This December 1929 Modern Mechanix article on paper folding fun must have really enlivened the early months of the Great Depression; I imagine average people sitting on upturned apple crates, doing this religion-tinted American origami with worthless stock-shares.
Among paper conjuring tricks, perhaps the most amusing is the “Passport” effect. Briefly, the thing is this: The performer takes an oblong piece of paper, about 4 inches by 8 inches, and folds it as shown by the dotted line in Diagram A of Illustration 1. He then folds it again, as shown by the dotted line in Diagram B, and again as shown by the dotted line in Diagram C.
The paper at this stage is shown in Diagram D. A final fold, creasing along the dotted line No. 1, and bringing the edge of the paper to the dotted line No. 2, will result in a piece of paper like the one pictured in Diagram E. This is then torn or cut down the dotted line as indicated. The result is an odd combination. The single upper layer of the tear, as indicated by the arrow, will, when opened up, form a perfect cross; while the remaining pieces can be assembled to form the word “Hell”!
Easy STUNTS with Paper (Dec, 1929)
(Thanks, Christian Nightmares!)