Harry Houdini

The great day of the Fire-eater – or, should I say, the day of the great Fire-eater – has passed.

My professional life has been a constant record of disillusion, and many things that seem wonderful to most men are the every-day commonplaces of my business.

How the early priests came into possession of these secrets does not appear, and if there were ever any records of this kind the Church would hardly allow them to become public.

Another method of eating burning coals employs small balls of burned cotton in a dish of burning alcohol.

Flames from the lips may be produced by holding in the mouth a sponge saturated with the purest gasoline.

The eating of burning brimstone is an entirely fake performance.

I think that in a year I may retire. I cannot take my money with me when I die and I wish to enjoy it, with my family, while I live. I should prefer living in Germany to any other country, though I am an American, and am loyal to my country.

Only one man ever betrayed my confidence, and that only in a minor matter.

In all feats of fire-eating it should be noted that the head is thrown well back, so that the flame may pass out of the open mouth instead of up into the roof, as it would if the head were held naturally.

It is still an open question, however, as to what extent exposure really injures a performer.

I make the most money, I think, in Russia and Paris, for the people of those countries are so willing to be amused, so eager to see something new and out of the ordinary.

To cause the face to appear in a mass of flame make use of the following: mix together thoroughly petroleum, lard, mutton tallow and quick lime. Distill this over a charcoal fire, and the liquid which results can be burned on the face without harm.

But then, so far as I know, I am the only performer who ever pledged his assistants to secrecy, honor and allegiance under a notarial oath.

Fire has always been and, seemingly, will always remain, the most terrible of the elements.

Eating coals of fire has always been one of the sensational feats of the Fire Kings, as it is quite generally known that charcoal burns with an extremely intense heat.

No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth.

But it must not be thought that I say this out of personal experience: for in the many years that I have been before the public my secret methods have been steadily shielded by the strict integrity of my assistants, most of whom have been with me for years.