Whether sentimental greetings are in season or not this idea will be found of good use to almost any magician. It especially adapts itself to those places where a personalised message can be displayed to good advantage. As written here, please consider it as a closing effect to the act.

A newspaper is shown back and then front. With a few folds and tears a message is produced to signify good will towards all men, especially the club or society for whom the performer is working at the time.

Cecil Lyle first used the basic principle when he originated his now famous hat trick. That principle, however, has not, to date, been used in the other ways that lend themselves to it. My attempt to take advantage of the idea for producing, quite dexterously, greetings such as are pictured here.

The first move is to tear out the message from a length of newspaper. the letters may be made as tall as you desire. They must be constructed so that they dangle from a solid upper strip. Fold the letters into eighths crossways and up. Paste them into the upper left corner of a whole full-sized (double paged) newspaper. Use a small square strip of newspaper about the size of a postage stamp. This, in turn, is covered by a square of newspaper which completely covers the packet on all sides. Rubber cement is excellent for this type of pasting preparation.

Show the newspaper front and back. Fold it in half and then lengthwise in quarters. The load stays back-most. Tear off about one-third of the bottom, opening the bottom of the pocket. Insert the hand and rip open the right hand edge. Turn this centermost, leaving the actual load exposed back-most. Make a pretended tear along the right and left margins and a few other pretentious tears.

Lastly tear off the uppermost level through the attachment and thereby releasing the load in its entirety.

Fold up the paper (what’s left of it — for in your tearing you can get rid of quite a bit) and reverse the entire mass during the crumpling process. Unfold the front portion and the torn out letters make their appearance.

The audience generally likes the sentiment.