I
THE WIZARD’S WAND
“Come, bring thy wand, whose magic power can wake the troubled spirits of the deep.”
Hemans—Address to Fancy.
From time immemorial the magic wand has been associated with some supernatural power. Perhaps the earliest historical suggestion of its miraculous virtues is the Biblical story of Moses’ wand which he cast on the ground, turning it into a serpent. Again we have the dividing of the Red Sea at a wave of his wand and the gushing of water from a rock on its being struck with the wand. Down through the ages the belief has persisted in the popular mind that the magician accomplishes his miracles by the aid of his wand. Was there ever a magician depicted in books, on canvas, or in the mind’s eye without a wand? Yet the modern performer too often passes up this invaluable aid toward building up the character he is supposed to portray. He may use it for an opening trick by causing it to vanish but, after reproducing it, he lays it aside. A most illogical procedure.
Apart from its suggestion of magical powers, the wand is of great practical use to the magician. It gives him something to do with his hands at awkward moments, it gives a logical reason for keeping the hand closed when some object has to be held secretly in it, and it is a powerful aid in misdirection. A mere tap with it on a table will draw all eyes to that spot, giving the operator an opportunity of making some necessary motion with his other hand imperceptibly. The habitual use of the wand cannot he too strongly recommended to the student.
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