FAMILY FUN

New Zealand Tablet, 4 June 1914, Page 62

FAMILY FUN

TRICKS, ILLUSIONS, AND INDOOR AMUSEMENTS. (Special to the N.Z. Tablet by Mahatma.) Miraculous Cotton. —This is a very good trick, but it inquires great care on the part of the performer. Get two pieces of cotton of equal length. Roll one up, unobserved by the company, in a little ball, and place it between your finger and thumb. It may be easily kept in this position. Next exhibit the duplicate piece of thread, and ask someone to cut it into small pieces. Then roil it up with the disengaged hand, and then with both hands, so that you may have both balls together. Breath© upon them, and while so doing contrive to get hold of one end of the entire piece of thread, which you now draw gradually out, to the astonishment of the company. An Interesting Feat. —The possibility of putting so large a bhlk as twenty shillings, weighing four ounces, into a wine glass already full of water may be doubted. Yet, with a steady hand it may thus be accomplished. Wipe a wine-glass quite dry inside and out, especially near the rim. Pour water into it gently from a spouted jug until the glass is full to the brim. Do not wet the edge of the glass. Having done this take the shillings and drop them edgewise in. As soon as the coins touch the water let them drop. They must be put in singly. Having done this you will observe how far above the rim the wafer now stands without flowing over. The explanation of this is that the ‘ cohesive attraction ’ of the water is greater than the ‘attraction of gravity.’ A Tumbler Trick.—lntroduce this feat by recounting the story of the military officer, who, at the regimental mess, on the eve of battle, dashed a tumbler to the floor, exclaiming, ‘ Thus will we shatter the armies of the enemy,’ Strange to say, however, the glass was not only not broken, but was not even cracked. This seems an impossible feat, but if you carry out the following instructions you will see that it may be easily accomplished. Place a tumbler, which has a heavy base, near the edge of the table. Move it gradually until the merest touch will cause it to fall to the ground. When you have told the story apply this touch, and the tumbler will land mouth upwards, or will fall gently on its side, but will be quite undamaged. The Magic Twelve. —Let any one take a pack of cards, and having shuffled it take off the top one. Let him notice this, and lay it face downwards on the table. Now he is to put so many cards upon it as will make up twelve with the number of spots on the noted card. For instance : Suppose the card noted was a king, queen, or ten, bid him lay that card with its face downwards, calling it ten; upon that card let him lay another, calling it eleven, and upon that another, calling it twelve. Then ask him to take the next card from the pack. Suppose it be a nine. Ask him to lay it down on another part of the table calling it nine. Lay another card upon it, calling it ten ; upon the latter lay another card calling it eleven, another upon this card, calling it twelve. Take another card and place it on another part of the table, and go through the same procedure. Continue until all the cards of the pack are exhausted. If there be any cards left over—that is, if there are not enough cards left at the last to make up twelve, bid the assistant to give them to you. Then in order to tell him the number of all the spots contained in all the bottom cards of the heaps proceed as follows. From the number of heaps subtract four, multiply the remainder by fifteen, and to the product add the number of remaining cards which you hold, but if there were but four heaps, then those remaining cards alone will show the number of spots on the four bottom cards. You need not see the cards laid out, nor know the number of cards in each heap, it being sufficient to know the number of heaps, and the number of remaining cards, if there be any. Therefore you may perform this feat as well standing in a distant room,, as if you were present in the room where the cards are laid out.