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IHindu Jugg'ery and Magic1 By Prince Saratb Ghosh, F.K A b in the Scientific American.' )There hu been greater mis understanding about Hindu juggler) t;iar. about any other Oriental institution, practice, or body of knowledge The scores of writers, European or American, who have essayed to elucid.iv the subject have only succeeded in casting a veil of obscurity atound it, by each contradicting the others 01 themselves unwittingly Each started with a preconceived notion, a pet hypothesis, and tried to fit the facts to it Some sought to find mystic-ism in it, and found it Somesought for pure trickery, and lorn.,I it; some, finding all other method: futile, denied everything, even ih« facts; some oth«*:s, more daring, invented lhe facts. In reality thetruth about Hindu jugglery or magic, or call it what we will, is very simple; it is the explanation that is supremely difficult.The once famous basket trick India is also now copied on the Euro pan stage with a cartload of para phernalia and hidden appliances.The Hindu juggler brought for this trick only a basket, necessarily a large one, a sword, and a little girl. The two or three assistant' who also came had no obvious purpose; they merely sang and made music. The juggler calls the girl, who isvery prettily dressed in distinctivecolors, and starts quizzing her. Arre, thou incarnation of mischief, be still—do not fidget! What an upturned nose thou has*, andUrge mouth, and receding chin, thus pointing out ail her characterE tic features. Go to that nicegentleman and talk to him .. moment; he will give thee a present if iho : dost this trick without a fault. All this meant to enable the spectators to srruinise her and identify her r.fte:-wads.Then the juggler bring- out th-basket; it is about three feei Eng. two wide, and two deep; its lnl opens along its length. He raises the lid and turns the basket on its hut r edge to show the spectators that it i-empty; to make quite «ure lu turndown tho fare of the basket to th -ground and beats the bottom with the fiat of his sword Leaving tin* ha* ket there, he goes to the child, who iS still talking to the spectator* H i with a sudden shriek of tcrn-r runs round and round the arena— of course in full view’ of the sp*lt; tator* The juggler chases her and nearly catches her With redoubled effort she dives hither and thith'T to dodge him. At last e.vhaustud, •he suddenly dives behind the mush ians, but the next instant the juggler swoops down on her stands over !lt;•': a moment, shaking her and upbraid ing her. 1 hen he snatches her up and carries her struggling in hi' arms to the basket. Kicking up th* basket with his foot to iis normal side, he pushes her in Panging down the lid, he thrusts down the sword through the middle of the basket as far as it will go. There is a shriek from the inside The juggler withdraws the sword, covered with blood, and thrusts it again and again along the longitudinal line of the middle of the basket; the child shrieks at each thrust, but fainter and fainter. At last the shriek' die away. The juggler stands a moment amid the oppressive stillness Then suddenly he opens the lid, turns up the basket to the spectators nlong its front edge, shows it blood smeared but empty; and to make quite sure, he turns down the fare of the basket to the ground quickly and beats the bottom with the fi.it of the sword as before Then a sud den remorse seizes him. Oh, what have I done, what have I done? 1 have killed my rhild’ I have sent her soul wandering through space, awaiting nirvana. He looks hither and thither in despair.Suddenly a small treble voice from a distance answers him: I'm here! The spectators look around, but see nothing. Where, my child? the juggler cries. The voice come*again, nearer and nearer. At last a small figure, draped in a cloak from head to foot, emerges from the back of the spectators—where least expected—and comes to the centre of the arena. The figure drops the cloak and stand* in full view of the p' blic. It is the mriv t ing girl, Go and show thyself to' that nice get 'lerean and receive tin present, the juggler say* to her. from a distance without going n«*ar ' her. till the spectators have satisfied themselves she is the same girl Meanwhile the baskt and the cloak ' have been removed by the as»is'.. ants.Here is the explanation. The re j moval of the basket and the cloak by 1 the asilstants implies that there is' something to hide But he jugglerhimself might do tlin while the spec talon ate examining the girl. Hence, the assistants me : te.ilb n'*dlt;H U rowovr ill** basket ;*.n:l the cloak, and making invi-ic’ is a'* superfluous for ?hlt;- trick Thus tb- a--i'tants .iilt; there, fot another purpose* That sitjiplir the secret.I here i. uuotltv r girl* ?’ie need not b« like the 111-1 gul. except only in size And in detail of dress. While •be In i git) bemg 'hown round before thr nak, and the spectiUOr*-aro all intri.t *n -uutinis ng her, the sreund girl- who i- tfcocd ex* aril*. like the fir-' bur is coveredwith a el-ak c at.--, quietly tromthe back at.d hudrih- dowr. bc-hiudthe niusii i.:,- li 1) am chance anyone ha* tiotici’i, lai while coming, it is immar- ;:.il; her f-*• •• being different and h»*r drr-ss Iinsven her.e-i the clonk. r.lt;■ »llt; w ni l anticipate her possible • lt;nn* . .ion with thi trick or even will. :ht* iit\ ct p.'gglrrs 1 hen when »lw Mis' girl ch.itcd by th* .iuggl* • ii/’-ind the aima ar.d aha dive* .;i l.i-t behind the musicians. and the juggler seemingly stands t»v.-r lilt;*r. lt;hakr her. and up-braids her. in ic-ality : *• fling-, the 'liik from th- .djacent second gii! un to tin tii .ii. I snatches up the second girl and thrust*, hct into the basket; and -•*• -be -niggles in his arms the *pe-tatur-s fail to see, in the brief instant, th.it she i* a different girl Meanwhile, as the stabbing of the basket t* going on and the spectators are intent c-n watching 't in horror, the first girl, now enveloped tn the cloak, slips ut, makes a d*-tour. uni! waits nr the back of the spectator* nil «ht is called at the end * ? th. trick. Cf cour*lt;*, the bask**; ha* -i d.*ubl*- ai th.* bark, n* *. a ;! ubl* ’V-in, and when l» «•--ng rl,c Him hmk**r llt; for* th - irhk the f.d ■ .slid*.* ’■ 'lipped • a. '-c to *h«*a tho full width Merely as a wiong •.rent, th* . iggler :• i over thebasket with its th- vt-iu-iJ andbeats i* on rhr back with J.is swordas it that wrri* tI- ,nvi-King way of bowing it t * la • TI.!!.. wltnth- s.'.-nti l . rl is n v I .*• k i tnd ne Ita- ft. t * i « • ',.i-e rit i art tra-nt, w*. . • -1.. has pluti 'n i * «in. Tjuggler ‘! a* the open«l v ry i 'i'i k!«* t.ir »tl ,t*. m- and la*, . , «h.. I.i.kI;* fare tia'ii.I) to convince lt;h•rs la tin a*s.,lt; n.tion of ideas that tin t. i-'m-t lt;njpty, .md thus ' 1 p'-' • i’!it them from noticing 'hein mrhrd wul'b c'.u.- m tho false •impairment.flu juggle i- air rid to thrust in 'lie r.'iotd „• s'•*.'«■ r;lt;i on thelongitudinal line ct th. middle of th. basket. - .- o- avoid the falc Coni|.;.i:mi*m; and ,j* the sword is ob-vk. ,i thrust down as far as it will g * th. -|- r , an* duly deceived, ana. tb- sr. -*vtl girl still remains in th* hidd-.-ri iMinpartmcut till the -i■■ tatbrs ai*• .'Xamining the first git' Mir. ■ ulj'.*- \ * '.air back It. life, andth. h.'.-ket ami d«.ak arc removed by th* a'ristant Mien, during the in \: fear, whhli follow? in quick succession, *h.* emerges at the back of the assist.-iM*, put, on the cloak, and slips awav The blood is only l.qmd pigment.
Newspaper Details
Bathurst Times
Bathurst, New South Wales, AU
Sat, May 15, 1915
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Rob J.
AU 26 Jul 2022
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