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Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring
·
Professor Hoffmann
731
When
a
medium,
after
having
been
caught
in
one
or
two
of
his
performances,
announces
his
intention
of
floating
over
the
heads
of
the
little
world
of
spiritualists,
they
at
once
hold
up
their
hands
in
silent
admiration,
and
their
belief
in
the
invisible
world
becomes
more
vigorous.
They
then
hasten
to
pay
their
guinea
or
two
guineas
to
share
in
this
manifestation
of
the
spirit.
The
medium
having
called
up
the
spirit
from
the
“vasty
deep,”
the
room
is
darkened
and
a
bull’s-eye
lantern
is
held
at
such
a
distance
from
the
medium
as
to
make
his
face
appear
vague
and
indistinct.
He
is
then
seen
suddenly
to
rise,
and
in
his
aërial
flight
performs
a
beautiful
curve.
His
face
is
sufficiently
masked
as
to
make
the
features
indistinguishable;
but,
at
the
same
time,
to
make
the
audience
fully
assured
that
it
is
his
face.
The
lantern
is
made
to
follow
him,
and
in
a
moment
the
face
is
lost
in
darkness,
but
for
one
instant
only,
and
then
as
the
gas
is
lit
the
medium
is
seen
with
his
toes
just
touching
the
platform,
and
his
form
descending
to
its
ordinary
upright
position.
Messrs.
Maskelyne
and
Cooke
and
others
have
well
shown
that
this
floating
in
the
air
is
one
of
the
grossest
deceptions
ever
offered
to
the
most
gullible
of
audiences.
First,
there
is
ready
to
hand
a
lay
figure,
got
up
to
resemble
the
medium
or
professor.
Hanging
from
the
top
of
the
stage
are
two
cords,
concealed
from
the
audience.
When
the
medium
prepares
for
his
flight
the
bull’s-eye
lantern
is
turned
upon
him,
but
the
person
holding
the
lantern,
pretending
that
the
focus
is
not
altogether
right,
turns
it
away
to
arrange
it,
as
it
were.
While
this
is
being
done,
the
medium
quickly
substitutes
the
lay
figure.
The
ends
of
these
cords
are
furnished
with
hooks,
which
are
fastened
on
to
the
shoulders
of
the
lay
figure,
and
then
the
exhibitor
by
means
of
a
pulley
hauls
the
figure
upward,
the
light
being
kept
at
such
a
distance
as
to
just
make
the
figure
of
the
dummy
visible,
but
totally
unrecognizable.
During
one
of
the
intervals
of
the
lantern’s
wanderings
the
dummy
is
removed,
and
the
medium
is
seen
descending,
by
merely
raising
himself
on
his
toes
and
lowering
himself,
and
when
the
full
light
is
upon
him
sinking
on
his
knees.
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