The Magnetic Girl

Whilo in Chicho I saw the j ment of an electiic girl who included in her ropertory a new trick, or at leact oue that I had not yet soeu. A stick j about four feet long and as thick as a broonistick was produced, and I and anotlier gentleman were requestcd to holrt i ït in a vertical position before us while graspiug it firmly in both hands. Tho girl, standing in front of and facing us, placed the palm of her open hand against the lower portion of the stick, resting it on the side nearest to ns and fartbest froin herself. After rubbing her hand np and down for a few moraents in order "to make better electric contact, " as we were informed, and after enjoining us to hold the stick perfectly vertical, we were told to prees down on it as hard as we could. This we ilirf uutil the veins seemed to staad otït on our foreheuds; bnfc, exert ouiselve8 as hard as vee could, we, two stroug mei), were unable to presa down linrd enungh to maka tlio stick slip past the open palm of her hand Had the girl graspod tho stick with her two bands, I ara sure shucouldnot have withstood my downward pressnre alone. I wonld lr.ivo borne her, stick and all, to the tíoor. But there she stood, with but one open hand bearing against the side of the. stick, and both ns could uot by onr united efi'orts f orce the stick past that wouderful hand. Sniely thero seemed something uncanuy about this. But it is very siuiply explainod. The whole secret consists in insisting upou tho men holding the stick in a vertical position. VVhen the girl'sopen hand is íirot; placed against the lower portion of the stick, she moves it two pi threo tiinea up and down, pulling gradi;'.üy inoro and more agaiusc it. As this tenda to pull the stick away from the vertical, sho insists that the men keep it straight. ïhus cautioned, they will exert more and moro effort until, when she feala that the pressure againsl her hand is snfficient, sho instructstheru to push down with all thoir might. They do so and imagine that they aro exerting a tremendons vertical thrnst, whereas their vertical effort is actnally very slight - insufficient even to overconio the friction of the stick against her moist hand. The men aro really exertiug a tremendoHS eflort, but are deceived as to its direction. With theit hands tightly grasping the upper end ol the stick they are rcally trying to forcu the oth(3r end of the stick against the palm of her