Home Fun

About this eBook

Author

Bullivant, Cecil Henry, 1882-1981

Credits

Produced by Chris Curnow, Harry Lamé, Linda Cantoni and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Language

English

LoC Class

GV: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Recreation, Leisure

Subject

Amusements

Category

Text

Project Gutenberg

eBook-No. 61685

Release Date

March 27, 2020

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.HOME FUN
2. 2.PREFATORY NOTE
3. 3.CONTENTS
4. 4.CHAPTER I AMATEUR THEATRICALS — Stage Construction and Home-made Scenery — The Drop Curtain — Home-made Scenery — How to Make the “Flats” — Papering — Making a Portable Porch — A Portable Fireplace — A Movable Counter or Sideboard — A Back-Cloth
5. 5.CHAPTER II MYSTERIES OF MAKE-UP — The Foundation — Lining — “Juvenile” Make-up — “Middle-Age” Make-up — “Old-Age” Make-up — Beards and Mustaches — The Removal of Make-up
6. 6.CHAPTER III THE QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST — How It’s Done — An Inexpensive “Stock in Trade” — The Dresser
7. 7.CHAPTER IV CHARACTER IMPERSONATIONS — Talent v. Material Aids — Knowledge from Nature — Speaking Impersonations — Temperament — Character and Circumstance
8. 8.CHAPTER V THE UNIVERSAL HAT — Marvels of Chapeaugraphy — Popular Characters
9. 9.CHAPTER VI NIGGER MINSTRELSY — The Comical End-men — Minstrels’ “Make-up” — From Failure to Success — Coon Songs — Songs and “Gags” — One-Act Dramas
10. 10.CHAPTER VII SOME SUGGESTIONS IN BLACK — For “Nigger Minstrels” — Introducing Jokes — Stump Speeches — Music for Minstrelsy
11. 11.CHAPTER VIII TABLEAUX VIVANTS — True-to-Life Representations — Staging — Penelope and Ulysses — Stage “Props”
12. 12.CHAPTER IX CHARADES — An Old Favorite for Indoor Parties — An “Artificial Window” — “ A Seaside Scene ” — A Portable Tent — Outfit for Highwayman — A Policeman’s Helmet — A Chinaman’s Head Covering — Advertisement Charades — Baronetcy [BARON-ATE(ET)-CY(SEA).] — First Syllable. BARON. — Second Syllable. ATE-(ET). — Third Syllable. SEA-(CY). — Baronetcy — Beanstalk — First Syllable. BEAN. — Second Syllable. STALK. — BEANSTALK
13. 13.CHAPTER X THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE MUSICAL SKETCH — The “All in All” — An Artist—and a Gentleman — Music and Words
14. 14.CHAPTER XI VAMPING SIMPLIFIED — An Accompanist in an Hour — Vamping Chords and their Relative Changes
15. 15.CHAPTER XII AN EVENING AT THE PHONOGRAPH — A Concert at Home — Humorous Songs — General Arrangements
16. 16.CHAPTER XIII MUSICAL GLASSES — A Great Inventor’s Hopes — Little Water = Low Note — Half-Notes
17. 17.CHAPTER XIV HAND-BELL RINGING — A Sweet-lipped Friend — Bell-ringing Companies — “ Flourishing ”
18. 18.CHAPTER XV THE ART OF DRAWING-ROOM SINGING — Correct Breathing and Voice Production — Dainty Modern Songs — The Value of a Good Accompanist — Why Singers Often Fail
19. 19.CHAPTER XVI DRAWING-ROOM RECITALS — The Keynote of Success — The Speaking Register — Appropriate Gesture
20. 20.CHAPTER XVII THE ART OF WHISTLING — Methods of a Famous Siffleur — Breathing and Tone — Suitable Solos
21. 21.CHAPTER XVIII BUNKUM ENTERTAINMENTS — The Cuckoo of Society — Sure of Success — Thought-Reading Extraordinary — Fake Ventriloquism — The Three Old Maids — Bunkum Lectures — The Sharp(?)-Shooter — The Ghost
22. 22.CHAPTER XIX VENTRILOQUISM IN A MONTH — A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to the Art of Valentine Vox — All Born Ventriloquists — The Initial Stages — Breathing Exercises — Automaton—or Man? — Speaking with Still Lips — Two Kinds of Ventriloquism — The Old Woman’s Voice — Ventriloquial Figures — Ventriloquial Figure Manipulation — Voice for “Little Boy” — The “Distant” Voices — “Level” Sounds — The “Floor” Voice — Ventriloquial Imitations — A Dog Fight — The Lion and the Cow — The Complete Entertainment
23. 23.CHAPTER XX CONJURING FOR ALL — Magic Memorized — The Dye-Works — The Dissolving Coin — The Watch and Target
24. 24.CHAPTER XXI SOME KNOTTY POINTS — Secrets of Handkerchief Manipulation — The One Hand Knot — The Wrist Knot — The Double Bow — The Instantaneous Knots — A Flick Knot — The Disappearing Knot
25. 25.CHAPTER XXII BLACK STAGE MYSTERIES — A Wily Worker of Wonders — The Essential Assistant — The Floating Barrel — The Vanishing Man
26. 26.CHAPTER XXIII CONCERNING GHOSTS — Mirror Frauds — Unseeing and Disbelieving — A Paris Illusion — The Sea Nymph
27. 27.CHAPTER XXIV SOME STAGE ILLUSIONS — For Home Presentation — The Magic Cupboard — The Mandarin’s Head — “ The Head of Mary Queen of Scots ” — When Three are a Crowd — The Floating Lady — Houdin’s Mesmerism — The Indian Basket — The Disappearing Princess
28. 28.CHAPTER XXV THE ROOM OF MYSTERY — How to Make a Haunted House — A Deceitful Member
29. 29.CHAPTER XXVI MECHANICAL SECOND-SIGHT — Approaching the Supernatural — Clothes and Materials
30. 30.CHAPTER XXVII PAPERGRAPHY — How an Excellent Entertainment may be Given with a Sheet of Paper
31. 31.CHAPTER XXVIII JUGGLING — How to Master the Principles of the Art — 1. The Vertical Fall — 2. Inside and Outside Falls — 3. The Parallel Fall — 4. Falls from Right to Left — 5. The Horizontal Pass — 6. The Double Vertical Fall — 7. The Double Inside Fall — 8. The Triple Pass — 9. The Triple Over Pass — 10. The Shower — 11. The Triple Shower — 12. The Double Over Fountain
32. 32.CHAPTER XXIX PLATE-SPINNING AND WALTZING — An Exciting Entertainment — Prepared Plates — Further Feats — Balancing — Plate Waltzing
33. 33.CHAPTER XXX THE TIGHT-ROPE — Trick Balancing — The Balancing Pole — The “Forward Walk”
34. 34.CHAPTER XXXI CLOG DANCING — A Novel Entertainment — The First Step — Single and Double Shuffles — Variation No. 1. — Variation No. 2. — Variation No. 3. — Variation No. 4. — Variation No. 5. — Variations of Double Shuffle — The Slide
35. 35.CHAPTER XXXII SHADOW SHOWS — Hand Shadows — How to Make the Pictures — Figure Shadows — The Disappearing Man — Puppet Shadow Shows — Manipulating the Puppets — The Plumber
36. 36.CHAPTER XXXIII LIGHTNING CARTOONS AND “FAKE” SKETCHING — A Novel Form of Drawing-Room Entertainment — Simultaneous Drawing — A Figured Face — Smoke Pictures — Topsy-Turveydom — Shadow Drawings
37. 37.CHAPTER XXXIV FRICTIONAL FUN — Some Amusing Electrical Experiments [1] — Leyden Jars — Gold Leaf Electroscope — Electrophorus — Discharger
38. 38.CHAPTER XXXV SOME ELECTRICAL EFFECTS — The Magic of Mystery
39. 39.CHAPTER XXXVI SAFE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS — Amusing Tricks with Simple Apparatus — Piercing a Coin with a Needle — A Match Trick — The Tricolor Glass — Changing Water into Wine — The Eruption of Vesuvius — A Peculiar Candlestick — Making a Paper Fish Swim — Floating Pins and Needles — Joined by Air — Glass Raising Extraordinary — A Novel Glass Emptier — A Striking Siphon Experiment — An Electric Fountain — The Bottle Cannon
40. 40.CHAPTER XXXVII SAFE CHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS — Twentieth-Century “Black Art” — Experiments with Chlorine
41. 41.CHAPTER XXXVIII ODD EXPERIMENTS — To While Away Winter Hours — Life Partners — A Light Experiment — The Pyrometer — The Broken Bottle — Compressed Air
42. 42.CHAPTER XXXIX MORE EXPERIMENTS TIPS AND DODGES FOR THE WINTER EVENINGS — The Refractory Cork — The Flying Coin — A Cigarette-smoking Lamp-glass — Water Swinging — A Novel Mirror — A Disappearing Coin — Electrified Paper — Electrified Balloons — Exploding Flour — The Apparently Impossible — Making Coal Gas — Experiments with Carbonic Acid Gas
43. 43.CHAPTER XL PHOTO PASTIMES — Camera Knights’ Experiments — Experiment A.— A Fireside Photo — Experiments B.—“ Photo-Chemical ” — Experiment C.— Blue Print Paper — Experiment D.— To Show the Constituents of White Light — Experiment E.— One Person in Two Places—and Spiritualism — Spirit Photography — Novel Results
44. 44.CHAPTER XLI HOW TO MAKE AND WORK MARIONETTES — Constructing the Stage — A Movable Curtain — Interior Decoration — Home-made Figures — Working the Puppets — Working
45. 45.CHAPTER XLII LIVING MARIONETTES — A Good “One Man” Show — Comical Effects
46. 46.CHAPTER XLIII A HOME CIRCUS — A New Form of Entertainment — Other Decorations — How is it Done? — The Indian Sack Trick — Trick Juggling
47. 47.CHAPTER XLIV HOW TO MAKE AND WORK A PEEP-SHOW — An Old Form of Entertainment Revived
48. 48.CHAPTER XLV THE “MECHANICAL” PEEP-SHOW — Secrets of Lightning Transformations
49. 49.CHAPTER XLVI HOW TO MAKE AND WORK A PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW — His Highness of the Hump — Packing Up the Show — The Puppets — Working the Figures — The Ghost
50. 50.CHAPTER XLVII DISSOLVING VIEWS — Without a Magic Lantern — Exhibiting
51. 51.CHAPTER XLVIII INDOOR FIREWORKS — Without the Use of Explosives — The Firework Boxers
52. 52.CHAPTER XLIX HOW TO MAKE A TELEPHONE — For Use at Home — Making Mouthpieces — The Microphone
53. 53.CHAPTER L TELEGRAPHY AT HOME — A Galvanometer Adapted — Testing — Message Transmitting — Morse Alphabet — Message
54. 54.CHAPTER LI ELEMENTARY HYPNOTISM — The Mysteries and Marvels of “Under-Sleep” — Weak-willed Subjects not Essential — Auto-Suggestion or Self-Hypnosis
55. 55.CHAPTER LII THE POWERS AND MYSTERIES OF CLAIRVOYANCE — Marvels of the “Sixth” Sense — Keys to Character — Crystal Gazing — Simple Manifestations Best — The Eternal Question
56. 56.CHAPTER LIII TABLE-TURNING — Fun for an Impromptu Party — The Presence of an “Unbeliever”
57. 57.CHAPTER LIV PALMISTRY — Secrets of the Past, Present, and Future — The Phalanges — Signs—and Wonders! — Guileless and Good
58. 58.CHAPTER LV PHRENOLOGY — The Estate “Under the Hat” — Bald-Pated Friends — Phrenologist—and Man! — The Humorous Side of Phrenology
59. 59.CHAPTER LVI TELLING FORTUNES BY CARDS, DICE, DOMINOES, ETC. — What the Future has in Store — Clubs — Spades — Hearts — Diamonds — A Throw of the Dice — Fortune-Telling by Dominoes — Figured Futurity — Divinations by Tarocs — Process of Divination
60. 60.CHAPTER LVII GRAPHOLOGY — Character from Handwriting — The Principal Letters — Misleading Signs
61. 61.CHAPTER LVIII A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN’S PARTY — A Word to Grown-Ups — Tea Time
62. 62.CHAPTER LIX PARLOR GAMES — For Christmas Parties — The Clothes-pin Game — Proverbs — The Game of Shadows — Gardeners — Tidings — The Lawyer — An Example — Cabbages — The Lover’s Coming — Telegrams — The Fan Fight — Panama Canal — The Longest Line — Musical Buff — Magic Hieroglyphics — The Auction Game — The Whistle — The Blind Brothers — The Poets’ Corner — Jack’s Going Strong — Name Divinations — Wizard Photography — The Missing Ring — Apples and Nuts — Amiable Dog
63. 63.CHAPTER LX PARLOR TRICKS AND PUZZLES — Tangrams — A Scissor Trick — Blowing through a Bottle — A Safe Bet — Do not touch the Coin — Quis Separabit? — Stick no Bills — A Mighty Voice — A Genuine Match — The Dying Fish — New-laid Eggs — A Will-power Test — The Magic Repeater — The Obliging Banana — The Smoker’s Fancy — The Mysterious Bands — Sold Again — Simple Subtraction — A Tricky String Puzzle — A Sure Eye — “ That is the Man ” — Needle-Threading Extraordinary — The Magician’s Bite — A Trick in the Sunshine — Light a Cigarette Without Matches — Another String Trick — Try This! — A Steady Hand
64. 64.CHAPTER LXI “HOW WOULD YOU——?” — Puzzles That Please — 1. The Traveling Checker — 2. Another Checker Puzzle — 3. Joining the Rings — 4. The Ten Rows — 5. The Cabalistic Sign — 6. The Dangerous Anarchists — 7. Catching the Donkey — 8. Like to Like — 9. The Broken Chain — 10. The Diamond Cross — 11. The Quarrelsome Railways — 12. Another Railway Problem — 13. The Miter — Solutions — 1. The Traveling Checker — 2. Another Checker Puzzle — 3. The Rings Joined — 4. The Ten Rows — 5. The Cabalistic Sign — 6. The Dangerous Anarchists — 7. Catching the Donkey — 8. Like to Like — 9. The Broken Chain — 10. The Diamond Cross — 11. The Quarrelsome Railways — 12. The Other Railway Problem — 13. The Miter
65. 65.CHAPTER LXII SOME OPTICAL ILLUSIONS — When Seeing Eyes are Blind — Hills that Don’t Rise — The Stars don’t Twinkle — The Dwarf, the Man, and the Giant — Color Illusions
66. 66.CHAPTER LXIII CIPHERS AND CRYPTOGRAMS — Successful Systems of Secret Writing — Russian Nihilist Code — The Sphinx
67. 67.CHAPTER LXIV SECRET SIGNS — Friend from Foe — “Shakes” and “Passes” — Pass-Words — The “Patteran”
68. 68.CHAPTER LXV GAMES AND AMUSEMENTS FOR THE BLIND — The Wonderful Sense of Touch — Cards — Checkers — Halma — Dominoes — Chess — Round Games
69. 69.INDEX
70. 70.Transcriber’s Notes

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