Quick movement of spring and rubber combined, throws farther than any sling ever made. Short rubber don't break. Sent for 10c.
The latest invention in Cameras. You look through the lens and your stout friends will look like living skeletons, your thin friends like Dime Museum fat men, horses like giraffes, and in fact everything appears as though you were living in another world. Each camera contains two strong lenses in neatly finished leather case. The latest mirth-maker on the market; creates bushels of sport. Catalogue of 1,000 novelties and sample camera 10c., 8 for 25c., mailed postpaid. Agents wanted.
A NEAT BOX, containing 12 mineral specimens from Millard County, Utah, including genuine gold and silver ore, copper, onyx, etc., postpaid to any address for 25 cts. J. A. Robinson, Clear Lake, Utah.
Comic return envelopes, Sleight of hand exposed. List of 500 gifts. Album of cards. Send 2c. stamp for postage. Address Banner Card Co., Cadiz, Ohio.
Copiously Illustrated. Square 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $3.00 per volume.
| IN THE LEVANT. |
| IN SOUTHERN EUROPE. |
| IN CENTRAL EUROPE. |
| IN NORTHERN EUROPE. |
| IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. |
| IN MEXICO. |
| IN AUSTRALASIA. |
| ON THE CONGO. |
| IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. |
| IN SOUTH AMERICA. |
| IN CENTRAL AFRICA. |
| IN EGYPT AND PALESTINE. |
| IN CEYLON AND INDIA. |
| IN SIAM AND JAVA. |
| IN JAPAN AND CHINA. |
OTHER BOOKS BY COLONEL KNOX:
2 vols. Copiously Illustrated. Square 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $2.50 each.
| THE YOUNG NIMRODS IN NORTH AMERICA. |
| THE YOUNG NIMRODS AROUND THE WORLD. |
A few years ago, noticing that members of the Order were remiss in not a few important qualifications of good letter-writers, we gave them some helpful hints on the subject. The effect, owing to either the excellence of the hints or the aptness of the members, or both, was immediately apparent, and so marked was the improvement that we could, almost at a glance, pick out from our correspondence the letters written by old and those written by new members of the Order.
But a new assemblage has now come about the Table whose letters are not as correct as they should be. Especially is this true of the Knights, who, with a few exceptions, do not conduct their correspondence in as ideal a manner as do the Ladies.
First, good handwriting. Do not think it out of fashion. All cannot afford a typewriter. Besides, writing-machines are not essential to good correspondence. What is vastly more essential is a plain hand. There is no excuse for bad writing. All can write well. The only reason some write ill is because they themselves think their poor writing good enough. Are you in such company? Some say to us, "Excuse blots." There is no excuse for them. Others say, "Pardon my mistakes." You should not make mistakes that a pardon will cover. All pardon errors that the writer did not know he made; you ask pardon for errors you know to exist but are too shiftless to correct.
You not infrequently write your name on the very bottom of the paper. How can we tell what it is? And you wonder why you receive no reply. One member, in four successive letters, signed his name thus: "John B. Smith," "John Bertram Smith," "John Smith," and "Bertram Smith." How do you expect your correspondents to keep track of you under such a kaleidoscope as that? Always use one signature, and only one. Again, a letter comes from "J. B. Smith." The handwriting is characterless, and may belong to boy, girl, man, or woman. Your correspondent begins his reply, "Dear ——" What? Are you "Mr.," "Miss," or "Madam"? Spell out a first name—a given name, because given you at baptism.
Three years ago the Table received a letter from a young friend resident in Brousse, Turkey in Asia, a city on the opposite side of the Marmora Sea from Constantinople. It was written in a funny jumble of English, German, and perhaps a few French and Turkish words thrown in, and enclosed a small handful of Turkish stamps. We replied to it, sending some Columbian stamps, and asking the writer to tell us about his home, his school, the fruits, etc. That our letter was understood we are not sure, but after three years we received a second letter, the contents of which, in so far as we are able to read them, follow. In accordance with the writer's injunction we omit his name, although he gives it to us. This secrecy vividly reveals a condition of life quite difficult for Americans to appreciate.
Brousse, 7 Janvir, 1896.
Sirs:—I have recive your lettre at 1892, with the timbers. I have recive timbres Americain, and thank you of them. You ask me somme knews of Turc. You have herd of cors that since 1893 the Turc Sultan cach many Armenians in Constantinople and kille them, and gave them very much trobles. At las' the Sultan tho't he kille alles the Armenians in Turkai. So he atak furst in Sassoun alle blerc vois, with alle kinds of badnes. Sins that time we alle hat tho't he woldn't do any more so, but this year he maik just his mind to kille alle piples.
We have in Armeni very much villeges, and much wicked soldat of Turc. The soldat herd the Sultan said alle Armens to be kille, so they kille young mens first, then children, then old piples, take alle money and maik much trobles. So many villeges burnt I don't know nemes—Harpoot, Kayseri, Abbikir, Sevaz, Trabson, and most richest citys Armen. The Turc Sultan so pleased at alle many deths, he maik new pachas of Turcs who do killing.
Somme time, soldat do not kille quick, but take Armeni to moske and say, "Pray to Mehmet," and alle time keck poor Armeni so they not tell whether prayin' or not. Then they cut nos off, and this winter blood of many Armeni was on the snow. I here my friends say sixty thousand Armeni ded.
Now that we are alle our hards broken, we have a good many (multitude) orphens, who comme to Constantinople by our Patriarch Armeni. We are oblige to feed and dress them, which a great burden on us alle is. And we must dress alle in secret from Turc, bicos he dus not wich it. The winter is very cold, and in one haus is fifty piples, alle, I am told, without dresses. We in Constantinople alle sending dresses and money to Armeni Beyble Hausse. The piples there are much kind, and we love them bicos they help our piples.
In my furst lettre I am very sorry to give you bad news, but we hope Jisus will saife us, when I shall right you good news. If you will rite the repons of my lettre, plese don't right it to Brousse, and don't send it to Turkisch post, bicos if the Turcs see my naim right by Inglich rightinks, they open the lettre, find me and put me in prisen. Send repons, plese, to Inglich post restant, or to Beyble Hausse, or direct to Mrs. T. A. Baldwin, Brousse. I think that I have much mistaiks made. Have I? Then exqus them. My love to alle yung piples.
P. S.—You must not right at alle my name in the lettre. Again I say, exqus me. I have right so (en desordre). Recive mes sinsere salutation.
Upon inquiry, I have found the answer to the question, "Why does a star twinkle while a planet shines clear and steady?" to be as follows:
A planet is an appreciable disk, generally of considerable magnitude; it is owing to the large size of the body that we behold its reflected light clear and steady. A star, on the other hand, no matter how large it may appear, is nothing more than a self-luminous point—a point, you understand; therefore, any object floating in the air between it and the earth will intercept its light for an instant, and thereby cause a "twinkle." Again, on its way to us the light of a star passes through media of varying densities; it is refracted—bent out of its course—and turned aside for an instant from our eyes. This occurring many, many times per minute makes the star appear to twinkle to an observer on the earth. There are many other ways of explaining the phenomenon, the majority of which, however, are hypothetical and involved. One of the more commonly accepted theories is that storms occurring in the atmosphere of the star cause its photosphere, or luminous envelope, to transmit to us light of varying intensity.
Our knowledge concerning the stars, as a professor of chemistry in our college recently informed his class, has resulted in the following revision of the old nursery rhyme:
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
I know exactly what you are,
For with my spectroscopic ken
I know you're naught but hydrogen;
Twinkling there so very bright,
In the distant realms of light."
Simon Theodore Stern.
New York City.
Shuffleboard is an admirable game. It calls forth much skill, and were it not for the bad uses to which it is often put would be more generally enjoyed. The regulation shuffleboard occupies considerable space, but if you would enjoy a miniature game, dubbed Kinkajou, your board is to be found on the well-polished surface of the dining table, which, by-the-way, must be rectangular. Fourteen inches from each end draw a light line with chalk. Your "weights" are half-dollars, three for each player. Two or four may play. The prime object of the game is to so slide the pieces that (1) they will touch the chalk-line—scoring 5, or (2) reach the space within the line and the end of the table—scoring 10, or (3) overlap the end of the table or the sides within the line—scoring 25.
Two players, A and B, are at either end of the table, say. They play in turn, each sliding his pieces to his opponent's end. If A slides his first piece so that it all but reaches the line, he will try to strike the first piece with his second, and "shove" it to one of the three positions, if possible, placing the second piece also in one of them. With his third piece he may choose to try the slim chance of shoving to score 25.
With two at the table there is no opportunity for playing on one's opponent; but where four are playing there is a field for really scientific plays. Supposing A, B, C, and D are at the table, and that A and B, C and D are partners. A and C occupy one end, B and D the other. A's and B's pieces are turned "heads," C's and D's "tails," by way of distinction. A begins the game by sliding her pieces. For example, she has succeeded in placing two within and one without the line. C, who is A's antagonist, tries first to displace the latter's right-hand piece within the line, and succeeds in sending it off the table, his own piece remaining on the 10 space. C's second piece is aimed for A's outside one, with the intention of sending it also clear of the table. This is done, and C's piece remains on the line. C, for his last slide, sends his piece toward A's left-hand piece within the line, but ingloriously misses it, while his own piece falls off the table. The score of the first "slide" is now taken, resulting in 15 for C's and 10 for A's side. B and D now slide their pieces, and at the end of the tenth slide the scores are compared.
A still more elaborate game of partners may be played where the four are seated together at one end of the table. In this game a score-keeper must seat himself at the opposite end to catch the pieces and to point out by whom each is played. Partners do not sit together. The plays are made in turn, beginning at the left hand. Thus, if the order were A, C, B, D, C would have A's pieces to play on, B would have C's, with an eye to his partner's (A's) pieces, while D would have A's and B's, with D's to care for. At the end of D's play the score of each side is carefully taken.
The writer has whiled away many a half-hour with this little game, which combines in a small way billiards and "curling," and he hopes that though not a "Round" Table game, it, nevertheless, will be enjoyed by many a Lancelot or Elaine.
Vincent V. M. Beede, R.T.F.
We hope you solved many of the riddles propounded by the Antiquary and his visitor, but if you did not you must not despair, for they were difficult ones. Here are answers to them:
1, 1779; 2, A spirit supposed to appear at the death of a member of the Prussian family of the Hohenzollerns; 3, Boston, Mass.; 4, Gibbon; 5, Cane; 6, Haydn; 7, Spar; 8, Dr. Simpson, of Edinburgh; 9, Boneset.
10, January, derived from janua, "a gate"; 11, Gneiss (nice); 12, Scarabæus; 13, A meteoric stone; 14, The British Museum; 15, Ishmonie, in Upper Egypt; 16, Palmyra; 17, An old satirical name for London; 18, The Bank of England; 19, From Morglay, "sword of death," the famous sword of Sir Bevis of Southampton; 20, Oliver Cromwell.
21, An edition of the Bible published at Oxford, in 1717, in which the title of the Twentieth Chapter of Luke was given as "The Parable of the Vinegar"; 22, Charles I, of England; 23, Democritus of Abdera; 24, Heraclitus; 25, Ruby (rue-bee); 26, Moonstone; 27, Daly, the manager of a Dublin theatre, wagered that a word of no meaning should be the talk and puzzle of the city within twenty-four hours. The word QUIZ was chalked and pasted on the walls of Dublin, and the desired effect was produced; 28, Coal; 29, Thoth; 30, The cryptogram is solved by allowing the first half of the alphabet to equal the second half, in order—that is, let A-N, B-O, C-P, etc. The verse will read:
Within this narrow portal dim,
In jewelled casket brought from far,
Has lain for thirteen centuries
King Arthur's sword Escalibar.
Please tell me where to find The Little Red Hen—the old-story with the song "I'm glad I'm not a duck."
Jessy Flanigen.
Woodbury, N. J.
This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor Stamp Department.
The millionaire collector usually devotes his time and money to "plating" New South Wales, Tasmania, Nevis, and other stamps which were engraved separately by hand, with the result that each stamp on the sheet is different. The ordinary collector cannot afford to take these men as his standard, but it is wonderful how much can be done by true philatelists with little money. The ordinary 3c. stamps from 1851 to 1884, the 2c. stamps of 1883, '87, '90, '93, and '94 are all extremely common, and can be bought at from 10c. to 50c. per thousand, in assorted lots. Almost each issue can be found in a large number of shades, and a collection of these makes as fine a show as a plate of the rare stamps. A similar thing is frequently done with the English stamps issued between 1858 and 1887. These were usually printed in sheets of 240 stamps, each stamp bearing different letters. One gentleman in New York has gone a step farther, and is making up a complete sheet of each issue of all the English stamps, including the £5. This is a gigantic piece of work, and I doubt the possibility of success in the majority of the stamps, although this particular collector is a man of wealth, willing to spend his money on his hobby. The Philatelic Society, New York, has a number of these made-up plates of the English penny stamps, presented by Mr. Corwin, the first president of the society. I know another philatelist who is making a general collection of used stamps, taking those which have been cancelled by a date cancellation or by a post-office cancellation. This excludes all stamps bearing a smudge, such as is usual in the greater part of the postal world to-day. Still another philatelist takes stamps on the original envelope or letter. Of course no complete collection can be made this way, but a remarkably beautiful album is the result.
Laura Root.—It will pass at face value. No premium.
Brownie.—The dealers sell Confederate bonds, bills, and "shinplasters" at very cheap prices. Many millions were issued and never redeemed. One dealer in a Southern city holds a quantity weighing 8000 pounds. They are very interesting to every student of American history, and I always advise their collection, especially at present, when they can be bought cheap.
Z. Behrens.—The first U.S. stamps issued for general use throughout the country were the 5c. and 10c. 1847 issue. They are worth 70c. and $3.50 each (used) respectively.
L. Bishop.—Do not cut your envelopes to shape. Cut off the entire end of the envelope square, leaving as good a margin as possible. Entire envelopes are being collected more to-day than formerly.
A. Harding.—The "Special Delivery" stamps are not scarce, but probably the yellow one will be the least common in the near future.
B. Murphy.—The English stamp is worth 20c., if in good condition.
E. W. Greene.—The 10c. "Power of Attorney" U.S. Revenue is one of the common varieties. It is worth 75c. unperforated, 1c. perforated.
J. Smith.—The Canada 12 pence is a very scarce stamp in any condition. A used copy is worth $200 and more, according to condition.
O. W. Hall.—The 24c. U.S. 1861 issue comes in twenty or thirty different shades. They are worth from 25c. to 50c. each used, and from $1 to $2 unused. The rare 1881 green without the line under the stars is worth at least $10.
Philatus.
"A good complexion needs no artificial toning or heightening." Use a pure soap like the Ivory and leave nature to do the rest.
The Procter & Gamble Co., Cin'ti.
Sets any name in one minute; prints 500 cards an hour. You can make money with it. A font of pretty type, also Indelible Ink, Type Holder, Pads and Tweezers. Best Linen Marker; worth $1.00. Mailed for 10c. stamps for postage on outfit and catalogue of 1000 bargains. Same outfit with figures 15c. Outfit for printing two lines 25c. postpaid.
sells recitations and PLAYS
23 Winter St., Boston
CATALOGUES FREE.
By Albert Lee. Illustrated by Peter S. Newell. Square 16mo. Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25.
The wonderful adventures of a small boy who wanders through a fantastic country in search of the wooden animals that have come to life and strayed away from a Noah's Ark are described in a humorous and imaginative style that will amuse older heads, while the peculiar incidents of the narrative cannot fail to bring delight to every youngster. There is a good leaven of light verse to the tale, which, with the illustrations in Mr. Newell's happiest vein, make the book a welcome addition to juvenile literature.
Verses for Young People. By Margaret E. Sangster. Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25.
Poems. By Margaret E. Sangster. Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25.
Twenty Studies of Children's Heads. With Floral Embellishments, Head and Tail Pieces, Initial Letters, etc., by Frank French. With Poems by Margaret E. Sangster. 4to, Cloth, $6.00. (In a Box.)
Johnny (watching his little brother Toddles, just learning to walk). "Oh, mamma, I'm terribly afraid of something!"
Mamma. "What's that, my dear?"
Johnny. "I don't believe Toddles can ride a bicycle next summer."
Tommy. "Say, Bob, what did you find the hardest thing in learning to ride a bicycle?"
Bob. "Trying to stay on it."
Uncle Bob. "I haven't seen you eating any candy lately, Russell. What's the matter?"
Russell. "I'm saving up. Papa says when I get twenty cents he'll put the rest of the money to it and buy me a bicycle."
"Have you got a brake on your bicycle?"
"Yes; two of 'em. That's why I'm not riding it. One break's on the sprocket, and the other's on one of the spokes of the fore-wheel."
"Let me ride your wheel, will you, Bobbie?" asked Ethel.
"No, indeed," replied Bobbie. "You're a lady, Ethel, and my bittycle hasn't got a side-saddle on it."
I wish I had a rubber tire
So big that it would be
An easy thing to ride a wheel
Across the raging sea.
I'd love to climb a breaker high,
To coast along a swell,
And skirt along a ripple, and
To wear a diving-bell,
So that if I a header took,
No harm would come of it!
Come, makers of ye bicycles,
Here's chance to show your wit.
Jack. "I've got the bicycle fever awfully."
Jimmie. "Well, I know a splendid cure for it."
Jack. "What is it?"
Jimmie (sadly, looking out of the window). "Snow."
"Oh dear!" sighed Billy, impatiently, gazing out at the snow-storm; "I told mamma she bought my bicycle suit too soon. It will be all worn out coasting before the bicycle weather gets here."
"Isn't it fun?" cried Jack. "You can go twice as fast on a bicycle as you can without one."
"Oh, I don't know about that," replied Wallie. "The day I took my header I beat my wheel down the hill by ten feet."