Ice-boating is the sport that appeals most strongly at the present season to those of us who live near a lake or a river and have even the slightest knowledge of sailing. It is a sport that many people discourage because of the danger supposed to be connected with it, but as a matter of fact it is less dangerous to sail and handle an ice-boat than it is to sail and handle a cat-boat. The only two things to be guarded against while running an ice-boat are sailing upon weak ice or near the edge of open water, and getting the runners caught in a crevice. In the one case you risk drowning, in the second you will very probably smash your machine and get mixed up in the wreckage yourself. But, compared with the chances for a ducking when sailing a cat-boat, the probabilities of a plunge from an ice-boat are very remote; and as for getting the runners into a crevice, only the most careless or incompetent helmsman need fear such a mishap.
The idea prevails among those unacquainted with the sport that, because ice-boats skim along so rapidly over the frozen river, it is therefore particularly dangerous. This, however, is an incorrect conclusion to draw, for ice-boats are so easily controlled that they can be brought to a stop almost instantly, and they answer their helms so rapidly that they can be most easily steered and turned out of danger. As in everything else of this nature, however, the sportsman, whether he be young or old, must use judgment and care in the handling of his machine, otherwise he is bound to come to grief. But such an individual would undoubtedly come to grief on a bicycle or on skates, or even in walking through the crowded streets of a busy city.
The construction of an ice-boat is the point I want to touch on here, rather than upon the improbability of suffering bodily harm from taking part in the sport. Of course it is always possible to buy an ice-boat, new or second-hand; but it is much cheaper and certainly more pleasing and profitable to build your own craft, and it is by no means a difficult task. The boat proper is a triangular wooden frame, partly covered at the apex or stern. This covering, or deck, is necessary for the accommodation of the crew. The frame is built to rest on three skatelike runners, two of which are at the front—at either end of the base-line of the triangle—and one at the stern, the latter being the rudder. This rudder is controlled by a tiller, similar to the tiller of a sail-boat, and it is with this that all the handling of the machine is done, for the sails are seldom touched after they have once been set.
Many rigs have been tried on ice-boats, but experience has shown that the simple balanced jib-and-mainsail rig is the best. As a rule the jib sheet is set on a traveller, so that no trimming down is required for going about. If it is possible to avoid it, an ice-boat should never be made to run before the wind, because the craft cannot be made to behave well under such conditions. There being no resistance to speak of, such as a cat-boat meets in the water, the ice-boat behaves badly when sailing free, runs up against the wind, and falls back continually. The best plan when sailing one of these machines off the wind is to take a zigzag course back and forth in the general direction of the wind, instead of running directly before it.
The best material for the construction of an ice-boat is oak, but good yellow pine will do for the frame if oak is found to be too expensive. The platform should be built of light pine, with a low railing around the edge. It is well to screw a few cleats and eye-bolts to this deck, to which it may be found convenient to fasten straps and ropes to hold on by when running fast or making turns. I give no proportions for construction, because it is best for amateur carpenters to adapt these to their resources. The general proportionate relation of the various parts of the machine can be easily seen from the diagrams.
The frame of an ice-boat is subject to severe strain, and ought, therefore, to be made as strong as possible. It should be put together with bolts and screws. Nails may be used for the platform, but screws are preferable. The mast should be of pine, and must be rigged with strong stays—of wire, if possible. The bowsprit in the same way. When it comes to the making of the rudder a blacksmith will have to be called in. The tiller and rudder-post will have to be forged of iron, as shown in the diagram, and should be carefully made, because much depends upon their strength and durability. The head of the rudder-post must be squared off, and the tiller fixed firmly upon it. The steering runner, or rudder proper, underneath, is secured to the iron rudder-post by a bolt, and it is advisable to slip a large iron washer over the post to give it a smooth bearing.
For the runner shoes I should recommend soft iron. This becomes very much heated, to be sure, when the boat is running, but the soft metal chills rapidly as soon as the machine comes to a stop. This alternate heating and chilling soon give the runner's edge a degree of hardness fully equal to that of steel. (Let me caution novices at ice-boating against touching their runners, for the metal becomes so heated that it can inflict painful burns.) The runners proper—that is, the wooden part before the metal shoe is put on—should be cut of stiff, heavy oak. They should be carefully bored, and attached to the frame with bolts. The blocks that hold the two forward runners should be firmly bolted to the forward plank of the frame—the one that forms the base of the triangle—and set so as to hold the runners firmly. The iron shoes are screwed to the runners. The metal must previously be drilled, and the screws which hold the shoes to the wood must be counter-sunk so that their heads may not touch the ice.
To steer an ice-boat well considerable practice is required. There is no perceptive "feel" to the helm as there is to that of a water craft. The tiller turns so easily that great care and patience are required to attain the proper "touch," but when this is once acquired it is delightful to feel the power of a finger-touch over so great an engine. The manner of stopping an ice-boat is similar to that of stopping a sail-boat, in that you round up into the wind; but an ice-boat rounds up much more quickly, and is held fast by jamming the helm hard down so that the rudder lies parallel to the fore cross-beam—the base of the triangle.
The majority of pictures of ice-boats that I have seen show the machines keeled over and speeding along over the ice on two runners, with a lot of terrified-looking passengers gripping beams and ropes. This is all very well for purposes of illustration, but it is not in exact conformity with fact. Ice-boats do sometimes "rear" as the pictures show us, but it is not because the steersman desires such conduct. Rearing is a thing to be prevented and not to be encouraged. Ice-boats have three runners, and they are intended to run on three runners, not on two. A good sailor will keep his boat down on all three runners all the time. If the wind is so strong as to lift the windward runner, send a man out on the end to hold it down with his weight. There is no danger in this position, and considerable sport.
The speed of an ice-boat is greater than that of anything but a locomotive, and under favorable conditions the boat can even distance the engine. A mile a minute has frequently been made by such boats on the Hudson River. I should not advise young ice-yachtsmen to attempt too great speed, however, until they have become thoroughly familiar with their craft; until they have learned every trick of the machine, and have secured such control over the tiller that they are masters of the ice-boat, and the ice-boat never master of them. Above all things, shun thin ice as you would the open sea, and keep a constant lookout for cracks and rough spots. Under such conditions you are beyond danger, and you have at your command one of the finest of sports, and one of the keenest of sensations—rapid travel.
The officers or the National Interscholastic Athletic Association, whose portraits appear this week, are all prominent workers in their respective organizations. Mr. McDavitt, in addition to being president of the National Association, is president of the New York I.S.A.A.; Mr. Pratt is president of the Long Island I.S.A.A.; Mr. Dunbar is president of the New England I.S.A.A.; and Mr. Michaelis is secretary of the Maine I.S.A.A.
The address of the secretary of the National I.S.A.A. is H. Nelson Dunbar, Esq., 552 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. All communications on matters connected with the association should be addressed to him.
Dr. White, of the Berkeley School, says that he feels sure "the head-masters of the preparatory schools throughout the country will look with anxiety upon the formation of a National Interscholastic Athletic Association," and he gives his reasons for this belief in a letter to a New York paper; but I believe a great many of his objections, if looked at from a slightly different point of view, can be turned to the favor of the new organization. Dr. White has, to a certain extent, condemned the weaknesses of the young association, instead of suggesting improvements and remedies. He begins, for instance, by saying that "the avidity for athletic competitions among boys has already been fostered too keenly," and he adds that "we already have so many contests of a competitive nature that the schools cannot without danger stand the pressure of still another and more engrossing series."
In advocating and encouraging the formation of a National Association, the main object of this Department was to secure the organization of a parent or controlling body that would bring order out of the present chaotic state of interscholastic contests. The holding of an annual field meeting was purely a secondary consideration, the principal desire in urging the formation of the association being to secure uniformity in the schedule of events contested at minor meets, establish a standard of record, and to fix a cast-iron definition of what constitutes an amateur with regard to athletic competition among schools. In favoring the holding of a field day this Department believed, and still believes, that the many smaller school meetings would be done away with, and that interscholastic sport would thus be rid of one of its worst features. Take New York city as an example. Almost every school in the local League holds a field day previous to the big meet in May controlled by the I.S.A.A. These little meetings could be done away with altogether. I am heartily in accord with Dr. White when he says that "the avidity for athletic competitions among boys has already been fostered too keenly."
That a National Association of schools can never be a representative one I think is not true. It is certainly not true if the object of the association is to be the promotion of pure sport, and the regulation of events that interscholastic associations in every part of the country shall compete in. And that, I hold, is the object of the association. I repeat that an annual field meeting is purely a secondary consideration. If it should be found convenient to hold one, the contest would be beneficial, and would doubtless be attended by representative athletes from widely separated localities; but such a contest would merely be a small evidence of the good work the association had done. It would also serve to establish a definite standard of record, which it is certainly advisable to have. But I cannot say too emphatically that in urging all these arguments I consider them as purely secondary to the main and fundamental objects of the association. When Dr. White says that the date fixed for the meeting (the last Saturday in June) would of necessity exclude a large percentage of the best athletes from the preparatory schools, I agree with him fully. This Department has already gone on record as being opposed to that date, and has suggested to the Executive Committee that an earlier time be chosen. This Department's objection, however, was not based upon the probable absence of a "large percentage of the best athletes," but on the ground that the date of the meeting would come at a time when senior school-boys must be giving all their time and attention to the college entrance examinations. Dr. White refers to this, too; and I don't think he would find any more evil in the holding of a national meet in May than in a league meet at about the same date.
Where this Department fully agrees with Dr. White is in his objection to the newspaper notoriety connected with a big meet, and to the evil results of too much politics in the executive work. The latter is by all means the worse of the two, but I have hoped it could be vastly diminished by having the work distributed at centres so widely separated from one another that the petty jealousies of local efforts would be entirely done away with. As for the newspapers, they are a condition and not a theory. It is the mode of the century to treat events by columns rather than by lines, and I doubt if in the end (the small meetings being eliminated) there would be more type set about interscholastic matters to describe one great occasion than to record a swarm of lesser events. It is well for the principals of schools to take an honest interest in this new movement, and if the preponderance of opinion is that the objects desired cannot be attained along these lines, there ought to be enough wisdom among the older heads to point out the better way.
A new track-athletic league has been formed by the larger boarding-schools of the Eastern States, and it is proposed now to hold an annual field meeting in the spring, alternately at New Haven and Princeton. The present members of the new association are Lawrenceville, The Hill School, Westminster, and Hotchkiss; and it is probable that Worcester and Andover will join at the next convention of the managers, which is to be held during the Easter recess. This league ought to prove a very strong one, for the schools in it are all prominent in track sports. If they should become members of the National Association, as they doubtless will, they would send one of the strongest teams of any association excepting New York and Boston.
Interest in the National I.S.A.A. seems to be general among these large schools. The Phillipian, of Andover, has an editorial on the subject, and urges the track athletes to go into training at once, closing with the statement that a strong team is necessary this year, for "it means not only competing in Boston, but also the chance of winning laurels for Andover in the All-America competition in New York." If these large schools, such as Andover, and Worcester, and Lawrenceville, and the most important Boston schools, determine that a national championship is something worth working for—as it certainly is—-they will give the New York athletes a hard tussle for supremacy, and the latter may as well realize at once that it is none too early for them to begin hard training.
Training for baseball has already begun in many quarters, especially at the large schools in the country. As soon as space permits, this Department will offer some suggestions for training and preparation which may prove of assistance to captains and players.
The Long Island League has already arranged its baseball schedule for this spring as follows:
| April 18—Brooklyn Latin School vs. St. Paul School. |
| April 22—High-School vs. Adelphi Academy. |
| April 25—Pratt Institute vs. Polytechnic Preparatory. |
| April 29—Brooklyn High-School vs. Brooklyn Latin School. |
| May 2—Pratt Institute vs. Brooklyn Latin School. |
| May 6—Brooklyn High-School vs. St. Paul. |
| May 6—Polytechnic Preparatory vs. Brooklyn Latin School. |
| May 9—Pratt Institute vs. Adelphi Academy. |
| May 16—Pratt Institute vs. Brooklyn High-School. |
| May 16—Adelphi Academy vs. Brooklyn Latin School. |
| May 16—Polytechnic Preparatory vs. St. Paul. |
| May 23—Polytechnic Preparatory vs. Brooklyn High-School. |
| May 23—Pratt Institute vs. St. Paul. |
| May 27—Adelphi Academy vs. Polytechnic Preparatory. |
| June 3—Adelphi Academy vs. St. Paul. |
It will be seen that their season begins early, this being necessitated by the number of teams in the League. I hope the schedule will be carried out completely, and that the unfortunate system of forfeiting games—usually through fear of defeat—will not be carried on this spring as it was last fall in football.
Dick Gorham.—Maroon is the college color of St. John's, Fordham.
The Graduate.
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It would be difficult, if not impossible, to gather more features of interest into a work of this kind. Not only are many of the best songs and hymns in the English language here given—both old and new—but there are also songs and hymns for children and the schools. There are songs of home and of country, of love and fame, of heart and soul, of devotion and praise, with their sad and sweet or lively melodies, and with grand old chorals that stir the heart and lift it in worship. Besides the words and music, explanatory and historic notes are given to indicate their origin and significance. These books cannot fail to become immensely popular.—Lutheran Observer.
Sold Everywhere. Price, 50 cents; Cloth, $1.00. Full contents of the Several Numbers, with Specimen Pages of favorite Songs and Hymns, sent by Harper & Brothers, New York, to any address.
This Department is conducted in the Interest of Bicyclers, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject. Our maps and tours contain much valuable data kindly supplied from the official maps and road-books of the League of American Wheelmen. Recognizing the value of the work being done by the L. A. W., the Editor will be pleased to furnish subscribers with membership blanks and information so far as possible.
To run from Baltimore on towards Washington it is necessary for the rider to retrace his "steps" over the journey of the day before from the Carrolton Hotel out through Druid Park to Arlington. Here a sharp turn is made to the left, and a run of two miles or more made southward on the road to Wetheredville. There are one or two climbs along this stretch of the road which will seem unusual to one who has come down from Philadelphia by the road we have been giving for the last few weeks. In fact, for the first ten or twelve miles of this stage of the journey the road runs through or across several valleys, winding about the sides of hills, and occasionally going over a hill. After passing Catonsville, however, and keeping sharp to the right, the run out to Ellicott City is very free from irregularity of ground, and from Ellicott City to Cooksville the road is straight, level, and moderately good. There is no difficulty in keeping to the correct road after you pass Ellicott City, as, in fact, you may easily see by reference to the accompanying map of the journey; but from the hotel in Baltimore to Ellicott City, or at least to Catonsville, there are several sharp turns and not a few opportunities for getting into the wrong road. There are two ways of avoiding this. One is to inquire as you go along, using the accompanying map, and only inquiring where a sharp turn on the map is hard to recognize along the way. Another plan is to secure a map of the environs of Baltimore at the hotel, and get yourself posted before leaving there as to the names of streets, particularly those which enter and leave Wetheredville.
In Baltimore itself the bicyclist should make it a point to see certain places of note, especially Johns Hopkins University, which, while it is in no way remarkable for buildings, is such a distinguished educational institution that no one should leave Baltimore, once having arrived there, without going over its buildings and seeing something of the methods of instruction and study there. There are many other points of interest in the city, and half a day can well be spent in going about seeing them. As the run to Cooksville is but thirty miles at most, a fair rider can easily make it in an afternoon, and can thus give a morning to the city.
It is our purpose, after the completion of this trip to Washington in the next number of the Round Table, to take up bicycle routes in the vicinity of Chicago. Many letters have been received complaining that routes in the Eastern parts of the United States were being given entirely, while the readers in the Western and Central parts of the United States had nothing to interest them. It is necessary for us to explain that in course of time bicycle trips will be given in the vicinity of the principal centres of the United States; and, meanwhile, by keeping the record of maps already published, which appears at the bottom of this column, any reader can find the number in which any map he may desire was published, and obtain it by sending to the Messrs. Harper & Brothers for it.
Note.—Map of New York city asphalted streets in No. 809. Map of route from New York to Tarrytown in No. 810. New York to Stamford, Connecticut, in No. 811. New York to Staten Island in No. 812. New Jersey from Hoboken to Pine Brook in No. 813. Brooklyn in No. 814. Brooklyn to Babylon in No. 815. Brooklyn to Northport in No. 816. Tarrytown to Poughkeepsie in No. 817. Poughkeepsie to Hudson in No. 818. Hudson to Albany in No. 819. Tottenville to Trenton in No. 820. Trenton to Philadelphia in No. 821. Philadelphia in No. 822. Philadelphia-Wissahickon Route in No. 823. Philadelphia to West Chester in No. 824. Philadelphia to Atlantic City—First Stage in No. 825; Second Stage in No. 826. Philadelphia to Vineland—First Stage in No. 827; Second Stage in No. 828. New York to Boston—Second Stage in No. 829; Third Stage in No. 830; Fourth Stage in No. 831; Fifth Stage in No. 832; Sixth Stage in No. 833. Boston to Concord in No. 834. Boston in No. 835. Boston to Gloucester in No. 836. Boston to Newburyport in No. 837. Boston to New Bedford in No. 838. Boston to South Framingham in No. 839. Boston to Nahant in No. 840. Boston to Lowell in No. 841. Boston to Nantasket Beach in No. 842. Boston Circuit Ride in No. 843. Philadelphia to Washington—First Stage in No. 844; Second Stage in No. 845; Third Stage in No. 846; Fourth Stage in No. 847.
This Department is conducted in the interest of Girls and Young Women, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor.
"I haven't a talent worth speaking of," said Louise, throwing herself down on the rug before the fire, and looking as mournful as a red-cheeked, dimpled young person with merry black eyes and a laughing mouth could possibly do.
"That is really a great pity, Louise," said I, tossing her a pillow to put under the pretty head. In certain moods, and at certain hours, particularly when it is near supper-time, in the delightful hour between daylight and dark, there is nothing more pleasant and more conducive to thought and to a quiet talk with a friend whom you love than just to lie on a fur rug in front of an open fire with a soft cushion under your head. Try it, and see if you do not like it, my dear.
"Where were you going when I met you yesterday morning, Louise?" I inquired, casually.
"With the little basket and the bundle?" she asked.
"Yes, my dear."
"Oh, then! I was carrying some jelly and a sponge-cake to old Mrs. Andrews, who is ill and has no appetite. Her daughter goes out sewing, and the children can manage to cook for themselves; but the dear grandmother is neglected, so I thought she might enjoy something from our table. The bundle was from mamma, but I helped pack it, and there were enough things in it, if you'll believe me, to make the poor lady happy for the season—a warm flannel petticoat, a little shawl for her shoulders, and a pair of bedroom slippers. I never felt so glad in my life as when I saw how little a thing can make some people happy."
"We missed you from the pew on Sunday, Louise," I added, after a little interval of silence and reflection. "Your father and mother looked lonely without you sitting in the corner as usual."
"Yes," said Louise, "I did not like to miss a service, and, of course, mamma said that Dr. —— never preached a lovelier sermon; but what could I do? Cousin Alice hasn't been to church a morning this winter. She does not like to leave the children with the nurse, who manages very well with the baby, but cannot amuse Harold and Sue. So I told her to go to church and be at ease, and I would entertain the little man and woman, and I did, and I had my hands full. I don't wonder that Cousin Alice looks tired out at the end of the day. Such fidgety, restless, uproarious, sweet little pickles as those tots of hers are I never saw! I'm going to help her with them at least once a month in the same way."
"I'm sure it's very considerate and kind in you to think of it," said I, "and Alice is fortunate in having such a thoughtful young cousin. By-the-way, who attends to the flowers in your house, dear? Your window-garden is my despair."
"I am looking after the flowers this winter," said Louise. "It occupies a good bit of my mornings to keep the ground loose around the roots, water them, spray the leaves, pick off dead ones, and turn the pots around to the sunshine. But it repays the trouble, for the plants grow and bloom as if they loved me, and we always have flowers to send to our friends. I'm head of the Committee on Flowers for the Christian Endeavor, too, and it's the most delightful work I ever did."
"Well, my darling," I said, "I'm rather of the opinion of your mother than of yourself about you. She told me the other day that 'Louise had practical talents, and was the dearest girl in the whole world.'"
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| HARPER'S MAGAZINE | per Year, | $4.00 |
| HARPER'S WEEKLY | " | 4.00 |
| HARPER'S BAZAR | " | 4.00 |
| HARPER'S ROUND TABLE | " | 2.00 |
Booksellers and Postmasters usually receive Subscriptions. Subscriptions sent direct to the publishers should be accompanied by Post-office Money Order or Draft. When no time is specified, Subscriptions will begin with the current Number.
The Table offered prizes for best stories written by members under eighteen. The first-prize story is to be illustrated. Do you want to try to illustrate it? If so, write at once for a proof of the story. With the proof we send suggestions about size. You select any incident in the story, make your drawing, and return same to us. For the best illustration we offer $10.
If you send for proof, and then find yourself unable to make a drawing satisfactory to yourself, you can then retire from the contest merely by failing to forward a drawing. That is, you incur no obligation to submit a drawing. There are already about ten who are to try their talents. There is room for more. We print prize drawing and prize story together, provided, of course, that we receive a creditable illustration. You would not expect us to print one that was not so, even if it were the best we received.
The Table offered to divide $50 in money among the ten members of the Order who sent that number of best answers to twenty-seven questions which were written into jingle descriptive of a Journey taken by the "three wise men of Gotham who went to sea in a bowl." There were some riddles in the story, as that at a certain hotel in France the party wasgiven a queer dish, described in a charade. But most of the questions were such as these: "'Find a writer's tool in a Danish port"—Co-pen(17)-hagen—and "convenient coin in a Russian mart"—Ar-change(13)-l. Here are all the answers:
1, La-brad-or and Winni-peg; 2, Ba-ham-a; 3, Au-gust-a; 4, Hi-malay-a; 5, Cam-peach-y; 6, La-dog-a; 7, C-hin-a; 8, Arti-choke; 9, Pen-saco-la; 10, Ar-chip-elago; 11, S-imp-lon and Little Saint Bernard (dog); 13, Mada-gas-car; 14, C-helm-sford; 15, K-hart-oum; 16, Draft, Draught, Draft; 18, Mis-sou-ri; 19, Ma-rat-hon; 20, Co-top-axi; 21, Cotop-ax-i; 22, Wis-Cass-et, Franklin-ville, Lincoln-ville, and Pitt-ston; 23, C-asp-ian; 24, As-par-a-gus; 25, Tar-sus and Man-Chester; 26, Villa-franc-a; and 27, Wig-ht.
Three solvers found all of the answers, and we send them, with our congratulations, $7 each. Their names are: Paul B. Pitkin, Ohio; and Frederic W. Darling and Joslyn Z. Smith, New York. Margaret Fendall James, New Jersey, erred in one question, but she gave a better answered six others of the best ten, and we send her $5. The following six failed on one question each—not always the same one—and we award them $4 each: Mary G. Smith, Minnesota; Arthur M. Anderson, New Jersey; William C. Thayer, Michigan; Edith Starr Churchman, New Jersey; Gertrude G. Wilcox, Massachusetts; and Louise McKinney, Florida.
Winners who live near New York are asked to wait a few days for their prizes, to give time for this number to reach distant competitors. It is most pleasant for all to see awards in the paper, and hardly fair if some know in advance, as they would do were we to send prizes in advance of the paper's publication.
One glorious September morning found us all awake bright and early, for at last, the day of our long-talked-of trip to Biltmore had arrived. Just as the sun rose from behind Glassy Mountain with merry good-byes we climbed into our coach, and rolled away down the avenue. The few miles from "Clovernook" to the queer little place called Buena Vista were soon covered, and we got a view of Asheville. But my eager eyes sought Biltmore. Miles away, up on the mountain-top, I caught a glimpse of gleaming white towers—the palace in the mountains.
We drove into the town of Biltmore, which, when finished, will seem like one of those cities built by the old kings for their amusement. On one side of the way costly buildings surrounded by asphalt walks and gardens; on the other side, manufacturing concerns. A turn in the road brought miles of the estate in view. Everywhere we looked hundreds of men were at work. Over the grassy hills roam the fine cattle, and here is the dairy farm, and there the nursery. At this point we came into the grand drive, which is only half completed. Trees of every variety border it.
Frowning down on us from a great height was what seemed to be a castle on the Rhine, vine-clad and impressive. By the winding road we reached the farther side of the palace; driving through a massive stone-vaulted hallway, on either side of which are the elegant stables, we passed out into a circular court. Across this and through another archway, and a palace of great architectural beauty rose before us. I was dazed at first, and can only remember a few things. The house seems to rise up around a semi-court paved in marble, in the centre of which is a fountain from Pompeii. The walls are carved in life-size statues. Dragons appear to hiss at us from above. Italian sculptors are at work everywhere. Even the ceilings are being carved in some rooms. My attention was called to a grand pavilion and terrace opposite the gardens, guarded by huge Assyrian monsters. Up marble steps and along another pavilion we could see the west side of the place. It reminded me of the Chateau of Chantilly, with its marble terrace and steps leading down to an arbor. Steps on the right lead to the greenhouses and gardens; to the left, beautiful little lakes.
The scenery from here is most beautiful. There are mountains for fifty miles around. At our feet the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers meet. No trees surround the palace. Mr. Vanderbilt expects to make this a winter house and wants the sunshine. I have built my "castles in the air," and just before we started homeward, as I stood there drinking in the beauty, I wondered if Mr. Vanderbilt dreamed in his boyhood days of such a place. We all dream, I suppose, but few can realize our dreams. At ten o'clock, we reached what now seemed plain "Clovernook." It looked so bright and homelike that we sang from our hearts—
"'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."
May Inman Maguire.
Hendersonville, N. C.
The example of "Billy" is producing results. Following him comes "Sancho Panza," who sends, by the hand of his mistress, 25 cents, and "hopes everybody is as much interested as I am." Sancho Panza is a Yankee dog, at least he lives in Connecticut. Not to be behind him, here comes word from Washington:
"Two of us, Dick (the canary) and Polly (the parrot), are great travellers, as we have been out to St. Louis, Mo., St. Paul, Minn., and a great many towns and cities on the Mississippi River; we have also been in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and are now living in the District of Columbia, but hope to travel a great deal more, as the father of our master and mistress is a naval officer, and naval officers, you know, travel a great deal. We three little Paradise fish, Tom, Dick, and Harry, are new members of the family, so we have not travelled as Dick and Polly have, but hope to some day. We each send you a dime, and our master and mistress send a quarter each, making $1 in all."
"Bruno Morgan," who is a greyhound and lives in New York, sends 50 cents. Antonio France, another Connecticut "Yankee," who says he has no tail, sends 10 cents and his mistress 10 more, and "Midget" a like sum all the way from Nebraska. But "Midget," is a pony who says:
"I have a great many friends who are not so well provided for. I see so many of them whipped and overworked and shouted at by cross, impatient drivers, who, I am sure, if they were brought up at Good Will Farm, where Bow-wow Billy says they have established a Band of Mercy, would never, I know, no matter how discouraged or ill-natured they might feel, vent their anger on us defenceless creatures. I want more boys brought up at this Good Will Farm, where they think of animals and treat them kindly."
Hatting is the leading occupation of the people of Danbury. This has been an occupation for at least a century, and now Danbury is probably the largest hatting town in the country. The factories, too, are extensive, and almost every manufacturer has a salesroom in every important city. All kinds of hats are manufactured—soft, stiff, and straw. We have fur factories, one of which has branches in Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, and other countries.
We have also silk manufactories, woollen-goods manufactories, and a machine-shop. Recently a Danburian invented a trolley that would be run by power passing through the tracks, thus doing away with overhanging wires. If this proves a success, Danbury will have a new industry, as all of the cars will be made here. We have, besides these manufactories, two stock-farms which have gained national notoriety. One, the Ridgewood, owns the famous horse Quartermaster, which has gained several Blue Ribbons at the National Horse Show in New York. Quartermarch is another horse of that farm which has gained several prizes, one of which was at the Grange Show, I think it is, of Orange, N. J. The other, Bekerle's, owns several famous horses. One was sold to the Emperor of Germany recently. May I write about a hat factory?
Robert Bulkeley, K.R.T.
Danbury.
Yes, and tell us just how hats are made, especially the felt of the stiff-crown ones.
Kingsman, Arizona, December 30, 1896.
Editor Harper's Round Table:
Dear Sir,—I wish to make a slight correction in my letter entitled "How Tortillas are Made." It should be yeast powder instead of yeast.
Very truly,
Florence E. Cowan.
Sir Knight W. D. Olmsted, 19 Orange Street, Worcester, Mass., asks to insert the following: "Will all who have sent stamps to addresses in the 'Want Corner,' and who have never heard from them again, please send me their address and a stamp or postal card for reply. Also send name of person to whom you sent the stamps, together with their address, value of stamps, and date of sending." First sergeants of companies A, B, etc., at West Point and in military companies rank alike. David Blondheim, 306 North Howard Street, Baltimore, Md., wants some correspondents. The charge made by the publishers for the cover of Harper's Round Table is fifty cents, post-paid. Any bookbinder can put it on. His charge is usually $1.
John G. Saxe, 171 West 132d Street, New York, wants to buy a copy of Harper's Young People for November 27, 1894. Write him. John H. Campbell, Jun., 413 School Lane, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa., is, with two others, to begin in February the publication of The Keystone Monthly. Its price will be twenty-five cents a year, and for a limited time sample copies will be sent free. Original stories, poems, jingles, and letters to the editor are wanted. No pay for such contributions is offered, the paper being an amateur one. A. B. G., Jun.: Get Mort d'Arthur, through any bookseller or at the library, for references in the study of King Arthur, his Knights, and Round Table.
Amateur Soldier: At present enlistments in the regular army of the United States are suspended, the service having its complement of men. But this is only a temporary condition. Enlistments will begin again soon. Boys between sixteen and eighteen years of age may, with the consent of their parents, enlist as musicians; eighteen to twenty-one, with consent of parents, as regulars; over twenty-one, without consent of parents. The lad of sixteen who begins as a musician stands just as good chance of promotion as the older person who enlists a little later. Indeed, in many instances, if he be bright and faithful, he stands a better chance. The pay is $13 per month, and the enlistment for three years; but one may purchase his discharge at the end of one year by paying $120. Fannie E. May, Lee, Mass., is most desirous of obtaining the address of Edith A. Putnam. Will the latter write her?