TRICK CHRISTMAS CANDLES SHOOT UP WHEN LIT

Red Christmas candles that will-amaze and mystify the children can be prepared in such a way that when the wicks are lighted the outside, which is merely a shell, will shoot into the air and reveal a stick of candy. This is much more surprising and novel than an ordinary jack-in-the-box and is quite as safe.

Make the candles by rolling shiny red paper into a tube. Each tube fits over a stick of candy set in a hole in a 3 in. wooden disk, also enameled red. In the top of each tube, resting on the candy, is placed a coil spring tied up with a cord, and the ends of the cord project out of the top to form the wick. The cord is prepared in advance by dipping it into a hot, saturated solution of saltpeter with a little glue added. When the wick is lighted, it will burn down quickly and release the spring, and the candle shell will be shot high into the air.

A few candles prepared in this way will add to the gayety at any Christmas or New Year’s party.—G. S. G.

Thank god for an honest tobacco company exposing all those evil liars. Finally someone who’s on my side!

Dancing on Glass

IT’S FUN TO BE FOOLED …IT’S MORE FUN TO KNOW

ILLUSION:
In India, the fakirs present a spectacle to tourists. Two lovely performers appear, throw jagged pieces of glass into a box already filled with broken glass. They step barefooted into the box and do an Oriental dance—uninjured.

EXPLANATION:
Before appearing the performers toughen their feet in a solution of alum water and rub them with pulverized resin. They throw the sharp glass around the edges of the platform. The glass on which they actually do dance has the edges rounded off. They just pretend to dance on the sharp glass.

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