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The Magical Mirrors


Make two holes in the wainscot of a room, each a foot high and ten

inches wide, and about a foot distant from each other. Let these

apertures be about the height of a man's head, and in each of them

place a transparent glass in a frame, like a common mirror.



Behind the partition, and directly facing each aperture, place two

mirrors enclosed in the wainscot, in an angle of forty-five

degrees.[B] These mirr
rs are each to be eighteen inches square: and

all the space between them must be enclosed with pasteboard painted

black, and well closed, that no light can enter; let there be also two

curtains to cover them, which you may draw aside at pleasure.



When a person looks into one of these fictitious mirrors, instead of

seeing his own face he will see the object that is in front of the

other; thus, if two persons stand at the same time before these

mirrors, instead of each seeing himself; they will reciprocally see

each other.



There should be a sconce with a lighted candle, placed on each side of

the two glasses in the wainscot, to enlighten the faces of the persons

who look in them, or the experiment will not have so remarkable an

effect.



[B] That is, half-way between a line drawn perpendicularly to

the ground and its surface.



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