PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11654, 10 February 1900, Page 8

PRINCESS THEATRE.

. XJU.JS UUOEGIA MAGNET. j An entertainment which was at once most! interesting and most laughable was ,provided i. by Miss Annie M. Abbott, the Georgia Magnet, } at the1 Princess Theatre last evening. In what- I ever force the secret of her power may lie, or j f to whatever device her ability to resist or over- « come at will vastly superior physical strength I then she naturally possesses may be due, only [ one opinion can be expressed with regard to v her entertainment—that it is exceedingly cTi- j verting and exce-'ingly puzzling. If the seem- • ing phenomena v":.eh it presents are the results ; of mere trickery, -then the performance is a remarkably clever one, for the trickery is so successfully employed as to defy detection; but if they are to be attributed to natural forces the performance in one of the highest scientific interest, because no exolauation of them has been offered that lias found general acceptance among scientists. It is not our place to suggest which of these views is the right one to adopt, nor is it. our place to offer an explanation of any of the feats which Miss,Abbott performed, though ill the case of at least some J of these possible explanations mny, and no j doubt will, have suggested themselves. It is sufficient for us to'indicate Eomo ot the features of the entertainment. It may, however, be suggested that a committee which included such men as Dr Bcnham, Messrs G. L. Dennjston, JJ'Arcy Haggitt, J. Hazlett, G. Calder, J. Hopkins, S. G. Smith', C. W. Harvey, W. Wood, J. C. Short, and E. C. Reynolds, who, with .others, were invited to take and occupied, seats on the stage, was unlikely to be deceived by a performance that consisted of trickery or to be incapable of exposing the deception, and it would be absurd, with such a committee, to suggest the possibility of collusion! The tests to which Miss Abbott submitted were various'. An ordir.ary:iooking chair, the looks of which belie it, for it is so extraordinary as to have accompanied Miss Abbott round the world, was grasped by one after another of the committee. The Mngnet, however, by holding the chair between her hands without' (as wo were informed, and as members of the committee agreed) exerting any pressure, simply tossed the chair about, and the person holding it was compelled to execute some ungainly capers in his attempt to retain it in his grasp. But when she in turn picked up a chair and placed her open hands on it, one on each side of it, members of the committee were unable to force it to the floor, even though some o.' them were three or. four.-times her size. Attempts to push a long stjck, tapering like a billiard cue, through her fingers to the floor were equally futile, and not only were, the individual efforts of the committee, to beat her in this feat unavailing, but when two of them, and then three, and finally four of them, attempted to accomplish what they had singly failed to do, Miss Abbott still triumphed over them. The lifting tests proved very interesting, and produced some ludicrous situations. One after another of the committee rose, and when, as no resistance was offered by her—or, as.Mr Abbey, her manager, declared there was no flesh contact,—had no. difficulty in lifting her high into the air; but the moment she resisted their efforts they were powerless to move her. One ot them strove to lift her. by swinging her round him, but had to give in. And this was the gentleman who had not a minute sooner lilted Miss Abbott up and carried her across the stage. A pair of committeeinen then attempted to raise her by the elbows, each taking an arm, and then four of them tried the same thing. They might as well have aimed at overturning the Burns statue. Reinforcements came to their help, until there were six, and even eight, of them, and then there'was nothing to be seen of the Georgia Magnet, so completely was she hemmed'in by them. They could, however, make no impression on her. But that was hardly surprising when Sandow, the champion strong man, also failed. A very amusing and very remarkable test was one in which Miss Abbott stood with her finger tips against the proscenium wall, two of the committee interposed their hands | between her fingers and the wall, and then 11 others—a full cricket team—formed up in Indian file behind her. At a signal these 11 all added their weight behind Miss Abbott, and as the pressure was applied from behind the line broke, and a. forrnat.ior. of the scrummage order was made, Miss Abbott remaining, however, immovable, while we were assured that even when the pressure was applied from behind her'there was no more weight to be felt by the hands that Miss Abbott's fingers touched i than there was before the feat was commenced. Herself a fixture when she applied her.mind to the resistance of the pressure, she gave ocular demonstration of her ability to lift a chair with a comrnitteemsm seated in it. Nor did she stop at one committeeman only. Five of them allowed themselves to be piled on a chair for | the purpose of this test, but the fifth one represented the last straw, and the whole mass, of which the aggregate weight must have been 75 stone, toppled ingloriously over. Therefore, six members of the committee, whose combined woifht must exceed the figure just stated, were crowded on to the chair, and Miss Abbott, without grasping it, succeeded in pushing it exhibition of what will perhaps have been regarded by some neople as hypnotic suggestion, several boys in the audience being called upon the stage, and, under Miss Abbott's influence, offering" a log-like unresponsiveness to the attempts o£ members of the committee to lift them by the elbows. Finally Miss Abbott, with one hand, lifted the stick around which several of the committee struggled for places in order, to force it down., while another was perched on top for the same purpose. It was all very interesting, and the incongruous spectacle of a slight woman defying successfully the attempts of stalwart men to lift her or to prevent her from lifting them provoked roars of laughter. There were signs at the beginning of the meeting that there were those among the audience who had gone to scoff. They remained to 'enjoy the entertainment and to cheer Miss Abbott. And the question with each one as the theatre emptied itself at the close of the entertainment was, How is it done . Each individual enn best form his own conclusion, or try to do so, by visiting the entertainment. Miss Abbott will appear again to-night, and on the first three nights of next week. On Monday night the whole proceeds will, by her generosity, bo handed to the Otago and Southland contingent fund. t GOOD HEALTH WITHOUT DRDGS. 4.—MOTHERS AND CHILDREN. Mothers who would keen their children in good health should give them morninpt and evening Dr Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa made with hot milk. Delicate men and women who have weak lungs, to be hale, robust, and healthy, should use Dr Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa morning and evening, and all men who have to be exposed to the bleak unenrtainty of our trying climate should fortify themselves before they free their daily toil-with Dr Tibbies' Yi-Cocoa and they can then brave the fury of the ele monts with equanimity. The writer speak* from personal experience and from observatiov of beneficial effects on-others'. Tea opens th< I pores and temporarily excites, coffee stimu Intel the action-of the heart, whilst Dr Tib bles' Vi-Cocoa 'gives' strength, stamina, pne builds up and strengthens the lung tissues It is indeed a wonderful food beverage. No tiling has ever been discovered that can r.p preach it in giving lightness of heart, joy o life, fleetness'of Toot, and that general feelini of comfort which only comes from a fid capacity to enjoy every pleasure, moral, in tellectual," rind physical. Dr Tibbies" Vi-Cocoa. (in B£d packets an, Is Id and 2s 2d tins) can be obtained from al Chemists, Grocers, and Stores, or from D Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa. (Limited), 269 George street. Sydney. Merit, and merit and alone, is what w claim for Dr Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa, and we ar prepared to send to any reader (a postcard wil do) who names Otago Daily Times a daint sample tin of Dr Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa.