_To Transfer Engravings to Plaster Casts._--Cover the plate with ink,
polish its surface in the usual way, then put a wall of paper round;
then pour on it some fine paste made with plaster of Paris. Jerk it to
drive out the air bubbles, and let it stand one hour, when you have a
fine impression.
_The New and Beautiful Art of Transferring on to Glass._--Colored or
plain Engravings, Photographs, Lithographs, Water Colors, Oil Colors,
Crayons, Steel Plates, Newspaper Cuts, Mezzotinto, Pencil, Writing, Show
Cards, Labels,--or in fact anything.
_Directions._--Take glass that is perfectly clear--window glass will
answer--clean it thoroughly; then varnish it, taking care to have it
perfectly smooth; place it where it will be entirely free from dust; let
it stand over night; then take your engraving, lay it in clear water
until it is wet through (say ten or fifteen minutes), then lay it upon a
newspaper, that the moisture may _dry from the surface_, and still keep
the other side damp. Immediately varnish your glass the _second_ time,
then place your engraving on it, pressing it down firmly, so as to
exclude every particle of air; next rub the paper from the back, until
it is of uniform thickness--so thin that you can see through it, then
varnish it the _third_ time, and let it dry.
_Materials Used for the Above Art._--Take two ounces balsam of fir, to
one ounce of spirits of turpentine; apply with a camel's hair brush.
_To Make Wax Flowers._--The following articles will be required to
commence wax work: 2 lbs. white wax, ¼ lb. hair wire, 1 bottle carmine,
1 ultramarine blue, 1 bottle chrome yellow, 2 bottles chrome green, No.
1; 2 bottles chrome green, No. 2; 1 bottle rose pink, 1 bottle royal
purple, 1 bottle scarlet powder, 1 bottle balsam fir, 2 dozen sheets
white wax. This will do to begin with. Now have a clean tin dish and
pour therein a quart or two of water; then put in about 1 lb. of the
white wax and let it boil; when cool enough, so the bubbles will not
form on top, it is ready to sheet, which is done as follows:--Take half
of a window pane, 7×9, and, after having washed it clean, dip into a
dish containing weak soap-suds; then dip into the wax and draw out
steadily and plunge it into the suds, when the sheet will readily come
off. Lay it on a cloth or clean paper to dry. Proceed in like manner
until you have enough of the white; then add enough of the green powder
to make a bright color, and heat and stir thoroughly until the color is
evenly distributed; then proceed as for sheeting white wax. The other
colors are rubbed into the leaves after they are cut out, rubbing light
or heavy according to shade.
For patterns you can use any natural leaf, forming the creases in wax
with the thumb nail or a needle; to put the flowers together or the
leaves on to the stem, hold in the hand until warm enough to stick. If
the sheeted wax is to be used in Summer, put in a little balsam of fir
to make it hard. If for Winter, none will be required.
You can make many flowers without a teacher; but one to assist, in the
commencement, would be a great help; though the most particular thing
about it is to get the wax sheeted. The materials I have suggested can
be procured at any drug store, and will cost from $3 to $4.50.
_How to Charm Those Whom You Meet and Love._--When you desire to make
any one "Love" you with whom you meet, although not personally
acquainted with him, you can very readily reach him and make his
acquaintance, if you observe the foregoing instructions, in addition to
the following directions: Suppose you see him coming towards you in an
unoccupied mood, or is recklessly, or passively walking past you, all
that remains for you to do at that moment is to concentrate your thought
and send it into him as before explained; and, to your astonishment, if
he was passive, he will look at you, and now is your time to send a
thrill to his heart, by looking him carelessly, though determinately,
into his eyes, and praying with all your heart, mind, soul and strength,
that he may read your thought, and receive your true Love, which God
designs we should bear one another. This accomplished, and you need not
and must not wait for a cold-hearted, fashionable, and popular Christian
introduction; neither should you hastily run into his arms, but continue
operating in this psychological manner; not losing any convenient
opportunity to meet him at an appropriate place, when an unembarrassed
exchange of words will open the door, to the one so magnetized. At this
interview, unless prudence sanction it, do not shake hands, but let your
manners and loving eyes speak with Christian charity and ease; wherever,
or whenever you meet again, at the first opportunity grasp his hand, in
an earnest, sincere and affectionate manner, observing at the same time,
the following important directions, viz.:--As you take his bare hand in
yours, press your thumb gently, though firmly, between the bones of the
thumb and forefinger of his hand, and at the very instant when you press
thus on the blood vessels, (which you can before ascertain to pulsate,)
look him earnestly and lovingly, though not pertly or fiercely, into his
eyes, and send all your heart's, mind's and soul's strength into his
organization, and he will be your friend, and if you find him not to be
congenial, you have him in your power, and by carefully guarding against
evil influences, you can reform him to suit your own purified,
Christian, and loving taste.
_Mesmerism._--If you desire to mesmerise a person, who has never been
put into that state, nor in the least affected, the plan is to set him
in an easy posture, and request him to be calm and resigned. Take him by
both hands, or else by one hand and place your other gently on his
forehead. But with whatever part of his body you choose to come in
contact, be sure to always touch two points, answering to the _positive_
and _negative_ forces. Having taken him by both hands, fix your eyes
upon his, and, if possible, let him contentedly and steadily look you in
the face. Remain in this position until his eyes close. Then place both
your hands on his head, gently pass them to his shoulders, down the
arms, and off at the ends of his fingers. Throw your hands outward as
you return them to his head, and continue these passes till he can hear
no voice but yours. He is then entirely in the mesmeric state. When a
person is in the mesmeric state, whether put there by yourself or some
one else, you can awake him by the upward passes: or else do it by an
impression, as follows: Tell him, "I will count _three_, and at the same
instant I say _three_, I will slap my hands together, and you will be
wide awake and in your perfect senses. Are you ready?" If he answers in
the affirmative, you will proceed to count "_one_, TWO, THREE!" The word
_three_ should be spoken suddenly, and in a very loud voice, and at the
same instant the palms of the hands should be smitten together. This
will instantly awake him.
_To Make Magic Photographs._--Take, in the first place, an ordinary
print--a card-picture, for instance--on albumen paper, beneath the
negative in the usual way, and, when sufficiently printed, let it be
carefully washed in the dark room, so as to remove all the free nitrate
of silver, etc. Now immerse it in the following solution, also in the
dark room: saturated solution bichloride of mercury (corrosive
sublimate), one ounce; hydrochloric acid, one drachm. The saturated
solution is previously prepared by putting into water more bichloride of
mercury than it will dissolve by shaking in about twelve hours. The
print will gradually be bleached in this liquid, in the ordinary meaning
of the word--that is, it will disappear; but the fact is, the print is
still there--its color alone is changed, a double salt having been
formed of mercury and silver, which is white, as many of our readers,
who have been in the habit of intensifying with a mercurial salt, are
aware. As soon as the print has quite disappeared, the paper is
thoroughly washed and dried in the dark room; it is also preserved
between folds of orange-colored paper, in order to keep it from the
action of light, for the surface is still in some measure sensitive to
light. The bleaching of the print--that is, its conversion into a white
salt--is effected more quickly by keeping it in motion in the mercurial
solution. As we said before, the print has not been bleached in
reality--the substance which originally formed it is still there,
together with a new substance, a salt of mercury. But the two salts of
silver and mercury may be easily brought out and made visible by several
solutions, such as sulphide of ammonium, solution of hydrosulphuric
acid; in fact, any of the soluble sulphides, ammonia and hyposulphite of
soda. The latter salt is used in preference to the others. Small pieces
of blotting-paper, therefore, of the same size as the prints, are cut
out and steeped in a saturated solution of hyposulphite of soda and then
dried. The magic photographs are packed as before stated, between folds
of orange-colored paper; the papers dipped in hyposulphite of soda are
the developers, and may be packed between two sheets of common
writing-paper. The development of the image is effected in the following
manner: place the albumen paper which contains the whitened print on a
pane of glass, print side upward; on this lay the dry piece of
blotting-paper that has been previously dipped in hyposulphite of soda.
Moisten the latter thoroughly, then place over it a pane of glass, and
upon this a weight, to bring the two pieces of paper into intimate
contact. In a very short time the picture will appear in all its
original detail, and of a sepia tone.
_Writing on the Arm._--The conjurer's explanation was a great lesson in
"spiritualism." I next asked him to elucidate the trick of writing on
the arm. On the occasion of my visit to Mr. Forster, when the raps
indicated the second pellet, he required the "spirit" present to write
the initials on his bare arm. Mr. Forster placed his arm under the table
for a moment, then rested it in front of a lamp burning on the table,
and quickly rolled up the sleeve of his coat. The skin was without stain
or mark. He passed his hand over it once or twice, and the initials of
the names I had written on the second pellet seemed to grow on the arm
in letters of crimson. "It's a trick I do every night. It goes with the
audience like steam," said the conjurer. "Very simple. Well, suppose a
name. What name would you like?" "Henry Clay," I replied. Down went the
conjurer's arm under the table. In a few seconds he raised it and
exposed the bare forearm without mark upon it. He doubled up his fist
tightly so as to bring the muscles of the arm to the surface, and rubbed
the skin smartly with his open hand. The letters "H. C." soon appeared
upon it in well-defined writing of a deep red color. "There you have it,
gentlemen; that's the blood-red writing. Very simple. All you have to do
is take a lucifer match, and write on your arm with the wrong end of it.
If you moisten the skin with a little salt water first, all the better.
Then wet the palm of the other hand, rub your arm with it. Send up the
muscles and the blood-red writing will come out. It will fade away in
less than no time. If you look under the table, you will see that I have
a little piece of pointed wood. I can move my arm under that and write
the letters without using the other hand. But that's a trick which wants
practice."
_Electrical Psychology._--The most easy and direct mode to produce
electro psychological communication is to take the individual by the
hand, in the same manner as though you were going to shake hands. Press
your thumb on the _Ulnar nerve_, which spreads its branches to the ring
and little finger, an inch above the knuckle, and in range of the ring
finger. Lay the ball of the thumb flat so as to cover the minute
branches of this nerve of motion and sensation. When you first take him
by the hand, request him to place his eyes upon yours, and to keep them
fixed, so that he may see every emotion of your mind expressed in the
countenance. Continue this pressure for a half a minute or more. Then
request him to close his eyes, and with your fingers gently brush
downward several times over the eyelids. Throughout the whole process
feel within yourself a fixed determination to close them, so as to
express that determination fully in your countenance and manner. Then
place your hand on the top of his head and press your thumb firmly on
the organ of Individuality, bearing partially downward, and with the
other thumb still pressing the ulnar nerve, tell him--_you can not open
your eyes!_ Remember, that your manner, your expression of countenance,
your motions, and your language must all be of the most positive
character. If he succeed in opening his eyes, try it once or twice more,
because impressions, whether physical or mental, continue to deepen by
repetition. In case, however, that you cannot close his eyes, nor see
any effect produced upon them, you should cease making any further
efforts, because you have now fairly tested that his mind and body both
stand in a positive relation as it regards the doctrine of impressions.
If you succeed in closing the subject's eyes by the above mode, you may
then request him to put his hands on his head, or in any other position
you choose, and tell him, _you can not stir_ them! In case you succeed,
request him to be seated, and tell him, _you can not rise!_ If you are
successful in this, request him to put his hands in motion, and tell
him, _you can not stop them!_ If you succeed, request him to walk the
floor, and tell him, _you can not cease walking!_ And so you may
continue to perform experiments involving muscular motion and paralysis
of any kind that may occur to your mind, till you can completely control
him, in arresting or moving all the voluntary parts of his system.
_How to Make Persons at a Distance Think of You._--Let it be
particularly remembered that "Faith" and concentration of thought are
positively needful to accomplish aught in drawing others to you or
making them think of you. If you have not the capacity or understanding
how to operate an electric telegraph battery, it is no proof that an
expert and competent person should fail doing so; just so in this case;
if faith, meditation, or concentration of thought fail you, then will
you also fail to operate upon others. First, you must have an yearning
for the person you wish to make think of you; and secondly, you must
learn to guess at what time of day or night he may be unemployed,
passive, so that he be in a proper state to receive the thought which
you dispatch to him. If he should be occupied in any way, so that his
nervous forces were needed to complete his task, his "Human Battery," or
thought, would not be in a recipient or passive condition, therefore
your experiment would fail at that moment. Or if he were under heavy
narcotics, liquors, tobacco, or gluttonous influences, he could not be
reached at such moments. Or, if he were asleep, and you operated to
affect a wakeful mind or thought, you would fail again at the moment. To
make a person at a distance think of you, whether you are acquainted
with him or not, matters not; I again repeat, find out or guess at what
moment he is likely to be passive; by this I mean easy and careless:
then, with the most fervent prayer, or yearning of your entire heart,
mind, soul and strength, desire he may think of you; and if you wish him
to think on any particular topic in relation to you, it is necessary for
you to press your hands, when operating on him, on such mental faculties
of your head as you wish him to exercise towards you. This demands a
meagre knowledge of Phrenology. His "Feeling Nature," or "Propensities,"
you cannot reach through these operations, but when he once thinks of
you, (if he does not know you he imagines such a being as you are,) he
can easily afterwards be controlled by you, and he will feel disposed to
go in the direction where you are, if circumstances permit, and he is
his own master, for, remember, circumstances alter cases. I said, you
cannot reach his "Feeling," but only his "Thinking Nature," truly, but
after he thinks of you once, his "Feeling Nature," or propensities, may
become aroused through his own organization. In conclusion on this
topic, let me say, that if you wish the person simply to think of you,
one operation may answer; but on the contrary, if you wish him to meet
you, or go where you are, all you have to do is to persevere in a lawful
and Christian manner to operate, and I assure you, in the course of all
natural things, that is, if no accident or very unfavorable
circumstances occur, he will make his way towards you, and when he comes
within sight, or reaching distance of you, it will be easy to manage
him.
_How to Make Large Noses Small._--Dr. Cid, an inventive surgeon of
Paris, noticed that elderly people, who for a long time have worn
eyeglasses supported on the nose by a spring, are apt to have this organ
long and thin. This he attributes to the compression which the spring
exerts on the arteries by which the nose is nourished. The idea occurred
to him that the hint could be made useful. Not long afterward, a young
lady of fifteen years consulted him, to see if he could restore to
moderate dimensions her nose, which was large, fleshy, and unsightly.
The trait, he found, was hereditary in her family, as her mother and
sister were similarly afflicted. This was discouraging, as hereditary
peculiarities are particularly obstinate. But the doctor determined to
try his method; he took exact measurements, and had constructed for her
a "lunette pince-nez"--a spring and pad for compressing the
artery--which she wore at night and whenever she could conveniently in
daytime. In three weeks a consolatory diminution was evident, and in
three months the young lady was quite satisfied with the improvement in
her features.
_Jockey Tricks._--_How to make a horse appear as though he was badly
Foundered._--Take a fine wire and fasten it tight around the fetlock,
between the foot and the heel, and smooth the hair over it. In twenty
minutes the horse will show lameness.--Do not leave it on over nine
hours.--_To make a horse lame._--Take a single hair from his tail, put
it through the eye of a needle, then lift the front leg, and press the
skin between the outer and the middle tendon or cord, and shove the
needle through, cut off the hair each side and let the foot down; the
horse will go lame in twenty minutes.--_How to make a horse stand by his
food and not take it._--Grease the front teeth and the roof of the mouth
with common beef tallow, and he will not eat until you wash it out; this
in conjunction with the above will consummate a complete founder.--_How
to cure a horse from the crib or sucking wind._--Saw between the upper
teeth to the gums.--_How to put a young countenance on a horse._--Make a
small incision in the sunken place over the eye, insert the point of a
goose quill and blow it up; close the external wound with thread and it
is done.--_To cover up the heaves._--Drench the horse with one-fourth
pound of common bird shot, and he will not heave until they pass through
him.--_To make a horse appear as if he had the glanders._--Melt four
ounces of fresh butter and pour it into his ear.--_To distinguish
between distemper and glanders._--The discharge from the nose in
glanders will sink in water; in distemper it floats.--_How to make a
true pulling horse baulk._--Take tincture of cantharides one ounce, and
corrosive sublimate one drachm; mix, and bathe his shoulder at
night.--_How to nerve a horse that is lame._--Make a small incision
about half way from the knee to the joint on the outside of the leg, and
at the back part of the shin bone you will find a small white tendon or
cord, cut it off and close the external wound with a stitch, and he will
walk off on the hardest pavement and not limp a particle.
_To Bore Holes in Glass._--Any hard steel tool will cut glass with great
facility when kept freely wet with camphor dissolved in turpentine. A
drill-bow may be used, or even the hand alone. A hole bored may be
readily enlarged by a round file. The ragged edges of glass vessels may
also be thus easily smoothed by a flat file. Flat window glass can
readily be sawed by a watch spring saw by aid of this solution. In
short, the most brittle glass can be wrought almost as easily as brass
by the use of cutting tools kept constantly moist with camphorized oil
of turpentine.
_To Etch upon Glass._--Procure several thick, clear pieces of crown
glass, and immerse them in melted wax, so that each may receive a
complete coating, or pour over them a solution of wax in benzine. When
perfectly cold draw on them, with a fine steel point, flowers, trees,
houses, portraits, etc. Whatever parts of the drawing are intended to be
corroded with the acid, should be perfectly free from the least particle
of wax. When all these drawings are finished the pieces of glass must be
immersed one by one in a square leaden box or receiver, where they are
to be submitted to the action of hydrofluoric acid gas, made by acting
on powdered fluor-spar by concentrated sulphuric acid.