Although the particular cause and char¬acter of the sounds have never been satisfactorily explained, the state of expectancy with which the silent and probably awe-struck worshipers awaited the sunrise, and their sublime faith in the reality of the phenomenon, were distinctly favor¬able to the production of a ventriloquial illusion by an attendant priest.
Mention is made in the Acts of the Apostles (16 : 16), of a young1 woman with a familiar spirit meeting the Apostles in the city of Philippi in Macedonia. Such divination is also referred to by St. Chrysostom and other early Christian fathers; and in the East, where it has been practiced for upward of three thousand years, it is still not uncommon.

If there is any doubt as to the part ventrilo¬quism played in this divination by a familiar spirit, there can be none in the method employed by the Greeks, which was termed gastromancy. In this the voice of the “spirit ” made its oracular replies apparently from the priest’s belly, the diviner himself standing in the meanwhile with impassive countenance and immovable lips.
Coming down to modern times, we find that Louis Brabant, valet de chambre of Francis I, won for himself a rich and beautiful heiress by aid of his wonderful talent as a ventriloquist; and the works of M. L’Abbe La Chappelle, published in 1772, contain references to the astonishing ventriloquist achievements of Baron Menge at Vienna, and those of M. St. Gille, a grocer living near Paris.
Another famous ventriloquist performer, M. Alexandre, was also so great an adept at changing his coun¬tenance, that at one time he completely deceived a sculptor, before whom he sat five times in the borrowed character of a famous clergyman of Abbotsford, with whom the sculptor war well acquainted.

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Ventriloquism is almost as old as the world, or at least as old as intelligible spoken language, but just when and where in the dim and misty ages of the past it had its origin will forever re­main unknown. Unlike other arts it was not brought to perfection through the slow develop­ment and accretion of years. From its very nature it must have sprung into existence full grown, like Venus from the sea. Under various guises its practice may be traced by the student in those venerable chronicles which faintly echo the long-vanished life of antiquity.

Although proof positive is wanting of the fact, it is fair to assume that many of the occurrences involving the assistance of an apparently super­natural voice, by which many of the old supersti­tions were fostered among the early races, were feats of ventriloquism. Such marvels are inex­plicable, if they are not pure fiction, except as the work of deception through the aid of ventriloquism.

So common indeed at one time was this belief in a ” second voice,” or ” familiar spirit,” as it was often called, that it took the form of divination by which the supposed spirit was evoked and con­sulted as to the right course of conduct on impor­tant occasions; and this divination, which was practiced in a variety of ways among the differ­ent semi-barbaric races of the ancient world, can be traced through a long period of time.

From the book Ventriloquist Secrets Revealed – a book that experienced ventriloquists have kept to themselves – until now.

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This is a quick introduction to the wonderful skills of Paul Zerdin. He performed at The Royal Variety Perfomance Show in 2009. He has also performed for Her Majesty in 1997 and 2002.

The Royal Variety Performance is currently available above

Its not that long but heck! Thanks Guys, Over 500,000 Views!

Duration : 0:2:27

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