Merlins

Parlor magic, unlike most other divisions of skill and science, is far from dominated by professionals. Unknown to the public are numberless amateurs. They play a game of baffle among themselves. Some 500 members, amateur and professional, of the Society of American Magicians (total membership about 1,650), held their annual convention last week in Manhattan and brotherly baffling was the order of the hour. The magicians dined and danced. Then, in secret session, they baffled each other and exchanged secrets about new or improved apparatus, magicianly "patter" (conversation) and humor, the art of distracting the attention of the tricked from the trickery.

Magicians scrupulously conceal their secrets from laymen. If they are able, they sometimes conceal them from each other. Priority rights to tricks which are common knowledge are established by various rules of registration with the Society.

Past-president of the Society is Howard Thurston of Beechurst, L. I., famed professional, near-peer of the late great Harry Houdini. He was succeeded last week by Hardeen, brother of Houdini. Other prominent national members include the following amateurs: Artist Harlan Tarbell of Chicago, Patent Attorney J. C. Wobensmith of Philadelphia, Royal C. Vilas of Bridgeport, Conn. The New York chapter is headed by Lawyer Bernard M. L. Ernst. Its officers include Leo Rullman, acting Deputy Collector of the Port of New York, and Dentist Lionel Hartley.

Many an amateur in the New York district conducted private displays for the benefit of the convention delegates last week. Notable among these was Dr. Samuel Cox Hooker of Brooklyn who first produced his Impossibilities and Miltiades III in 1918. At that time he astonished and mystified some of the world's leading magicians. Not until this spring did Dr. Hooker give another demonstration. Eleven years had passed for discussion and theorizing, yet the brotherhood of magicians still found Brother Hooker's thaumaturgy inexplicable.

Ill, Dr. Hooker entrusted last week's performance and his secrets to John Mullholland of Manhattan, brilliant sleight-of-handman, lecturer, student of world-wide magical history. Magician Mullholland was invisibly assisted by Dr. Shirley L. Quimby, apparatus expert, professor of physics at Columbia University. Dr. Hooker's guests were led from his dark panelled home through a small grassy courtyard, into a private chemical laboratory. On the second floor was a tiny impromptu "theatre" which seated about 20 people. The walls were lined with books, many of them on magic.

The apparatus for the Hooker Impossibilities tricks consists of a small metal and glass frame, snugly holding a pack of cards, standing on a tabaret. Any card named by any member of the audience rose from the pack. A glass globe was put over the frame, a deck of cards was provided by a member of the audience, the frame was raised above the tabaret on a book supported by small glass pedestals, the frame was set swinging through the air suspended by two cards--none of these successive changes interfered; the named cards continued to rise. The up-and-down motion of the cards obeyed the indication of the outstretched hand of any member of the audience. Cards rose high above the frame, stood motionless in midair, descended into the frame again. As a finale the entire deck swooped out of the globe-covered frame.

Miltiades III is a teddy bear's head. The eyes roll, the head turns, the head rises in midair. When a member of the audience took a number of cards at random from a deck presented by Magician Mullholland, the jaws of Miltiades III clicked the number of cards before the recipient had counted them himself.

As these two processes were revealed with successive variations, all theories broke down. The end was mystery. An English delegate, entrusted with reporting the Hooker mysteries, said he would not be believed. A U. S. adept told how he had paced the streets, unable to sleep, tortured with speculation. Dr. Hooker will presumably leave his secret to the younger men who already share it, with instructions that they keep it amateur magic, bequeath it in time to other successors. Perhaps the Hooker secret will thus be kept for centuries.

Samuel Cox Hooker is 65. He was born in Brenchley, England, studied chemistry at the Royal College of Science in London and the University of Munich. In 1885 he came to the U. S. Two years later he married Mary Elizabeth Owens of Cincinnati, by whom he has two daughters, two sons. For 30 years sugar refining was his interest. He was director of the American and Spreckels Sugar Refining Companies, of Great Western Sugar Co. In 1916 he retired to devote his time to chemical research. Magic is his chief hobby. He has been a modern Merlin since the age of 12. At table, if he wishes, he can keep plates spinning furiously--an old Chinese pastime.