Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/342

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��Popular Science Monthly

��Let the Sausage Balloon Speak You on the Screen

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��SCENE: Palm Beach, Florida. Artemus is observed employing every known photo -play gesture to ex- press his infatuation for Viola Devvdrop. It's plain that he is desperately in love. You know he is talking, for you can see his lips move. Viola Dewdrop seems dramati- cally happy.

Do you want this beautiful, heart-gripping picture of hu- man interest suddenly cut off, and the usual, cold, dis- tracting, ex- planatory type matter flashed in its place? Certainly not! So here is a

The picture

���Upon the sausage-shaped balloons appear what these motion-picture actors are supposed to be saying

��suggested improvement, remains on the screen. Suddenly Artie's cheeks puff out and he blows squarely into Viola's face. If you have never before witnessed this type of photo-play you may think that Artie is trying to blow the powder from Viola's nose. That is not so. Somewhere in the cavity of one of his teeth, Artie has been concealing a rubber balloon. He has suddenly grasped the open end of the balloon between his lips and as he blows, the balloon is inflated until it assumes the form of an over-sized sausage. Upon this bal- loon appears in plain words, exactly what Artie is saying. Is this not a marvelous idea? The mystery is all cleared up now. Artie says "I adore you." Now it is Viola's turn to blow. On her

rubber sausage ap- pears the words "What will the neighbors say?"

��Meanwhile Artie's inflated balloon shrivels up. Another which was secreted in a cavity in his wisdom tooth takes its place. This one says, "We'll move to Barren Island where there are no neigh- bors," and so on.

In order to produce a photo-play of this type successfully, we believe it will be

necessary to employ players with plenty of teeth. Each tooth will have to be carefully hollowed out by an expert dentist to pro- vide for stor- age of the vari- ous visible s p e e c h-b a 1- loons. With a little practice and patience, the player will have no diffi- culty in locat- ing with his tongue the particular balloon required. Temperamental and impulsive artists, must be careful lest they blow too hard and burst their words.

Last September, Charles F. Pidgin proudly patented this inflatable speech- sausage. Congratulations, Charles!

��The Original Model for All Baby Carriages Comes from China

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���An anliqiif Chinese perambulator. A primi- tive canopy shields the baby from the sun

��LITTLE Chinese baby, who has been an ancestor now almost too long for even a Chinese memory to recollect him, may have been the first infant to be roUed out in a real perambulator.

The design for the queer little vehicle, shown in the illustration, dates back into such a dim past that Confucius himself is credited with its invention in a be- nignant moment. It's resemblance to a N oak's Ark also speaks for its exceedingly ancient origin.

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