Chapter I: Front Matter

THREE VALUABLE BOOKS.

_Beautifully printed and elegantly bound._

The Art of Conversation,

With Directions for Self-Culture. An admirably conceived and entertaining book--sensible, instructive, and full of suggestions valuable to every one who desires to be either a good talker or listener, or who wishes to appear to advantage in good society. *** Price $1.50.

The Habits of Good Society.

A Handbook for Ladies and Gentlemen. With thoughts, hints, and anecdotes concerning social observances; nice points of taste and good manners; and the art of making oneself agreeable. The whole interspersed with humorous social predicaments; remarks on fashion, etc. *** Price $1.75.

The Art of Amusing.

A collection of graceful arts, merry games, and odd tricks, intended to amuse everybody, and enable all to amuse everybody else. Full of suggestions for private theatricals, tableaux, charades, and all sorts of parlor and family amusements. With nearly 150 illustrative pictures. *** Price $2.00.

_These three books are the most perfect of their kind ever
published. They are made up of no dry stupid rules that everybody
knows, but are fresh, sensible, good-humored, entertaining, and
readable. Every person of taste should possess them, and cannot be
otherwise than delighted with them. *** Each will be sent by mail,
free, on receipt of price, or the three books for $5.00._

Carleton, Publisher,

New York.

THE

ART OF AMUSING.

BEING A COLLECTION OF GRACEFUL ARTS, MERRY GAMES, ODD TRICKS,
CURIOUS PUZZLES, AND NEW CHARADES. TOGETHER WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR
PRIVATE THEATRICALS, TABLEAUX, AND ALL SORTS OF PARLOR AND FAMILY
AMUSEMENTS.

A VOLUME INTENDED TO AMUSE EVERYBODY AND ENABLE ALL TO AMUSE
EVERYBODY ELSE; THUS BRINGING ABOUT AS NEAR AN APPROXIMATION TO
THE MILLENNIUM AS CAN BE CONVENIENTLY ATTAINED IN THE COMPASS OF
ONE SMALL VOLUME.

BY FRANK BELLEW.

WITH NEARLY 150 ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.

NEW YORK:
_Carleton, Publisher, 413 Broadway._
_London: S. Low, Son & Co._
MDCCCLXVI.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by

GEO. W. CARLETON,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

To J. C. W.

To you, my little kinsman, I dedicate these pages,
Tho' not so wise, perhaps, as some you've read by graver sages;
They're not without a purpose, and I trust a kind and true one,
Older than eighteen hundred years, still good as any new one.

If they could cheer some winter nights, and make some days seem
brighter,
I'd feel I'd paid a groat or so,
Of that great debt of love I owe,
To one at rest who, long ago, dealt kindly by the writer.

F. B.

_CONTENTS._

_CHAPTER I.--Something censorious.--Declaration of
Independence.--Card puzzle.--The magic coin.--A
hoax.--The telescopic visitor.--Boy's head knocked off._ 7

_CHAPTER II.--Colored mesmerism._ 17

_CHAPTER III.--Lemon pig and root dragon.--Portrait of the
gorilla.--Creature comforts.--High shoulders.--Theatre
and theatrical performances.--Nose turned up and teeth
knocked out without pain.--The Long-nosed Night-howler,
or Vulgaris Pueris cum Papyrus Capitus.--Imitation banjo
on piano.--Some conjuring tricks.--The reduced gentleman,
or dwarf perforce._ 20

_CHAPTER IV.--The voice of the Night-howler.--The play
of Punch and Judy, with full directions for producing
the same.--Charade on rattan._ 38

_CHAPTER V.--Parlor arts and ornaments, comprising
apple-seed mice, turnip roses, beet dahlias, and
carrot marigolds.--Counting a billion.--The algebraic
paradox.--Answer to charade on rattan.--Riddles, etc._ 56

_CHAPTER VI.--A patent play._ 72

_CHAPTER VII.--Pragmatic and didactic discourse.--Aunty
Delluvian, her party.--The duck and double-barrelled
speech.--The dwarf.--Trick with four grains of
rice.--Riddles, etc._ 81

_CHAPTER VIII.--The dancing Highlander and Matadore._ 99

_CHAPTER IX.--Answer to trick with four grains of rice.--How
to make an old apple-woman out of your fist._ 105

_CHAPTER X.--About giants, and how to make them._ 110

_CHAPTER XI.--A merry Christmas.--The boomerang.--Optical
illusion.--How to turn a young man's head.--The tiger-dog,
how to make him.--The elephant, how to make him.--Two
queer characters.--Captain Dawk and Colonel Gurramuchy._ 113

_CHAPTER XII.--Hanky-panky, instruction in the art._ 134

_CHAPTER XIII.--A tranquil mood.--Transparencies of
paper.--The dancing pea.--Artificial teeth._ 138

_CHAPTER XIV.--Artemus Ward, parlor edition._ 157

_CHAPTER XV.--Bullywingle the Beloved. A drama for private
performance._ 164

_CHAPTER XVI.--A quiet evening.--Fruit animals.--Window
staining.--Oddities with pen and ink._ 189

_CHAPTER XVII.--A country Christmas.--The trick
trumpet.--Eatable candle.--How to cut off a
head.--Ventriloquism.--The jumping rabbit.--Santa
Claus arrives._ 199

_CHAPTER XVIII.--The bird-whistle, how to make it._ 219

_CHAPTER XIX.--A quiet party.--Electric nose.--Miniature
camera.--The hat trick.--The magician of Morocco._ 222

_CHAPTER XX.--Theatrical red and green fire, how to make
them.--How to get up a theatrical storm._ 232

_CHAPTER XXI.--Card-board puzzles, the cross, the horseshoe,
the arch._ 238

_CHAPTER XXII.--The muffin man.--Earth, air, fire, and
water.--The broken mirror._ 243

_CHAPTER XXIII.--At a watering-place.--A ladies' fair.--Three
sticks a penny.--Smoking a cigar under water.--Firing at a
target behind you.--Firing firewater.--A practical
joke.--Explosive spiders._ 254

_CHAPTER XXIV.--Arithmetical puzzles.--The wolf, the goat, and
the cabbage.--Alderman Gobble's six geese, etc., etc._ 264

_CHAPTER XXV.--Charades._ 271

_CHAPTER XXVI.--The art of transmuting everything into coral._ 274

_CHAPTER XXVII.--Acting charades._ 279

_CHAPTER XXVIII.--The worship of Bud._ 299

The Art of Amusing.

"_All work and no play,
Makes Jack a dull boy._"