The illustrations of this article are reproduced, by permission, from a notable French work on ancient Hieroglyphics by Prof. L. De Rosny, of Paris.
The illustrations of this article are reproduced, by permission, from a notable French work on ancient Hieroglyphics by Prof. L. De Rosny, of Paris.
BUBBLE BOWLING
"Nothing new in bubbles! Every one knows how to blow bubbles!" Of course they do, and yet, the game I am about to describe is an entirely new and a very interesting one.
When the game of Bubble Bowling was played for the first time, it furnished an evening's entertainment, not only for the children, but for grown people also; even a well known General and his staff, who graced the occasion with their presence, joined in the sport, and seemed to enjoy it equally with their youthful competitors. Loud was the chorus of "Bravo!" and merry the laugh of exultation when the pretty crystal ball passed safely through its goal; and sympathy was freely expressed in many an "Oh!" and "Too bad!" as the wayward bubble rolled gayly off toward the floor, or, reaching the goal, dashed itself against one of the stakes and instantly vanished into thin air.
Bubble parties are delightful, as most children know from experience, and it is unnecessary, therefore, to give a description of them here. I propose merely to introduce bubble bowling as a feature in these entertainments, which will furnish no end of amusement and jollity, and add increased enjoyment and variety to the programme.
The game should be played upon a long, narrow table, made simply of a board five feet long and eighteen inches wide, resting upon ordinary wooden "horses." On top of the table, and at a distance of twelve inches from one end, should be fastened in an upright position, two stakes twelve inches high; the space between the stakes should be eight inches, which will make each stand four inches from the nearest edge of the table. When finished, the table must be covered with some sort of woolen cloth; an old shawl or a breadth of colored flannel will answer the purpose excellently. Small holes must be cut at the right distance for the stakes to pass through. The cloth should be allowed to fall over the edge of the table, and must not be fastened down, as it will sometimes be necessary to remove it in order to let it dry. It will be found more convenient,therefore, to use two covers, if they can be provided, as there can then always be a dry cloth ready to replace the one that has become too damp. The bubbles are apt to stick when they come upon wet spots, and the bowling can be carried on in a much more lively manner if the course is kept dry. Each of the stakes forming the goal should be wound with bright ribbons of contrasting colors, entwined from the bottom up, and ending in a bow at the top. This bow can be secured in place by driving a small, or brass-headed tack through the ribbon into the top of the stake. If the rough pine legs of the table seem too unsightly, they can easily be painted. Or a curtain may be made of bright-colored cretonne,—any other material will do as well, provided the colors are pleasing,—and tucked around the edge of the table, so as to fall in folds to the floor. The illustration on this page shows the top of the table, when ready for the game.
For an impromptu affair, a table can be made by placing a leaf of a dining-table across the backs of two chairs, and covering it with a shawl. The stakes can be held in an upright position by sticking them in the tubes of large spools. This sort of table the children can arrange themselves, and it answers the purpose very nicely. The other things to be provided for the game are a large bowl of strong soapsuds, made with common brown soap, and as many pipes as there are players.
The prizes for the winners of the game may consist of any trinkets or small articles that the fancy or taste of the hostess may suggest. Bubble Bowling can be played in two ways. The first method requires an even number of players, and these must be divided into two equal parties. This is easily accomplished by selecting two children for captains, and allowing each captain to choose, alternately, a recruit for his party until the ranks are filled, or in other words, until all the children have been chosen; then, ranked by age, or in any other manner preferred, they form in line on either side of the table. A pipe is given to each child by the hostess, and they stand prepared for the contest. One of the captains first takes his place at the foot of the table, where he must remain while he is bowling, as a bubble passing between the stakes is not counted unless blown through the goal from the end of the table.
The bowl of soapsuds is placed upon a small stand by the side of the bowling-table, and the next in rank to the captain, belonging to same party, dips his pipe into the suds and blows a bubble, not too large, which he then tosses upon the table in front of the captain, who as first bowler, stands ready to blow the bubble on its course down through the goal. Three successive trials are allowed each player; the bubbles which break before the bowler has started them, are not counted.
The names of all the players, divided as they are into two parties, are written down on a slate or paper, and whenever a bubble is sent through the goal, a mark is set down opposite the name of the successful bowler.
When the captain has had his three trials, the captain on the other side becomes bowler, and the next in rank of his own party blows the bubbles for him. When this captain retires, the member of the opposite party, ranking next to the captain, takes the bowler's place and is assisted by the one whose name is next on the list of his own side; after him the player next to the captain on the other side; and so on until the last on the list has his turn, when the captain then becomes assistant and blows the bubbles.
The number of marks required for either side to win the game, must be decided by the number of players; if there are twenty,—ten players on each side,—thirty marks would be a good limit for the winning score.
When the game has been decided, a prize isgiven to that member of each party who has the greatest number of marks against his or her name showing that he or she has sent the bubble through the goal oftener than any player on the same side. Or, if preferred, prizes maybe given to every child belonging to the winning party.
The other way in which Bubble Bowling may be played is much simpler, and does not require an even number of players, as no sides are formed. Each bowler plays for himself, and is allowed five successive trials; if three bubbles out of the five be blown through the goal, the player is entitled to a prize. The child acting as assistant becomes the next bowler, and so on until the last in turn becomes bowler, when the one who began the game takes the place of assistant.
I.I'm a knickerbocker boy!See my coat and breeches!Cuffs and collar, pocket too—Made with many stitches!I must have a watch and chain,A silk umbrella and a cane.—No more kilts and skirts for me!I'm a big boy—don't you see?II.Knickerbockers! Knickerbockers!Give away my other clothes!Give away my horse with rockers;I want one that really goes.Two brisk, prancing goats will do;But I'd like a wagon too.No more chairs hitched up for me!I'm a big boy—don't you see?
I.
I'm a knickerbocker boy!See my coat and breeches!Cuffs and collar, pocket too—Made with many stitches!I must have a watch and chain,A silk umbrella and a cane.—No more kilts and skirts for me!I'm a big boy—don't you see?
II.
Knickerbockers! Knickerbockers!Give away my other clothes!Give away my horse with rockers;I want one that really goes.Two brisk, prancing goats will do;But I'd like a wagon too.No more chairs hitched up for me!I'm a big boy—don't you see?
The Brownies planned at close of dayTo reach a town some miles away,Where roller skating, so 't was said,Of all amusements kept ahead.Said one: "When deeper shadows fallWe'll cross the river, find the hall,And learn the nature of the sportOf which we hear such good report."
The Brownies planned at close of dayTo reach a town some miles away,Where roller skating, so 't was said,Of all amusements kept ahead.
Said one: "When deeper shadows fallWe'll cross the river, find the hall,And learn the nature of the sportOf which we hear such good report."
To reach the bridge that led to town,With eager steps they hastened down;But recent rains had caused a rise—The stream was now a fearful size;The bridge was nearly swept away,Submerged in parts, and wet with spray.But when the cunning Brownies getTheir mind on some maneuver set,Nor wind nor flood, nor frost nor fireCan ever make the rogues retire.Some walked the dripping logs with ease,While others crept on hands and kneesWith movements rather safe than fast,And inch by inch the danger passed.Now, guided by the rumbling soundThat told where skaters circled 'round,Through dimly lighted streets they flew,And close about the building drew.Without delay the active band,By spouts and other means at hand,Of skill and daring furnished proofAnd gained possession of the roof;Then through the skylight viewed the showPresented by the crowds below.
To reach the bridge that led to town,With eager steps they hastened down;But recent rains had caused a rise—The stream was now a fearful size;The bridge was nearly swept away,Submerged in parts, and wet with spray.
But when the cunning Brownies getTheir mind on some maneuver set,Nor wind nor flood, nor frost nor fireCan ever make the rogues retire.
Some walked the dripping logs with ease,While others crept on hands and kneesWith movements rather safe than fast,And inch by inch the danger passed.
Now, guided by the rumbling soundThat told where skaters circled 'round,Through dimly lighted streets they flew,And close about the building drew.
Without delay the active band,By spouts and other means at hand,Of skill and daring furnished proofAnd gained possession of the roof;Then through the skylight viewed the showPresented by the crowds below.
Said one: "While I survey that floorI'm filled with longing more and more,And discontent with me will bideTill 'round the rink I smoothly glide.At night I've ridden through the air,Where bats abide, and owls repair,I've rolled in surf of ocean wide,And coasted down the mountain-side,And now to sweep around a hallOn roller skates would crown it all.""My plans," the leader answer made,"Are in my mind already laid.Within an hour the folk belowWill quit their sport and homeward go;Then will the time be ripe, indeed,For us to leave this roof with speed,And prove how well our toes and heelsWe may command when set on wheels."When came the closing hour at last,And people from the rink had passed,The Brownies hurried down to findThe roller skates they'd left behind.
Said one: "While I survey that floorI'm filled with longing more and more,And discontent with me will bideTill 'round the rink I smoothly glide.At night I've ridden through the air,Where bats abide, and owls repair,
I've rolled in surf of ocean wide,And coasted down the mountain-side,And now to sweep around a hallOn roller skates would crown it all."
"My plans," the leader answer made,"Are in my mind already laid.
Within an hour the folk belowWill quit their sport and homeward go;Then will the time be ripe, indeed,For us to leave this roof with speed,And prove how well our toes and heelsWe may command when set on wheels."
When came the closing hour at last,And people from the rink had passed,The Brownies hurried down to findThe roller skates they'd left behind.
Then such a scene was there as fewMay ever have a chance to view.Some hardly circled 'round the place,Before they moved with ease and grace,And skated freely to and fro,Upon a single heel or toe.Some coats were torn beyond repair,By catches here and clutches there,When those who felt their faith give way,Grabbed right and left without delay;While some who strove a friend to aid,Upon the floor themselves were laid,To spread confusion there awhile,As large and larger grew the pile.Some rose with fingers out of joint,Or black and blue at every point;And few but felt some portion sore,From introductions to the floor.But such mishaps were lost to sight,Amid the common wild delight,—For little fuss do Brownies makeO'er bump or bruise or even break.And had that night been long as thoseThat spread a shade o'er polar snows,The Brownies would have kept the floor,And never thought of sash or door.But stars at length began to wane,And dawn came creeping through the pane;And, much against the will of all,The rogues were forced to leave the hall.
Then such a scene was there as fewMay ever have a chance to view.Some hardly circled 'round the place,Before they moved with ease and grace,And skated freely to and fro,Upon a single heel or toe.Some coats were torn beyond repair,By catches here and clutches there,When those who felt their faith give way,Grabbed right and left without delay;While some who strove a friend to aid,Upon the floor themselves were laid,To spread confusion there awhile,As large and larger grew the pile.
Some rose with fingers out of joint,Or black and blue at every point;And few but felt some portion sore,From introductions to the floor.But such mishaps were lost to sight,Amid the common wild delight,—For little fuss do Brownies makeO'er bump or bruise or even break.
And had that night been long as thoseThat spread a shade o'er polar snows,The Brownies would have kept the floor,And never thought of sash or door.
But stars at length began to wane,And dawn came creeping through the pane;And, much against the will of all,The rogues were forced to leave the hall.
2 For He is risen up on high,From earth and dreary grave;Christ is risen! is our cry,He lives again to save.Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.3 Sing aloud for Christ our King,For Christ, the Saviour, born;This carol ever we will sing,On this, our Easter morn.Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
2 For He is risen up on high,From earth and dreary grave;Christ is risen! is our cry,He lives again to save.Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
3 Sing aloud for Christ our King,For Christ, the Saviour, born;This carol ever we will sing,On this, our Easter morn.Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
The Fair of the American Institute held annually in New York, is chiefly a display from the various American trades showing improvement and advancement; here designers and inventors also present many novelties and useful inventions for public criticism and judgment.
One feature of the Fair of 1885 that attracted much attention and comment, was the novel and unique display of mechanical models designed and constructed by the boys of the third grade in Grammar-School, No. 57, one of the public schools of New York City. The work exhibited by these boys is peculiarly interesting and suggestive, and is an indication of what observant, thoughtful, and intelligent boys can devise and do when their tastes and natural inclinations are developed.
The boys' models were made at home, after class-hours, and on odd holidays during the six months previous to exhibition, and were primarily intended to illustrate the principles of the six mechanical powers,—the inclined plane, the lever, the wedge, the pulley, the wheel and axle, and the screw. When the American Institute Fair opened, an inclined railway, with its platform and cars; a miniature guillotine, with ready knife; a dumb-waiter in full working order; a derrick prepared to raise many weights; a pile-driver with its automatically dropped weight, the sound of which never failed to attract attention,—all these, with other models, occupied a space in Machinery Hall.
During the morning hours, curtains screened the models; in the afternoon the youthful exhibitors arrived and took special delight in showing the working of their designs. The pleasant hours spent there, the praise of visitors, and the recognition and commendation accorded by the press will be long remembered by the boys. At the closing of the Fair, the exhibit was awarded the Medal of Merit.
The illustrations on pages 548 and 550 show the models exhibited. Figure 1 represents an alcoholic furnace, illustrating the expansion of a brass rod by heat. A cylinder of tin, fifteen inches in height and five in diameter, is hinged to a base of wood and arranged so as to tilt to the left. A lever fifteen inches long opens and closes a damper; this lever (an umbrella rod) is inserted in a pivoted rod of wood two inches long, supported in a square frame made of an inch strip of tin bent twice at right angles and soldered to the cylinder.
A brass banner rod, seven inches long, also connects with this rod and, passing through an inch opening, is supported in the flame of an alcohol lamp and fastened on the opposite side by a tiny brass knob screwed on the protruding thread of the rod. A small pulley and weight steadies the motion of the lever.
The heat of the alcohol flame causes the brass rod to lengthen, and this in turn moves the lever which opens the damper; and the degree of expansion is indicated on a paper scale by a straw pointer attached to the rod of the damper. A coating of copper bronze was given to the cylinder. This model was made in part by Winfred C. Rhoades.
Figure 2 shows a forge made by William E. Tappae. A hand-bellows is mounted on a wooden base about ten by twenty-four inches in size, and is worked by a lever handle supported in a frame twenty-six inches in height. The bellows consists of two boards connected by flexible leather tacked to the edges. The upper board is stationary, and an inch central opening is covered on the inside by a two-inch flap of chamois fastened at one point, forming a valve.
As the handle is pushed up, the air rushes in, and when pulled down, the valve closes and the compressed air is forced through the metal nozzle to the glowing coals. The carved-wood anvil was stained black and the other parts were painted a bright vermilion.
Figure 3 explains one way of connecting levers, and their uses as a mechanical aid. The base is four by fifteen inches in size, and the pillars are respectively six and ten inches in height, and are firmly mortised and glued into the base. The upper lever is eighteen inches in length, and connects with the ten-inch lower lever.
The lead weights, sliding on the narrow edges of the levers, balance each other, and show how the heavy wagon of coal is balanced in the office by the weight on the scale-beam.
A wedge made of oak ten inches in height and five inches in width is indicated by Figure 4.
Figure 5 represents a diminutive pile-driver, twenty-eight inches in length, showing the plan and action of a large machine.
SIMPLE MECHANICAL APPARATUS MADE BY BOYS UNDER 14 YEARS OF AGE. DRAWN BY J. ABDON DONNEGAN.SIMPLE MECHANICAL APPARATUS MADE BY BOYS UNDER 14 YEARS OF AGE. DRAWN BY J. ABDON DONNEGAN.
The two-pound drop-hammer falls a distance of twenty-two inches in the grooves of the vertical posts which are mortised and glued into the base, as are also the oblique braces to which are attached the bobbin, or axle, and crank, on which the cord is wound that raises the hammer. This hammer is a flat piece of iron having two pieces of wood, each four by two and one-half inches in size, cemented to it. A wire hook is attached just above, and the extended arm of the hook as the weight nears the top, meets a projecting pin, and slips the weight from the cord.
Figure 6 is the model of a wood-press useful in pressing flowers for an herbarium. The base and pressure board are each ten inches square, the supports eight inches in height, and a wooden screw connected with the upper board turns in the cross-piece. This and the models shown in the drawings numbered 3, 5, and 10 were made by Harry Stœcker.
Figure 7 represents the model of an inclined railway constructed upon the plan of the inclined railway actually in use between Hoboken and Jersey City Heights. A board forty-five inches in length and ten inches in width connects the terminal platforms of this model. The upper platform rests on a support thirty-three inches in height; to this support is attached an axle turned by a crank, on which are wound the reversed cords which connect with the ascending and descending platforms. These platforms are mounted on rollers and the cars while in motion are kept in a horizontal position. This model was constructed by Everett L. Thompson.
The same boy constructed also the model shown in Figure 8—a dumb-waiter with original arrangement of cords and pulleys. The frame is thirty-six inches in height, eleven inches in width, and five inches in depth. Inside, a carrier with shelves is raised by a cord passing over four pulleys, the action of which may be seen through glass slips fitted in grooves. To the end of a cord is attached a weight which balances the weight of the carrier and contents. The frame-work was stained a dark mahogany color, oiled and varnished.
Figure 9 represents a miniature guillotine as made by David W. Benedict. It was copied after one brought from France and exhibited at a well-known museum in New York City.
The frame is twenty-two inches in height, and the block to which is fastened the tin blade, falls through the grooves in the posts to the rest upon which lies the head of the criminal. The cord raising the block runs over the pulleys, and is wound on the cleat when not in use. A box beneath receives the head of the imaginary victim as it falls. The machine with the exception of the blade was painted in bright vermilion and varnished.
Figure 10 shows a small derrick constructed after a sketch of one used in the erection of the Madison Avenue bridge across the Harlem River. A mast of maple twenty-seven inches in length is mortised into an oak base, ten by twelve inches in size. A projecting arm, or jib, is fastened to the mast by a clasp of heavy tin. A cord and pulley keep the jib at a proper angle with the mast. The weight is hooked to a double pulley connected with the single pulley near the end of the jib; the cord, passing over a wheel in the mast and then passing downward, is wound upon the axle by turning the crank; a toothed wheel and ratchet stops the weight at the desired height. Neater pulleys than could be purchased were made by joining two wooden buttons and placing them in a whittled frame bound with piano-wire. The mast and jib were painted a dark blue and the base was polished and varnished.
Figure 11 shows a model of a foundry crane, much admired for its accuracy of design and finish. It was made by George Chase, of seasoned maple with iron and brass connections. A swinging jib is pivoted at the top to a brass plate screwed to the cross-piece of the frame, and turns on a steel pin fitted to a plate on the base. A carriage travels along the jib, being kept at the required distance by a cord passing over a wheel at the end of the jib. A cord attached to the carriage passes over a pulley connected with the weight, and also over the wheel of the carriage, to the wheel directing it to the axle, which is turned by a cog-wheel and pinion taken from an old clock.
The carrier of the elevator shown in Figure 12 is hoisted by a cord passing over a small iron pulley fixed to the cross-beam of the grooved posts, and thence to the spool, or axle turned by a crank.
A clock-spring attached to a square wooden rosette is shown by Figure 13.
Figure 14 represents a pump improvised by John B. Cartwright from an old mincing-machine.
A handle turns a series of spur-wheels, which in turn give a rapid motion to a twelve-inch walking-beam. To one end of this walking-beam is attached a piston-rod, with a soft rubber disk working in a brass cylinder five inches long and three and a half inches in diameter. Iron fittings, including two brass valves, one on each side, connect with the cylinder; an air-chamber is formed with a fitting and cap. The suction caused by the upward motion of the piston will draw water from a pail or cup through a rubber tube connected with the end fitting of the right-hand valve, then through the valve to the cylinder; the downward motion of the piston causes the water to pass through the left-hand valve to the receiving vessel, and the air-chamber tends to make the flow regular. Parts of the machine were painted blue and striped with gold bronze.
SIMPLE MECHANICAL APPARATUS MADE BY BOYS UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE.—DRAWN BY J. ABDON DONNEGAN.SIMPLE MECHANICAL APPARATUS MADE BY BOYS UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE.—DRAWN BY J. ABDON DONNEGAN.
By the removal of one pane of glass from a window facing south, the apparatus shown in Figure 15 may be used, like a magic lantern, to project transparencies, in a darkened room.
A pine board, fourteen inches square and one inch in thickness, has an opening in the middle to receive a wooden frame seven inches square, holding a six-inch cosmorama lens, having a focus of eighteen inches. A three-inch plano-convex lens having a focus of nine inches, mounted in a wooden frame, slides along a slit or opening in a board hinged to the inner side of the board which is cleated to the window.
A plate-glass mirror, eight by fifteen inches in size, is secured to a board hinged to a wooden rod, which can be turned from the inside, and is raised and lowered by a cord winding on a key. The mirror is lowered and inclined until the sunlight is reflected through the lenses, and then a circle of intense light, from ten to fifteen feet in diameter appears on the wall or screen. Both lenses will not cost more than two dollars, and the apparatus will most impressively illustrate experiments in light and sound.
An easily made electric lamp is shown by Figure 16. An Argand chimney is fastened to a wooden base, with the cement known as "Stratena," and partly filled with water. A cork coated with paraffine is placed inside the chimney, and a rod of carbon twelve inches long and one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness being inserted in the cork, the upward pressure of the water on the cork causes the end of the carbon rod to come in slight contact with a thick rod of carbon which is fastened obliquely to a square piece of wood, cemented near the top of the chimney. A brass chip fastened to the wood keeps the thin rod of carbon in position, and when two copper wires connect the carbons with six to ten jars of a bichromate battery, a light appears where the two carbons meet. As the thin rod wastes away, the cork rises and keeps the end of the rod almost in contact with the other carbon point.
An ambition to creditably make a mechanical contrivance or apparatus is noticeably characteristic of many boys. The construction of an aquarium, a sailboat, or a telescope, or some similar object, is of absorbing interest to such lads; and the making of the electrical apparatus of straws, sealing-wax, etcetera, once described by Professor Tyndall, has merely tasked the ingenuity of thinking boys to improve upon the apparatus.
Many educators maintain that manual training of a pleasant character, adapted to the age of the pupils, should form an essential element in the education of boys and girls, and should be placed on a par with the regular studies. There is no doubt that such instruction stimulates ambition and tends to develop taste, skill, and natural invention. At the same time an insight into mechanical occupations, with some practical experience in the handling of tools, may assist a boy in choosing a calling suited to his taste, and better prepare him to enter some practical industry, if his choice should incline toward such an occupation.
A few years ago, manual training in modeling, wood-carving, carpentry, forge-work, and other branches, was introduced into a technical course in the College of the City of New York, in East Twenty-third street. To-day it is one of the most interesting features of the College work, and is highly appreciated by the students. Private schools in this city, as also some of the public and private schools of Boston and Philadelphia, have introduced the workshop into their methods of instruction, and devote a few hours in each week to practical and manual labor.
The models illustrated in this article represent many well spent and helpful hours of recreation, and other boys may find pleasure and profit in making similar use of their leisure time and their powers of handicraft.
A little boy just two years old,Or maybe two months older,Came riding home across the lot,Perched on his father's shoulder."Look, Oswald! Hold your head up straight!(Do stop that dreadful drumming!)See, just above where Mamma standsA little moon is coming!"The baby lifts his round blue eyes;The moon laughs at their glancing.To see the wonder of his gaze'Most sets the moon a-dancing.Frowning, he solved the problem soon;Indignantly he spoke it:"Papa, dat's not the big wound moon;I finksomebody b'oke it!"
A little boy just two years old,Or maybe two months older,Came riding home across the lot,Perched on his father's shoulder.
"Look, Oswald! Hold your head up straight!(Do stop that dreadful drumming!)See, just above where Mamma standsA little moon is coming!"
The baby lifts his round blue eyes;The moon laughs at their glancing.To see the wonder of his gaze'Most sets the moon a-dancing.
Frowning, he solved the problem soon;Indignantly he spoke it:"Papa, dat's not the big wound moon;I finksomebody b'oke it!"
Away—ho, away!—Let us off on a quest!To the North—to the South—to the East—to the West!To the West, to find where the sunsets goWhen the skies are as red as roses a-blow;To the East, to see whence the mornings come;To the South, the Summer to track to her home;To the North, by the gleam of the Polar Star,And Night's aurora flaming afar,To seek, in the keen and biting weather,The lodestone that holds the world together.
Away—ho, away!—Let us off on a quest!To the North—to the South—to the East—to the West!To the West, to find where the sunsets goWhen the skies are as red as roses a-blow;To the East, to see whence the mornings come;To the South, the Summer to track to her home;To the North, by the gleam of the Polar Star,And Night's aurora flaming afar,To seek, in the keen and biting weather,The lodestone that holds the world together.
Now and then somebody writes out the very thoughts of the birds; and then again, others tell me very prettily just what they think ought to be felt by the tuneful-minded little creatures. Here, for instance, comes this scrap of verse from my friend Emily A. Braddock that I hope not only you children, but all of my birds will hear. I don't allude so much to the sparrows and such stay-at-homes as to my migratory, or go-away birds. I'm sure they'd be delighted at a poet's way of putting things. It will give them something to go for. As for myself, I've not started yet, so we'll proceed to discuss a certain odd saying for which it seems the world is indebted to one sort of these migratory birds:
"EVERYTHING IS LOVELY, AND THE GOOSE HANGS HIGH."
"EVERYTHING IS LOVELY, AND THE GOOSE HANGS HIGH."
This expression, the Little School-ma'am says, is a corruption of an old-fashioned saying that originated in the early days of this country.
As most of you know, wild geese, when they migrate in autumn, form themselves into lines shaped like the letter V, the leader flying at the point, the two lines following; and as they sail away, far above the trees, and beyond all danger from guns—on those cold mornings when the air is clear, and the sky beautifully blue—they seem full of glee, and join in a chorus, "Honk, honk, honk!"
Any one who has heard those curiously sounding notes, the Little School-ma'am says, never could mistake them for anything else. And the folks on the earth below who heard the birds' wild call, in old times, realized the happiness of the winged creatures in being so high and safe. And so it became quite natural, when two persons met each other under peculiarly favorable circumstances for this or that enterprise, for them to say: "Everything is lovely and the goose honks high!"
Before we leave our dear birds, moreover, I have a special message for you this month in their behalf:
"You must not forget, friend Jack," says the Deacon, "to give the boys and girls, especially the girls, my May-time sermon about the Audubon Society."
Forget it? Not I, indeed! Nor would you, if you could have seen the honest and hearty indignation of the good Deacon and the Little School-ma'am, as he read to her a printed circular telling all about the monstrous wrong which the Audubon Society has nobly begun to fight. You must know, dear girls, that this "monstrous wrong" is the custom of wearing feathers and skins of birds on your hats and dresses. As I am an honest Jack, I don't see how girls and their mammas, who, as everybody knows, are supposed to have hearts more tender than men or boys, could ever have been induced to follow so abominable a fashion. "Abominable" is rather a strong word, I suppose; but it is the very one which the good Deacon used when he read the printed slip. And the Little School-ma'am—bless her!—actually gave a nod of satisfaction when she heard it. As for me, no word would be too strong to express my feelings on the subject.
But I'll be content now with giving you what the Deacon calls "two plain facts" about this fashion, and letting them speak for themselves. "You must know then," says the Deacon, "that a single collector of ornamental feathers in this country has declared that he handles every year aboutthirty thousandbird-skins, almost all of which are used for millinery purposes; and that another man collected from the shooters in one small district within four months, aboutseventy thousandbirds!
"Now, Jack," adds the Deacon, "tell your young hearers to ask themselves and their parents, whether this slaughter shall continue? The Audubon Society says 'no!' Its membership is free to every one who is willing to lend a helping hand to its objects. And its objects are to prevent as far as possible, first, the killing of any wild birds not used for food; second, the destruction of nests or eggs of wild birds; and third, the wearing of feathers as ornaments or trimmings for dress. Andcertainly women and girls can do much, in fact everything, for this third object."
All the older readers ofSt. Nicholaswill remember the army of bird-defenders which it established years ago. The Deacon says that there is a call for a new army, and all that you need do to join it, my girls, is to refuse to wear feathers on your hats or dresses. If all the women and girls who now follow that cruel fashion would but abandon it, the needless slaughter of the birds would soon be at an end.
"Felixstow," Brightwood (near Washington).Dear Jack-in-the-Pulpit: I am a little boy just six years old. I live in the country about six miles from Washington. I am very much interested in reading "Little Lord Fauntleroy," because Mrs. Burnett, the lady who wrote it, was out at our house last spring, and told us the story, and I want to see if she changed it before she put it in the book. I tell you, her own little boys, Lionel and Vivian, are nice fellows to play with! I have a nice pony named Joe, lots of chickens, a dog, and two cats, but I like digging in the ground most. I raised a lot of pop-corn last year. Somebody is writing this for me, but I am telling him what to write. My little brother Paul bothers me considerably when I want to make things.Good bye, dear Jack; you are a nice fellow. Your friend,Felix Renouf Holt.
"Felixstow," Brightwood (near Washington).
Dear Jack-in-the-Pulpit: I am a little boy just six years old. I live in the country about six miles from Washington. I am very much interested in reading "Little Lord Fauntleroy," because Mrs. Burnett, the lady who wrote it, was out at our house last spring, and told us the story, and I want to see if she changed it before she put it in the book. I tell you, her own little boys, Lionel and Vivian, are nice fellows to play with! I have a nice pony named Joe, lots of chickens, a dog, and two cats, but I like digging in the ground most. I raised a lot of pop-corn last year. Somebody is writing this for me, but I am telling him what to write. My little brother Paul bothers me considerably when I want to make things.
Good bye, dear Jack; you are a nice fellow. Your friend,
Felix Renouf Holt.
"Felix is not alone," says the Little School-ma'am, "in his admiration for Little Lord Fauntleroy. The children of the Red School House all are charmed with his lordship, and for myself I consider him one of the very sweetest and noblest little boys in English literature."
According to my friend, Ernest Ingersoll, a large proportion of the red coral used by jewelers in making ornaments comes from the Mediterranean coast of Algeria, where it is gathered chiefly by an ingenious machine. Nets, the meshes of which are loose, are hung on the bars of a cross, and dragged at the bottom of the sea among the nooks and crevices of the rocks. These nets, winding about the branches of the coralline growth, break off its branches, which adhere to the meshes. When he thinks it is laden, the fisherman draws the net to the surface and helps himself to the coral. This is sold in various markets, and afterward worked into ornaments, necklaces, bracelets, and other pretty articles for girls and their mammas.
Reading, Mass.,Dear Jack-in-the-Pulpit: I read in the February number about the bottled fish. I think it is very queer. In "Grimm's Fairy Tales" there is a story about a fox that crept into a hole where there was something to eat. After he ate it he grew so fat that he could not get out, and he stayed there till the farmer found him and killed him. I suppose it was the same way with the fish, only he fed on oysters, and as I think there are no farmers at the bottom of the sea, he stayed there till he was drawn up. If I had been that fish, I would have starved myself till I was thin enough to get out. I have taken St. Nicholas since I was two years old, and my mamma says she brought me up on it, so you see I have been well brought up.I remain yours truly,E. S. K. Packard.
Reading, Mass.,
Dear Jack-in-the-Pulpit: I read in the February number about the bottled fish. I think it is very queer. In "Grimm's Fairy Tales" there is a story about a fox that crept into a hole where there was something to eat. After he ate it he grew so fat that he could not get out, and he stayed there till the farmer found him and killed him. I suppose it was the same way with the fish, only he fed on oysters, and as I think there are no farmers at the bottom of the sea, he stayed there till he was drawn up. If I had been that fish, I would have starved myself till I was thin enough to get out. I have taken St. Nicholas since I was two years old, and my mamma says she brought me up on it, so you see I have been well brought up.
I remain yours truly,E. S. K. Packard.
You are to be told in this month'sSt. Nicholas, I hear, about a curious "lace-leaf," a "vegetable necktie," and a "caricature plant." If so, this is a good time for me to show you a curiosity called the newspaper plant, which the Little School-ma'am described the other day to the young folk of the Red School House.
It seems that in certain far-away countries called New Mexico and Arizona, there are great tracts of desolate desert lands, where the very hills seem destitute of life and beauty, and where the earth is shriveled from centuries of terrible heat. And in these desert-tracts grow a curious, misshapen, grotesque and twisted plant that seems more like a goblin tree than a real one.
Of all the trees in the world, you would imagine this to be the most outcast and worthless—so meager a living does it obtain from the waste of sand and gravel in which it grows. And yet this goblin tree is now being sought after and utilized in one of the world's greatest industries—an industry that affects the daily needs of civilization, and is of especial importance to every girl and boy who reads the pages ofSt. Nicholas.
Those wise folk, the botanists, call our goblin tree by its odd Indian name of the "Yucca" palm.
THE YUCCA PALM.THE YUCCA PALM.
This plant of the desert for a long time was considered valueless. But not long ago it was discovered that the fiber of the Yucca could be made into an excellent paper.[E]And now one of the great English dailies, the LondonTelegraph, is printed upon paper made from this goblin tree. Indeed, theTelegraphhas purchased a large plantation in Arizona, merely for the purpose of cultivating this tree, and manufacturing paper from it. So, you see, the Yucca is now a newspaper plant.
Dear Jack: As you have told us so much about living barometers, I want to tell you that I have one. Mine is a red squirrel. Just before a "cold snap" she will be surly and sleepy. When she is angry, she will spread her lower teeth apart. She will play like a kitten. I call her Gipsy, and she is my chief pet.Your constant reader,M. M. M.
Dear Jack: As you have told us so much about living barometers, I want to tell you that I have one. Mine is a red squirrel. Just before a "cold snap" she will be surly and sleepy. When she is angry, she will spread her lower teeth apart. She will play like a kitten. I call her Gipsy, and she is my chief pet.
Your constant reader,M. M. M.
FOOTNOTES:[E]For an article describing the manufacture of paper, seeSt. Nicholasfor August, 1884, page 808.
[E]For an article describing the manufacture of paper, seeSt. Nicholasfor August, 1884, page 808.
[E]For an article describing the manufacture of paper, seeSt. Nicholasfor August, 1884, page 808.
In a note which accompanied the article in our present number, "When Shakspere was a Boy," Miss Kingsley desires us to state that she owes much valuable information about charms (mentioned on page 488), and also about Shaksperean games and customs, to Mr. Richard Savage, of the Shakspere Birthplace Museum, Stratford-on-Avon.
In his story of "The Great Snow-ball Fight," printed in our March number, Mr. Barnard showed how some boys put out the fire in the Widow Lawson's house, by snow-balling it. This may have appeared to some readers almost impossible, but it was based upon an actual occurrence. And an instance of that mode of at least preventing a fire, was recorded in the New York papers of February 11th. It appears in an account of the burning of the stables of the Meadow Brook Hunt Club, at Hempstead, Long Island. "No modern appliance for extinguishing fire was at hand," says one journal, "but there was plenty of snow, and this was banked up about the adjoining stables, and undoubtedly saved them from being burned. Whenever sparks from the burning building fell on the adjacent barns, they were quickly extinguished by well-directed snow-balls thrown upon them."