a way that it will
fold up flush with the same, the whole being, when closed, under one
inch in thickness. The frame carrying the network is prevented from
opening too far by an iron bar screwed to the back of the woodwork, the
sides of the frame being extended under this as shown. The board is
fitted with two brass eyelets for attaching it to the top rail of an
ordinary chair by means of two screw eyes or stout pins. To conceal the
servante throw a fancy cloth over the back of the chair.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--The Servante]
THE WAND.--This is a light rod about fifteen inches long and one-half
inch in diameter, usually of ebony, with ivory tips; a plain rod,
however, will answer the purpose equally well.
The use of the wand is regarded by the uninitiated as a mere
affectation on the part of the performer, but such is far from being
the case. Its uses are legion. In addition to the prestige derived from
the traditional properties of the wand, which has been the mystic
emblem of the magician's power from time immemorial, it is absolutely
necessary for the successful carrying-out of many experiments, as will
be seen in the course of the present work. For instance, having palmed
a coin, say in the right hand, you lower that hand and take up the
wand, which effectually conceals, in a perfectly natural manner, the
presence of the coin. The wand is now passed once or twice over the
left hand, which is supposed to contain the coin, and on opening the
hand the coin will be found to have vanished. It will thus be seen that
the wand is of the utmost importance.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Placing of Tables]
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.--The arrangement of the stage is now to be
considered by the amateur. If the performance is to be given in a
parlor, a space must be curtained off at one end large enough to
accommodate the magic tables, and allow sufficient room between them
and the audience to enable the conjurer to execute the various
exchanges, etc., necessary to the successful accomplishment of
particular tricks. When called upon to give an entertainment in a
house, where there are two adjoining parlors, separated by
folding-doors, the magician can seat his audience in the front parlor,
and use the back one for the stage, the folding-doors making an
admirable substitute for a curtain. Now as to the placing of the tables
(Fig. 2). It is customary for the large table to occupy the centre of
the room, beneath or just back of the chandeliers, flanked by two small
tripod tables or gueridons. A couple of wax tapers in silver or brass
holders, placed on the centre table, gives a fine effect to the whole.
The amateur must take care that there are no bright lights behind his
tables, or worse still a mirror. Behind the scenes provide a table to
hold the apparatus to be used in the various experiments. In arranging
tricks for the programme very little information should be afforded the
inquisitive spectator as to the real nature of the illusion to be
performed; this caution being in accordance with the conjurer's axiom:
Never tell your audience beforehand what you are about to do. For
example, if you are to exhibit the "rising-cards" call it on your
programme the "Cabalistic Cards," or the "Cards of Cagliostro." This
will give no clue to the trick. And so with other illusions. Robert
Heller, a clever entertainer, described his experiments somewhat as
follows:
1. With a watch.
2. With thirty pieces of silver.
3. With a candle.
4. Mocha.
The late Alexander Herrmann--"Alexander the Great"--was equally
non-communicative. "Thirty minutes with Herrmann," "A bouquet of
mystical novelties," etc., sufficed to describe a dozen or more
brilliant feats of legerdemain. Arrange your magical novelties in
groups, _e.g._: two or three coin tricks, three or four handkerchief
tricks, etc., and not a coin trick, then an illusion with a
handkerchief, followed by another feat with a coin. Lead up to the best
trick in each group with several smaller feats of a more or less
similar nature. This is well illustrated in the "Magical production of
flowers," explained in Chapter IX.
In addition to the programmes intended for distribution among the
spectators, the performer must have a private programme of his own,
stuck up in a conspicuous place behind the scenes. Upon this
stage-programme is a list of the tricks to be performed during the
evening, with the articles used in each trick. This is to prevent
confusion. It is impossible for the performer or his assistant to
always keep in mind the multifarious articles that go with each magical
feat. When you retire behind the scenes after each group of tricks, you
consult the "prompt-programme" to see that you have everything in
readiness for the next series of illusions--for example an egg secreted
under your vest, or a coin in your pocket. On one occasion, I saw the
celebrated Herrmann completely bewildered and nonplussed because he did
not have such a little thing as a pin stuck in the lapel of his coat,
intended for use in the cornucopia and flower trick. This occasioned an
awkward hesitation injurious to the effective performance of the feat.
Herrmann had failed to examine his prompt-programme behind the scenes,
hence his embarrassing situation.
Each trick should have an appropriate verbal accompaniment, technically
known as the "patter," or boniment, written underneath it, which should
in every case be learned off by heart. This, especially to the
beginner, is a necessity, and very few, if any, of the best performers
work otherwise.
Having once become accustomed to a programme, it should never be
changed, in its entirety, for a new one. If it be desired to vary the
mode of procedure, this is best done by the introduction of a new trick
and the removal of an old one. By such means the performer saves
himself a lot of trouble and anxiety, and is just as likely to give
satisfaction from the point of view of an audience. This is the custom
of professional performers, who very rarely alter their programmes; it
also accounts in a large measure for their skill.
It is a weakness with young performers to endeavor to crowd too many
tricks into the time allotted to their part. This is a mistake, and is
bound to lead to disastrous results. Each trick requires its proper
time, which is best found by experiment, and the entertainment should
be arranged accordingly. "A little and good" is better than "a lot and
bad."
A word or two as to nervousness may not be out of place. If the
performer can bring himself to imagine, for the time being, at any
rate, that he is the most wonderful individual in creation, his success
is assured; that is, if everything has been rehearsed in private, and
he knows his part thoroughly. A dull, nervous, or morose performer,
however clever he may be, is sure to make the spectators feel
uncomfortable, and thus spoil their enjoyment; therefore always
endeavor to cultivate a cheerful manner, even under difficulties, and
you will find your audience similarly affected. Apart from taking every
advantage for repartee, always avoid being personal, and every possible
opportunity for increasing the effect of a trick, the performer should
be totally oblivious of all his surroundings and think only of himself
and what he is doing. Once this is acquired, nervousness will be
forever dispelled.
Not a little benefit may be derived from attending entertainments given
by other conjurers, and every opportunity of so doing should be taken.
In this way, by listening attentively to the remarks of other auditors,
you will gain many points, not only as to how a trick may be improved,
but also as to what movements in the execution of the same are
unnecessary or awkward, and consequently to be avoided. Under these
circumstances you will be able to realize the full force of Burns's
well-known words, "to see ourselves as others see us."