If the Honorable Society of Stage Ghosts were to choose a motto, they would find few more suitable than the old adage, that “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” As the following remarks will serve to show, their very existence depends upon a sheet of glass, and if this be cracked or broken, farewell to the apparition and all its attendant mystery.

If you look out of the window of a lighted room upon a dark night, you will notice that the pane, instead of being transparent, acts as a mirror and reflects the room behind you. It is on this principle, applied to a stage, that the greater number of ghost effects are produced. Owing to the fact that apparitions are usually seen at night, a good excuse is found for having the stage darkened, whilst the gloom serves to conceal several things highly undesirable the audience should observe.

The ghost effect, as seen by the spectators, is somewhat of the following description. Any person from the audience is requested to come upon the stage and seat himself in a chair already provided. He has scarcely taken his seat when a white figure approaches him, passes in front, in doing so showing that it is transparent. Kneeling by his side, it lays a hand—a ghostly white hand—upon his arm, and appears to plead with him in a most touching manner. But the gentleman from the audience is implacable; he takes no notice whatever of his ghostly supplicant, appearing utterly unconscious of its presence.

Suddenly the object of the ghost’s entreaties becomes clear. Fumbling amongst its white robes it produces a ghostly cigar, again begs our friend with most urgent entreaties for a match, and finally, disgusted at his callous indifference, shakes a sepulchral fist at him, throws aside the cumbersome white shrouds, and appears to the spectators as a very well-dressed young man in immaculate attire. He is still a ghost, however, and calmly walks right through the gentleman from the audience, lights his ghostly cigar with an equally ghostly match, pats his friend condescendingly upon the head, and vanishes.

Unseeing and Disbelieving

“Ghost? What ghost? I saw no ghost, but I got very tired sitting up there all that time without anything happening.” So says the gentleman from the audience when he returns to his seat, and it is not until he has seen it all happen to some one else that he will believe anything really did occur.

He is probably provoked when he finds that the next apparition takes the form of a fascinating young lady who vainly endeavors to make the young man who has taken his place kiss her. Indeed, such indifference is astounding, and all her pretty wiles and enticements are as wasted upon him as though he did not see her. As a matter of fact he does not know what pleasant temptations surround him.

In Fig. 1 the stage is shown in section, and the phenomenon is explained. C, G is the stage, upon which is a chair, H, occupied by the gentleman from the audience, I. A sheet of plate glass, A, B, rises from the floor of the stage to the flies, and extends from one wing to the other. This sheet of glass is tilted forward at an angle to be determined by circumstances. Between the footlights, D, and the end of the stage, C, is a space or well, to be occupied by the original of the ghost, K.

When the curtain is raised, the glass, A, B, is quite invisible to the spectators owing to its transparency, and the extinguishing of the footlights at D renders the whole of the stage more or less dark. The space, D, G, is also invisible to the spectators, to whom the stage appears to present nothing more exceptional than an ordinary chair.

Mr. I, as he may be called, is brought up from the auditorium, round by the wings and taken to his chair, whence, looking into the theater before him, he sees nothing of the plate of glass intervening.

Being already dressed in the conventional garb of a ghost, the actor, K, places himself in the space between D and C, whereupon strong lights on the walls, D, E, and C, F, are switched on, throwing their glare upon the actor.

Owing to the principle of reflection mentioned above, the glass, A, B, having a fairly dark background, becomes a mirror upon which is cast the reflection of the actor K. Of course, Mr. I in his chair is visible the whole time, but the spectators see in addition to him the reflection of K, which naturally appears transparent, and moves about the stage exactly as K moves in the space D, C.

The position of the chair, H, is already known to K, who is accordingly able to kneel in his space in such a position that his reflection appears kneeling to I, to go through the rest of the performance with perfect ease, and to leave our friend I perfectly ignorant of what has occurred. Returning for a moment to the example of a pane of glass in a lighted room, it must be remembered that the spectators are in the position of the persons within the room and see a reflection of what is their own side of the glass, whilst I is like a person outdoors who looks into the room unhindered. To him the stage and the audience remain the same throughout the whole performance.

A Paris Illusion

An interesting variation of this scene is produced in Paris at an old cafÉ, known as the “Cabaret du NÉant,” in the Montmartre quarter. The whole interior of this restaurant is fitted up to appear as funereal as possible. Guests are served with refreshments upon coffins by waiters dressed as mourners, whilst the walls are covered with notices and advertisements of a similarly doleful character.

Upon payment of a small fee the guests are taken into a cellar, completely dark except for a small glimmer at the farther end. Having seated themselves they observe this light slowly increase until it is sufficient to disclose an open coffin standing upright.

Some person from the audience is then requested to accompany one of the attendants upon the stage, where he is asked to stand upright in the coffin. His friends and the remainder of the spectators are then informed in sepulchral tones that they are about to witness a change which it will some day be the lot of every one to undergo, being at the same time reassured that the subject of the experiment will suffer no harm from what is taking place.

A white cloth, stretching from the chin to the heels, is then tucked round the figure in the coffin, and after a few moments the living face gradually fades away and a skull is seen in its place, whilst a skeleton now fills the coffin (Fig. 2). This in its turn fades away, giving place once more to the original living occupant, who soon descends from the stage and expresses himself much surprised at what his friends describe, as he himself has seen nothing of the ghastly change.

As in the former experiment, a large sheet of plate-glass is interposed between the audience and the rear of the stage where stands the coffin. This plate of glass is placed diagonally, as can be seen in the plan, Fig. 3. The coffin, C, is lighted by several electric lamps when the man takes his place in full view of the audience. At D is another coffin in the wings, invisible to the man at C, as also to the spectators. When the white cloth has been wrapped around the living person, the lights are slowly switched off at C and on at D, with the result that the skeleton in the latter coffin is reflected in the glass, A, B, in such a manner that it appears to be actually within the coffin, C. To bring the man back to life the operation is reversed.

The object of wrapping the white cloth about the living person is simply to hide any difference in size between him and the skeleton in D. Both coffins have, of course, been properly arranged to suit the reflections before the commencement of the experiment.

The Sea Nymph

The Sea Nymph, shown in Fig. 4, is really a beautiful illusion. The scenery represents a rolling sea beneath an azure sky, flecked here and there with skimming clouds. Suddenly from out the waves a graceful form is seen to appear, and, rising steadily, gambol in the billows. Circling in the air, she plunges down into the waves, only to reappear once more, and repeat her charming sport.

The sheet of glass is arranged for this performance as in the case of the ghost, Fig. 1. The scenery, A, B, Fig. 5, is painted as described, to represent the sea, and at L and M are placed additional waves, close to the footlights. The glass, H, K, descends diagonally. D, E is a large circular disc revolving upon an axle, F, which is connected by a rope or wire to a barrel and handle, G. At C and M strong lights are thrown upon this disc.

The young lady who performs the part of the nymph is suitably attired, and takes her place, lying upon the disc, D, E. At the proper time the lights are thrown upon the disc, with the result that the spectators see her reflection in the glass, H, K, as though she were really standing upright amongst the scenery on A, B. By turning the handle at G, the disc is made to revolve, carrying with it the recumbent nymph, who now appears to be turning elegant somersaults amongst the waves.

The only difficulty about presenting any of these effects at home is the inconvenience of obtaining and handling so large a sheet of plate glass as is necessary. A good ghost effect can be easily produced, however, in a room with a large French window.

The window must be fastened open at an angle that will have to be ascertained by experiment. The room should then be thrown into complete darkness. The ghost takes his place outside the window and against the wall, D, F (Fig. 6), with two lamps, B, so arranged as to cast their light upon him. These lamps should be shaded in such a way that they cast no glare except upon the figure of the ghost.

What happens is very plain. The open window, G, C, reflects the shrouded figure of the ghost at A, making it appear to stand in the doorway, pointing ominously at some startled person sitting in the dark room. It may be added that it is but fair to inform the spectators of what is about to take place, as many people are alarmed at apparitions, and have nerves too weak to stand the sudden appearance of a ghost.