SOME HOLIDAY MUSIC.

SOME HOLIDAY MUSIC.Finefun can be had out of two action songs by William Younge and Lionel Elliott (J. Williams). They just suit the merry season for youngsters of the family who must have amusing and interesting ideas to keep themselves and others happy. One is called “Home for the Holidays,” and the other, “Making the Pudding.”For our tiny nursery people there is a really capital shilling book by Florence Wickins, consisting of “Merry little tunes, including all the original melodies to the nursery rhymes and a complete set of dance music for little folk” (Wickins & Co.). It is in clear, big print, with a gay cover, and there are some dear old favourites therein, such as the undying Miss Muffet, Tom Tucker, Lucy Locket, Baby Bunting, and other heroes and heroines of nursery lore in days of yore.Schoolboys and schoolgirls too will join with fervour in Scott-Gatty’s new “Country House Songs” on “Golf” and “Cricket” (Boosey), and these will not fail to attract boys and girls of an older growth, so admirable are they.Some stirring ditties suitable for musical entertainments after schoolroom teas are two rousing naval and military lays with telling refrains, namely, “Beresford’s Boys,” by Lionel Hume (Weekes), and “The Life of a Soldier,” by Gerald Lane (Enoch); “Two Gay Owls,” by M. Van Lennep (Doremi), with characteristic “tu-whit to-whoos” capable of expressive rendering, and “De Blue-Tailed Fly,” a plantation song by G. H. Clutsam (Stanley Lucas), the buzzing chorus of which can be given with much dramatic feeling!Pretty little light pieces, all suitable for bright occasions, interludes for tableaux, charades, &c., are the following: “Danse Chic,” by Arnold Olding (Cramer); “Mountain Gnomes,” by Wilhelm Popp (Ashdown); “La Lucette,” by Gladys Hope (Weekes); “Vous Dansez Marquise,” by Augusta de Kabath (J. Williams); “Chanson de Louis Seize,” by G. Bachmann (Ashdown); and a small book of “Three Dances” by Corelli Windeatt (J. Williams).These popular marches are desirable for the same purposes, namely, “Santiago,” by Walter von Joel (Ashdown); “The Charge at Dargai” (Cramer); and the “British Outpost,” by Lionel Hume (Weekes); while the quicker polka marches of “Gringalet” and “Automobiles,” both by Ad. Gauwin (Chappell), are spirited in music and in dashing frontispieces. Two nice little operettas for children are “Cock Robin and Jenny Wren,” by Florian Pascal, and “The Maid and the Blackbird,” by Ed. Solomon (J. Williams).James C. Beazley writes a humorous and useful little partsong entitled, “There was a Little Man” (Doremi), who, as we know, “had a little gun,” and this sporting episode is facetiously and effectually carried out in the music.Songs from Lewis Carroll’s “Sylvie and Bruno” (all in one small cover) are most amusingly quaint. Listen to the euphony of “King Fisher’s Song.”“‘Needles have eyes,’ said Lady Bird—Sing Cats, sing Corks, sing Cowslip Tea—‘And they are sharp—just whatYour Majesty is not.So get you gone—’tis too absurdTo come a-courting me!’”And other lines linger in our memories like—“Sing Prunes, sing Prawns, sing Primrose Hill,”and so on in the inimitable spirit of “Alice in Wonderland” again.The “Witch o’ the Broom” Lancers and Quadrilles by Fabian Rose (Phillips and Page) are as easy as easy to play from sight, so is “The Farmyard” Barn-dance, with a racy title-page for small folk (Phillips and Page), and in a loftier sphere the “Malmaison” Waltz by Caroline Lowthian (Metzler), and “Poppyland” Waltz by Cyril Dare (Cramer).There are four “Characteristic Dances” by H. J. Taylor (Weekes), all of which might be prettily danced in character, the Grecian (No. 2) and the Japanese (No. 4) especially.Some exceedingly facile and effective violin solos are No. 1, “The Children’s Home” of Cowen’s, and No. 10, Canzonetta by C. Borelli, of Morley’s Melodious Gems; “Sunny Memories” and “Good Wishes,” by Henry Tolhurst (Phillips and Page); a “Song Without Words,” by M. Marigold (Novello), and a convenient shilling book (Wickins) containing the beautiful “Träumerei” of Schumann and other choice little pieces for pleasurable performance. “Twelve Carols,” by M. C. Gillington and F. Pascal, are full of interest and of beautiful and original ideas in words and music (J. Williams).Mary Augusta Salmond.

Finefun can be had out of two action songs by William Younge and Lionel Elliott (J. Williams). They just suit the merry season for youngsters of the family who must have amusing and interesting ideas to keep themselves and others happy. One is called “Home for the Holidays,” and the other, “Making the Pudding.”

For our tiny nursery people there is a really capital shilling book by Florence Wickins, consisting of “Merry little tunes, including all the original melodies to the nursery rhymes and a complete set of dance music for little folk” (Wickins & Co.). It is in clear, big print, with a gay cover, and there are some dear old favourites therein, such as the undying Miss Muffet, Tom Tucker, Lucy Locket, Baby Bunting, and other heroes and heroines of nursery lore in days of yore.

Schoolboys and schoolgirls too will join with fervour in Scott-Gatty’s new “Country House Songs” on “Golf” and “Cricket” (Boosey), and these will not fail to attract boys and girls of an older growth, so admirable are they.

Some stirring ditties suitable for musical entertainments after schoolroom teas are two rousing naval and military lays with telling refrains, namely, “Beresford’s Boys,” by Lionel Hume (Weekes), and “The Life of a Soldier,” by Gerald Lane (Enoch); “Two Gay Owls,” by M. Van Lennep (Doremi), with characteristic “tu-whit to-whoos” capable of expressive rendering, and “De Blue-Tailed Fly,” a plantation song by G. H. Clutsam (Stanley Lucas), the buzzing chorus of which can be given with much dramatic feeling!

Pretty little light pieces, all suitable for bright occasions, interludes for tableaux, charades, &c., are the following: “Danse Chic,” by Arnold Olding (Cramer); “Mountain Gnomes,” by Wilhelm Popp (Ashdown); “La Lucette,” by Gladys Hope (Weekes); “Vous Dansez Marquise,” by Augusta de Kabath (J. Williams); “Chanson de Louis Seize,” by G. Bachmann (Ashdown); and a small book of “Three Dances” by Corelli Windeatt (J. Williams).

These popular marches are desirable for the same purposes, namely, “Santiago,” by Walter von Joel (Ashdown); “The Charge at Dargai” (Cramer); and the “British Outpost,” by Lionel Hume (Weekes); while the quicker polka marches of “Gringalet” and “Automobiles,” both by Ad. Gauwin (Chappell), are spirited in music and in dashing frontispieces. Two nice little operettas for children are “Cock Robin and Jenny Wren,” by Florian Pascal, and “The Maid and the Blackbird,” by Ed. Solomon (J. Williams).

James C. Beazley writes a humorous and useful little partsong entitled, “There was a Little Man” (Doremi), who, as we know, “had a little gun,” and this sporting episode is facetiously and effectually carried out in the music.

Songs from Lewis Carroll’s “Sylvie and Bruno” (all in one small cover) are most amusingly quaint. Listen to the euphony of “King Fisher’s Song.”

“‘Needles have eyes,’ said Lady Bird—Sing Cats, sing Corks, sing Cowslip Tea—‘And they are sharp—just whatYour Majesty is not.So get you gone—’tis too absurdTo come a-courting me!’”

“‘Needles have eyes,’ said Lady Bird—

Sing Cats, sing Corks, sing Cowslip Tea—

‘And they are sharp—just what

Your Majesty is not.

So get you gone—’tis too absurd

To come a-courting me!’”

And other lines linger in our memories like—

“Sing Prunes, sing Prawns, sing Primrose Hill,”

and so on in the inimitable spirit of “Alice in Wonderland” again.

The “Witch o’ the Broom” Lancers and Quadrilles by Fabian Rose (Phillips and Page) are as easy as easy to play from sight, so is “The Farmyard” Barn-dance, with a racy title-page for small folk (Phillips and Page), and in a loftier sphere the “Malmaison” Waltz by Caroline Lowthian (Metzler), and “Poppyland” Waltz by Cyril Dare (Cramer).

There are four “Characteristic Dances” by H. J. Taylor (Weekes), all of which might be prettily danced in character, the Grecian (No. 2) and the Japanese (No. 4) especially.

Some exceedingly facile and effective violin solos are No. 1, “The Children’s Home” of Cowen’s, and No. 10, Canzonetta by C. Borelli, of Morley’s Melodious Gems; “Sunny Memories” and “Good Wishes,” by Henry Tolhurst (Phillips and Page); a “Song Without Words,” by M. Marigold (Novello), and a convenient shilling book (Wickins) containing the beautiful “Träumerei” of Schumann and other choice little pieces for pleasurable performance. “Twelve Carols,” by M. C. Gillington and F. Pascal, are full of interest and of beautiful and original ideas in words and music (J. Williams).

Mary Augusta Salmond.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTSSTUDY AND STUDIO.Katie Roberts.—No apology is necessary in sending your verses, but we fear you would scarcely be able to write anything for publication. The metre of your lines is incorrect; occasionally you begin a verse with a line far too short,e.g., “He is, we all know it.” “The Unseen Guest” is the better of the two poems, and we think it is natural to beguile hours when you are not on active duty by expressing these thoughts. It is not the substance but the form that we criticise. You should study the laws of versification.Lisa.—We must commend to you the advice contained in the last clause of the preceding answer. If you wish to improve in writing verse, study the laws of metre, which you will find in any good handbook of the English tongue. In “Wait,” the second line is two syllables too long. “Guest” and “bless” do not rhyme.Apple Blossom.—We have read your story, and are afraid we must literally comply with your request to “pull it to pieces.” The central incident is most improbable. Prosperous theatrical managers do not steal plays by copying manuscripts left with them for perusal. As “Claude” received his MS. again, you must see that detection was absolutely certain, and no motive is suggested for the extraordinary act of Sir Francis Lockhart, whom you should not call “Sir Lockhart.” Claude acted with foolishness and ingratitude in angrily refusing the offer of his uncle, which is so scornfully mentioned, of a “stool in his warehouse,” and genius does not burst forth in a moment in the construction of a successful play, nor the production of widely-read magazine articles, by a half-educated youth. These faults in your story proceed from ignorance of real life, but there are also very many defects in style; tautology is frequent, and you should not write of a “flunky,” nor of “Belgravia Square.” We hope you study the book we recommended to you. There is no “royal road” to literary success of any kind, even for aspirants with talent.Arbutus.—We can mention in reply to your query, the Cambridge Training College for Women Teachers (fees £60 to £70 a year for residence, tuition, etc.), and recommend you, for particulars of teachers’ training, also to apply to the Secretary, Association for the Education of Women, Clarendon Building, Oxford. You do not say for what sort of teaching the training is required; but for elementary schoolmistresses there are a great number of colleges. The Bishop Otter Memorial College at Chichester is intended for the daughters of the clergy and professional men: fees, £20 per annum for Queen’s scholars, £50 for private students. In Ireland there are the Marlboro’ Street Training College, and the Church of Ireland Training College, Dublin. Stockwell College, Stockwell Road, London, is a fine college: fees £25 for two years’ board and tuition. For a full list of these training colleges for elementary schoolmistresses, and particulars of the entrance examination, apply Education Department, London.Molly.—It would certainly not be “waste of time” to take lessons in drawing. You evidently have a love for it, and a good idea of copying. It would always be a pleasant resource for you.Constance.—Apply to theTimesOffice, London, for the number containing Rudyard Kipling’s Jubilee poem. We believe it first appeared inLiterature, but you will obtain information there.Mrs. E. M. L. Knight.—1. We think you could not do better with your little boy than to adopt, as far as you can, the Kindergarten system. If you were to write to the Froebel Society, 12, Buckingham Street, Adelphi, London, W.C., you would probably be told of some book or books by which, as you seem a thoughtful and intelligent mother, you could guide yourself in the work of training the child’s faculties of observation and attention, and imparting knowledge of “natural surroundings.” It is pleasant to see the little children at the Kindergartens modelling in sand the promontory, island, hill, and showing the course of a river from its spring on the mountain to the sea. This is just one instance of the sort of occupation that teaches and amuses them. Considering what you tell us, we think if you could devote a part of each day to your boy, it would be far better than sending him to the village school. As he is only 2½ years old, there is plenty of time for school life.—2. A very useful though not new book on children’s ailments is Dr. Pye Chavasse’sAdvice to a Mother. The National Health Society, 53, Berners Street, London, W., will send you a list of medical books or pamphlets for household use.Elizabeth.—1. We should consider that Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, Sir James Simpson, Sir Richard Owen, Lord Lister, Edison, Röntgen, Sir William Huggins, Professors Dewar and Ramsay were among “the greatest scientists of the present age.” We cannot possibly give you a full list here.—2. Your writing is clear, but inclined to be too childish in its thick down-strokes, and long loops to y’s and g’s. It needs more freedom.J. J. A.—We refer you also to Mrs. Watson’s articles on “What are the County Councils doing for Girls?” and—if you cannot consult them—to the Secretary of the Board of Technical Education, St. Martin’s Lane, London. You might also write to the Secretaries of Queen’s College, Harley Street, W., and of Holloway College, Egham, for particulars of scholarships in connection with those institutions.Edythe.—We think a very interesting way to teach young children spelling is to give them a good box of letters (“Spelling-Game”), and let them fill the frame with words, either from memory or from a book; or the letters of a word may be given loose to the child, and he be required to form the word himself. Games may easily be arranged with the letter-box for several children. Many thanks for your enclosure.GIRLS’ EMPLOYMENTS.Isabel(Art Needlework).—You would be very well taught in the Royal School of Art Needlework, Exhibition Road, South Kensington; the fee for instruction is £5. The School does not, however, guarantee to find work for its pupils, but some of the latter earn an average income of £1 a week. In art-needlework shops, the payment is usually much lower, 14s. or 15s. a week being not unusual. If you are fond of needlework, could you not learn dressmaking at a technical institute, and then go out as a visiting dressmaker? You would do better in this way than as an embroideress, for you could earn about 2s. 6d. a day, and would receive board during the time of your engagement.A Young Correspondent(Helping others).—The fact that you are very young need not prevent you from helping other people as you wish to do, and from making yourself useful in the world. If you can knit, you might write to the secretary of the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, 181, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., and ask whether you could knit mufflers or mittens for the fishermen. Another kind of work in which help is required is in embossing books in Braille type for the use of the blind. In regard to this work, you should apply to the Hon. Secretary, British and Foreign Blind Association, 33, Cambridge Square, W. Do not trouble about the other matters you mention. Girls in their teens often do not look their best, and the complexion nearly always improves in later life. With a pleasant manner and a neat becoming style of dress, a girl may always make an agreeable impression, whereas there are many handsome girls who are so selfish and disagreeable that their beauty gives no pleasure to anybody, not even to themselves.Pansy(Advice).—It would be a great mistake to become a companion, although you do say that such a career is your ambition. Companions occupy an anomalous position; their duties are undefined, and their services are consequently little valued. And, after middle life, the companion usually finds herself without an engagement, and without a profession of any kind. You say you do not wish to become a governess, but at the same time you feel yourself competent to teach children from seven years old to twelve. Now, under these circumstances would it not be wise to become an elementary school teacher? Your pupils would be of the ages mentioned, and you would have an occupation by which you could almost certainly earn a living. Elementary teachers are now in great demand, for this very reason, that so many girls will try to become companions and secretaries. Had you been under eighteen, you might have become an apprentice as a pupil-teacher in an elementary school; but as you are eighteen already, you had better pass the Queen’s Scholarship Examination, and then seek employment as an assistant teacher, or, much better, enter a teachers’ training college. You could study all the requirements more fully by obtaining through a bookseller a copy of the New Code, issued by the Education Department. If you wanted further advice, it is probable that some Board School or National School mistress in your own town would give it.Snowball(Typewriting, etc.).—A typist and shorthand writer, employed as a clerk in a City office, usually receives a weekly salary of from 18s. to 21s. to begin with, rising at the end of a year or two (if she is really competent) to 25s. and, after that, rising again possibly to 30s., 35s., or any amount not exceeding £2. But many girls do not advance beyond 25s. per week, and employment is to some extent precarious, as so many girls can now do typing and write shorthand with moderate skill. But we consider that a girl occupies a tolerably secure position who can do verbatim reporting, and can be relied on to take down all that is said at a long meeting, which, when interruption and discussion takes place, is by no means an easy task. But as you are quite young, write a good clear hand, which you will doubtless improve within the next twelvemonth, and are determined to work, we should counsel the Post Office Department of the Civil Service in your case, especially if you pass the Cambridge Junior Examination well, for which you are preparing yourself. You should try to get into the Service as a girl clerk as soon as you are sixteen; that is better than waiting till you are eighteen to enter as a woman clerk. Pay great attention meantime to your studies in French, German, geography, arithmetic, and handwriting. Girl clerks begin at a salary at £35, and women clerks at £55. The latter are eligible for a pension after a certain number of years’ service.Kalifa(House Decoration).—We do not quite agree with you that there is an increasing demand for ladies who undertake house decoration. To succeed in the business, a girl ought to be apprenticed to a decorator who will teach her how to draw and design furniture, and to see that workmen carry out orders properly. To learn the business thoroughly, a girl must either give time or pay a high premium; one of the foremost decorators charges £100. It is not an employment for everybody; and a good many ladies of taste have failed because they have not carried out their work in a sufficiently responsible and business-like manner.Espérance(Suggestions).—If you shrink from nursing, it is difficult to know what you can do in the way of philanthropic work without possessing some private means. Perhaps through the church or chapel you attend you could be put in the way of doing something for the poor, such as district visiting. There are also, as you perhaps know, several settlements in the East of London in which women work. For instance, there is the St. Margaret’s House, Bethnal Green, a Church of England Settlement, and there is also the Canning Town Settlement, 459, Barking Road, Plaistow, which is unsectarian. You would probably find that should the occasion arise for you to earn your living, the experience gained by working in one of these settlements would help you to obtain a position as matron of some charitable institution. There is now a considerable demand for philanthropic workers who have been trained in settlements.Lois(Librarianship).—We hardly think your scheme is feasible of obtaining a librarianship in a charitable institution or in a ladies’ club. In a workmen’s reading-room and institute it is quite possible you might obtain employment, or in a free library. The branches of the Manchester Free Library employ women. Some post of that kind you would probably fill well, as you have had several years’ experience already, and have interested yourself in the work. Then there is a large circulating library at Norwich, the property of a private firm, where some women are engaged. Otherwise, if you wish to make a change, you would have to seek a secretaryship, or post as book-keeper, as you say; but this seems to us rather a pity as you have done so well as a librarian.Ingeborg(Needlework).—You had better communicate with the secretary of the Society for the Advancement of Plain Needlework, 16, Stafford Street, Marylebone Road, N.W., and ask what courses he would advise you to pursue in order to obtain a teachership of needlework. Very likely it may be thought best that you should pass the examination at the City Guilds’ Institute, as this qualification would help you materially to secure an appointment.MEDICAL.Eglantine.—If the teeth become loosened, and the gums show a tendency to bleed on slight provocation, use a mouth-wash of tincture of myrrh; add about a teaspoonful of tincture of myrrh to half a tumblerful of water, and rinse out your mouth and wash your teeth with it. The “tincture of myrrh and borax” of the shops is made by mixing tincture of myrrh with glycerine of borax. Both these are pharmacopœial preparations.A Japanese Girl.—In common parlance we use the term “fainting” to express any condition in which a person acutely loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The term therefore includes epilepsy, apoplexy, sunstroke, acute syncope, and the condition which you wish to know about, ordinary fainting fits, or semi-syncope. The fits, as everybody knows, occur chiefly in young women and girls who are anæmic or hysterical. They consist of a momentary weakness of the heart-beat, as the result of which the brain is insufficiently supplied with blood, and the person drops down “in a heap.” This sudden falling lowers the position of the head, and so prevents the brain from becoming anæmic. When a person faints, or feels faint, her head should be lowered; if she is sitting in a chair, her head should be forced down to her knees; if she is standing up, she should be placed upon her back. How often we see kind-hearted persons carrying a fainting girl out of church, taking care to keep her head well raised! Sal volatile, cold water and brandy are sometimes given to fainting girls, but none of these is necessary, and the brandy usually does harm. Though fainting looks very dangerous, it is really very trivial. We have never seen a death during one of these young women’s fainting fits.Lady Babbie.—It is related of a great physician that a girl once came to him complaining, as you do, that she made horrible grimaces, moving her scalp and eyebrows about in a most absurd manner, and making herself look ridiculous. Of course he knew at once what was the matter, and said to her, “Let me see you make these grimaces.” When she had finished, he said to her, “What you have got the matter with you is of no moment, but I warn you not to let anyone see you making those grimaces, because when you do so you present a striking resemblance to Mrs. ——” (a famous criminal of the time, then “wanted” by the police), “and you may get run in if you don’t take care!” This so frightened the girl that she never made grimaces again! This curious habit can be cured, as you see. It is semi-involuntary—that is, it was originally voluntary, but from constant repetition it has become a habit. It is a habit from which you must break yourself. It is no good saying you cannot—we say you can; but you must try, and at present avoid anything which is liable to produce it. We have not asked you to do anything impossible—“to do lessons or anything ofthatsort”—but why do you have such an objection “to do lessons or anything ofthatsort?” You will find that there are more unpleasant things in life than lessons!MISCELLANEOUS.Rebecca.—The invention of the gamut and the lines of the stave is attributed to D’Arezzo, an Italian who flourished in the eleventh century. At the Vatican, and in the King’s Library, Paris, there are valuable copies of his famousMicrologus.Perplexed.—We think it would be for your own happiness if you cleared up the question, as no honest man has any right to be paying his addresses to two women at once. If you have a mother, you had better let her make the inquiry.Marguerite.—The simnel-cakes made in Lent, at Eastertide, and Christmas, in Shropshire and Herefordshire—more especially at Shrewsbury—date back to great antiquity. Herrick speaks of them in one of his epigrams, from which it appears that at Gloucester it was the custom for young people to carry simnels to their mothers on mid-Lent Sunday, called “Mothering Sunday.” In Mediæval Latin it is calledsiminellus, and is derived from the Latinsimila, or fine flour. Like the religious signification of the hot-cross-buns, the simnel-cakes were, in early times, marked with a figure of Christ or of the Virgin Mary. The Pagan Saxons ate cakes in honour or commemoration of their goddess Eastre, and, unable to prevent people from so doing as a heathen custom, the Christian clergy had the buns marked with a cross, to remind them of our Lord and His work of redemption.Troubled One.—We are well acquainted with the infidel argument that “the death of one man could not atone for, nor make restitution for, the sins and the debts of millions of other men.” But first, Christ was the Second Person of the Divine Trinity, andOnewith the Father and the Holy Ghost, and His was an infinite sacrifice for finite sin; an infinite satisfaction for finite indebtedness. Secondly, as man’s rebellion was against his Creator, and the unfulfilled obligations were to Him, his Creator had an absolute right to punish, or forgive, to claim, or to remit man’s debton His Own terms. Thus, if He said, “I will accept man’s acknowledgment of sin and indebtedness to Me, if he offer a lamb in token thereof,” He had an indisputable right to do so; and when He accepts a Divine, and therefore infinite sacrifice, He has a right to do so. Who may presume to question it?Two Chums.—The phrase, “Once in a blue moon” means “very rarely,” and the originator of the phrase exaggerated what it was designed to mean, as it expresses not rarity only, but impossibility of occurrence, as there is no such thing as a “blue” moon, any more than a personage correctly designated “Blue Beard.”Constant Readerappears to have overlooked many answers to her question. Brides do not supply house-linen, nor furniture, nor any household requisites. If her parents like to make a present of such a nature, it is perfectly gratuitous. The bridegroom is naturally to have a home suitable for the reception of his bride when he takes her from her father’s house.Tom Tit.—Certainly there are books on conchology. You have only to inquire at a good librarian’s.MacNally.—Inquire in the Will Department, Somerset House, and see those of that date. You should give the names and probable date; 1s. is charged for a search through each year, we believe. We have looked in theLondon Directoryand theRoyal Red Book, and did not see your cousin’s address.A. Neighbour.—To obtain any particulars respecting the writer Mary E. Wilkins, you had better write to her publisher.Antiquary.—Of all the ancient nations of which we possess historical records, Egypt stands first. According to Canon Rawlinson (quoted by Dawson), history and archæological discoveries give the earliest date as 2760B.C.; of Babylon, as 2300B.C.; of Phœnicia, as 1700B.C.; of Assyria, as 1500B.C.; of India, as 1200B.C., and of China, as 1154B.C.Whether any new light has been thrown on the subject by more recent investigations and discoveries than what we receive from Canon Rawlinson, we are not at this moment prepared to say.Country Lass.—Rosemary-tea is excellent for promoting the growth of the hair. Chemists prepare it in a cleaner form than you can at home. You cannot make your hair “wavy and glossy” unless the hair have flattened sides to each tube (we mean if the hair be round it will not curl), and if naturally rough, any gloss artificially produced would only be through greasiness. Joan and Jane are feminines of the Hebrew name John—“the gracious gift of God.”Amateur Stamp Collector.—With reference to the uses made by the authorities at the Asile des Billodes, at Le Locle, we can only repeat what we were told by a Swiss lady, who has long maintained a girl herself in this special institution, that “she believed the stamps were sent to, and made intopapier machéat, Nüremberg”; so for whatever other uses they are employed, or to whatever other destinations they may be sent (perhaps exclusive of those at Le Locle, according to their printed advertisement), it seems that a large proportion goes to that place. We have the paper, a copy of which you are so good as to send, and are quite ready to believe our friend was mistaken as regards the Asile she helps to support.[Transcriber’s Note: the following changes have been made to this text.Page 579: Effiie to Effie—“and now Effie”.Page 580: Soâne to Saône—“A Summer Voyage on the Saône”.Symond’s to Symonds’—“J. A Symonds’”.Edmond to Edmondo—“Edmondo de Amicis”.Taines’ to Taine’s—“H. Taine’s”.Page 581: Teneriffe, and its Seven Satellites to Tenerife, and its Six Satellites.Vesa to Vasa—“Gustavus Vasa”.Alex. to Alec.—“Alec. Tweedie”.Grohmann to Grohman—“W. A. Grohman”.Page 583: conciousness to consciousness—“self-consciousness”.Page 586: baking powder to baking-powder—“baking-powder. Make”.]

Katie Roberts.—No apology is necessary in sending your verses, but we fear you would scarcely be able to write anything for publication. The metre of your lines is incorrect; occasionally you begin a verse with a line far too short,e.g., “He is, we all know it.” “The Unseen Guest” is the better of the two poems, and we think it is natural to beguile hours when you are not on active duty by expressing these thoughts. It is not the substance but the form that we criticise. You should study the laws of versification.Lisa.—We must commend to you the advice contained in the last clause of the preceding answer. If you wish to improve in writing verse, study the laws of metre, which you will find in any good handbook of the English tongue. In “Wait,” the second line is two syllables too long. “Guest” and “bless” do not rhyme.Apple Blossom.—We have read your story, and are afraid we must literally comply with your request to “pull it to pieces.” The central incident is most improbable. Prosperous theatrical managers do not steal plays by copying manuscripts left with them for perusal. As “Claude” received his MS. again, you must see that detection was absolutely certain, and no motive is suggested for the extraordinary act of Sir Francis Lockhart, whom you should not call “Sir Lockhart.” Claude acted with foolishness and ingratitude in angrily refusing the offer of his uncle, which is so scornfully mentioned, of a “stool in his warehouse,” and genius does not burst forth in a moment in the construction of a successful play, nor the production of widely-read magazine articles, by a half-educated youth. These faults in your story proceed from ignorance of real life, but there are also very many defects in style; tautology is frequent, and you should not write of a “flunky,” nor of “Belgravia Square.” We hope you study the book we recommended to you. There is no “royal road” to literary success of any kind, even for aspirants with talent.Arbutus.—We can mention in reply to your query, the Cambridge Training College for Women Teachers (fees £60 to £70 a year for residence, tuition, etc.), and recommend you, for particulars of teachers’ training, also to apply to the Secretary, Association for the Education of Women, Clarendon Building, Oxford. You do not say for what sort of teaching the training is required; but for elementary schoolmistresses there are a great number of colleges. The Bishop Otter Memorial College at Chichester is intended for the daughters of the clergy and professional men: fees, £20 per annum for Queen’s scholars, £50 for private students. In Ireland there are the Marlboro’ Street Training College, and the Church of Ireland Training College, Dublin. Stockwell College, Stockwell Road, London, is a fine college: fees £25 for two years’ board and tuition. For a full list of these training colleges for elementary schoolmistresses, and particulars of the entrance examination, apply Education Department, London.Molly.—It would certainly not be “waste of time” to take lessons in drawing. You evidently have a love for it, and a good idea of copying. It would always be a pleasant resource for you.Constance.—Apply to theTimesOffice, London, for the number containing Rudyard Kipling’s Jubilee poem. We believe it first appeared inLiterature, but you will obtain information there.Mrs. E. M. L. Knight.—1. We think you could not do better with your little boy than to adopt, as far as you can, the Kindergarten system. If you were to write to the Froebel Society, 12, Buckingham Street, Adelphi, London, W.C., you would probably be told of some book or books by which, as you seem a thoughtful and intelligent mother, you could guide yourself in the work of training the child’s faculties of observation and attention, and imparting knowledge of “natural surroundings.” It is pleasant to see the little children at the Kindergartens modelling in sand the promontory, island, hill, and showing the course of a river from its spring on the mountain to the sea. This is just one instance of the sort of occupation that teaches and amuses them. Considering what you tell us, we think if you could devote a part of each day to your boy, it would be far better than sending him to the village school. As he is only 2½ years old, there is plenty of time for school life.—2. A very useful though not new book on children’s ailments is Dr. Pye Chavasse’sAdvice to a Mother. The National Health Society, 53, Berners Street, London, W., will send you a list of medical books or pamphlets for household use.Elizabeth.—1. We should consider that Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, Sir James Simpson, Sir Richard Owen, Lord Lister, Edison, Röntgen, Sir William Huggins, Professors Dewar and Ramsay were among “the greatest scientists of the present age.” We cannot possibly give you a full list here.—2. Your writing is clear, but inclined to be too childish in its thick down-strokes, and long loops to y’s and g’s. It needs more freedom.J. J. A.—We refer you also to Mrs. Watson’s articles on “What are the County Councils doing for Girls?” and—if you cannot consult them—to the Secretary of the Board of Technical Education, St. Martin’s Lane, London. You might also write to the Secretaries of Queen’s College, Harley Street, W., and of Holloway College, Egham, for particulars of scholarships in connection with those institutions.Edythe.—We think a very interesting way to teach young children spelling is to give them a good box of letters (“Spelling-Game”), and let them fill the frame with words, either from memory or from a book; or the letters of a word may be given loose to the child, and he be required to form the word himself. Games may easily be arranged with the letter-box for several children. Many thanks for your enclosure.

Lisa.—We must commend to you the advice contained in the last clause of the preceding answer. If you wish to improve in writing verse, study the laws of metre, which you will find in any good handbook of the English tongue. In “Wait,” the second line is two syllables too long. “Guest” and “bless” do not rhyme.

Apple Blossom.—We have read your story, and are afraid we must literally comply with your request to “pull it to pieces.” The central incident is most improbable. Prosperous theatrical managers do not steal plays by copying manuscripts left with them for perusal. As “Claude” received his MS. again, you must see that detection was absolutely certain, and no motive is suggested for the extraordinary act of Sir Francis Lockhart, whom you should not call “Sir Lockhart.” Claude acted with foolishness and ingratitude in angrily refusing the offer of his uncle, which is so scornfully mentioned, of a “stool in his warehouse,” and genius does not burst forth in a moment in the construction of a successful play, nor the production of widely-read magazine articles, by a half-educated youth. These faults in your story proceed from ignorance of real life, but there are also very many defects in style; tautology is frequent, and you should not write of a “flunky,” nor of “Belgravia Square.” We hope you study the book we recommended to you. There is no “royal road” to literary success of any kind, even for aspirants with talent.

Arbutus.—We can mention in reply to your query, the Cambridge Training College for Women Teachers (fees £60 to £70 a year for residence, tuition, etc.), and recommend you, for particulars of teachers’ training, also to apply to the Secretary, Association for the Education of Women, Clarendon Building, Oxford. You do not say for what sort of teaching the training is required; but for elementary schoolmistresses there are a great number of colleges. The Bishop Otter Memorial College at Chichester is intended for the daughters of the clergy and professional men: fees, £20 per annum for Queen’s scholars, £50 for private students. In Ireland there are the Marlboro’ Street Training College, and the Church of Ireland Training College, Dublin. Stockwell College, Stockwell Road, London, is a fine college: fees £25 for two years’ board and tuition. For a full list of these training colleges for elementary schoolmistresses, and particulars of the entrance examination, apply Education Department, London.

Molly.—It would certainly not be “waste of time” to take lessons in drawing. You evidently have a love for it, and a good idea of copying. It would always be a pleasant resource for you.

Constance.—Apply to theTimesOffice, London, for the number containing Rudyard Kipling’s Jubilee poem. We believe it first appeared inLiterature, but you will obtain information there.

Mrs. E. M. L. Knight.—1. We think you could not do better with your little boy than to adopt, as far as you can, the Kindergarten system. If you were to write to the Froebel Society, 12, Buckingham Street, Adelphi, London, W.C., you would probably be told of some book or books by which, as you seem a thoughtful and intelligent mother, you could guide yourself in the work of training the child’s faculties of observation and attention, and imparting knowledge of “natural surroundings.” It is pleasant to see the little children at the Kindergartens modelling in sand the promontory, island, hill, and showing the course of a river from its spring on the mountain to the sea. This is just one instance of the sort of occupation that teaches and amuses them. Considering what you tell us, we think if you could devote a part of each day to your boy, it would be far better than sending him to the village school. As he is only 2½ years old, there is plenty of time for school life.—2. A very useful though not new book on children’s ailments is Dr. Pye Chavasse’sAdvice to a Mother. The National Health Society, 53, Berners Street, London, W., will send you a list of medical books or pamphlets for household use.

Elizabeth.—1. We should consider that Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, Sir James Simpson, Sir Richard Owen, Lord Lister, Edison, Röntgen, Sir William Huggins, Professors Dewar and Ramsay were among “the greatest scientists of the present age.” We cannot possibly give you a full list here.—2. Your writing is clear, but inclined to be too childish in its thick down-strokes, and long loops to y’s and g’s. It needs more freedom.

J. J. A.—We refer you also to Mrs. Watson’s articles on “What are the County Councils doing for Girls?” and—if you cannot consult them—to the Secretary of the Board of Technical Education, St. Martin’s Lane, London. You might also write to the Secretaries of Queen’s College, Harley Street, W., and of Holloway College, Egham, for particulars of scholarships in connection with those institutions.

Edythe.—We think a very interesting way to teach young children spelling is to give them a good box of letters (“Spelling-Game”), and let them fill the frame with words, either from memory or from a book; or the letters of a word may be given loose to the child, and he be required to form the word himself. Games may easily be arranged with the letter-box for several children. Many thanks for your enclosure.

Isabel(Art Needlework).—You would be very well taught in the Royal School of Art Needlework, Exhibition Road, South Kensington; the fee for instruction is £5. The School does not, however, guarantee to find work for its pupils, but some of the latter earn an average income of £1 a week. In art-needlework shops, the payment is usually much lower, 14s. or 15s. a week being not unusual. If you are fond of needlework, could you not learn dressmaking at a technical institute, and then go out as a visiting dressmaker? You would do better in this way than as an embroideress, for you could earn about 2s. 6d. a day, and would receive board during the time of your engagement.A Young Correspondent(Helping others).—The fact that you are very young need not prevent you from helping other people as you wish to do, and from making yourself useful in the world. If you can knit, you might write to the secretary of the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, 181, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., and ask whether you could knit mufflers or mittens for the fishermen. Another kind of work in which help is required is in embossing books in Braille type for the use of the blind. In regard to this work, you should apply to the Hon. Secretary, British and Foreign Blind Association, 33, Cambridge Square, W. Do not trouble about the other matters you mention. Girls in their teens often do not look their best, and the complexion nearly always improves in later life. With a pleasant manner and a neat becoming style of dress, a girl may always make an agreeable impression, whereas there are many handsome girls who are so selfish and disagreeable that their beauty gives no pleasure to anybody, not even to themselves.Pansy(Advice).—It would be a great mistake to become a companion, although you do say that such a career is your ambition. Companions occupy an anomalous position; their duties are undefined, and their services are consequently little valued. And, after middle life, the companion usually finds herself without an engagement, and without a profession of any kind. You say you do not wish to become a governess, but at the same time you feel yourself competent to teach children from seven years old to twelve. Now, under these circumstances would it not be wise to become an elementary school teacher? Your pupils would be of the ages mentioned, and you would have an occupation by which you could almost certainly earn a living. Elementary teachers are now in great demand, for this very reason, that so many girls will try to become companions and secretaries. Had you been under eighteen, you might have become an apprentice as a pupil-teacher in an elementary school; but as you are eighteen already, you had better pass the Queen’s Scholarship Examination, and then seek employment as an assistant teacher, or, much better, enter a teachers’ training college. You could study all the requirements more fully by obtaining through a bookseller a copy of the New Code, issued by the Education Department. If you wanted further advice, it is probable that some Board School or National School mistress in your own town would give it.Snowball(Typewriting, etc.).—A typist and shorthand writer, employed as a clerk in a City office, usually receives a weekly salary of from 18s. to 21s. to begin with, rising at the end of a year or two (if she is really competent) to 25s. and, after that, rising again possibly to 30s., 35s., or any amount not exceeding £2. But many girls do not advance beyond 25s. per week, and employment is to some extent precarious, as so many girls can now do typing and write shorthand with moderate skill. But we consider that a girl occupies a tolerably secure position who can do verbatim reporting, and can be relied on to take down all that is said at a long meeting, which, when interruption and discussion takes place, is by no means an easy task. But as you are quite young, write a good clear hand, which you will doubtless improve within the next twelvemonth, and are determined to work, we should counsel the Post Office Department of the Civil Service in your case, especially if you pass the Cambridge Junior Examination well, for which you are preparing yourself. You should try to get into the Service as a girl clerk as soon as you are sixteen; that is better than waiting till you are eighteen to enter as a woman clerk. Pay great attention meantime to your studies in French, German, geography, arithmetic, and handwriting. Girl clerks begin at a salary at £35, and women clerks at £55. The latter are eligible for a pension after a certain number of years’ service.Kalifa(House Decoration).—We do not quite agree with you that there is an increasing demand for ladies who undertake house decoration. To succeed in the business, a girl ought to be apprenticed to a decorator who will teach her how to draw and design furniture, and to see that workmen carry out orders properly. To learn the business thoroughly, a girl must either give time or pay a high premium; one of the foremost decorators charges £100. It is not an employment for everybody; and a good many ladies of taste have failed because they have not carried out their work in a sufficiently responsible and business-like manner.Espérance(Suggestions).—If you shrink from nursing, it is difficult to know what you can do in the way of philanthropic work without possessing some private means. Perhaps through the church or chapel you attend you could be put in the way of doing something for the poor, such as district visiting. There are also, as you perhaps know, several settlements in the East of London in which women work. For instance, there is the St. Margaret’s House, Bethnal Green, a Church of England Settlement, and there is also the Canning Town Settlement, 459, Barking Road, Plaistow, which is unsectarian. You would probably find that should the occasion arise for you to earn your living, the experience gained by working in one of these settlements would help you to obtain a position as matron of some charitable institution. There is now a considerable demand for philanthropic workers who have been trained in settlements.Lois(Librarianship).—We hardly think your scheme is feasible of obtaining a librarianship in a charitable institution or in a ladies’ club. In a workmen’s reading-room and institute it is quite possible you might obtain employment, or in a free library. The branches of the Manchester Free Library employ women. Some post of that kind you would probably fill well, as you have had several years’ experience already, and have interested yourself in the work. Then there is a large circulating library at Norwich, the property of a private firm, where some women are engaged. Otherwise, if you wish to make a change, you would have to seek a secretaryship, or post as book-keeper, as you say; but this seems to us rather a pity as you have done so well as a librarian.Ingeborg(Needlework).—You had better communicate with the secretary of the Society for the Advancement of Plain Needlework, 16, Stafford Street, Marylebone Road, N.W., and ask what courses he would advise you to pursue in order to obtain a teachership of needlework. Very likely it may be thought best that you should pass the examination at the City Guilds’ Institute, as this qualification would help you materially to secure an appointment.

A Young Correspondent(Helping others).—The fact that you are very young need not prevent you from helping other people as you wish to do, and from making yourself useful in the world. If you can knit, you might write to the secretary of the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, 181, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., and ask whether you could knit mufflers or mittens for the fishermen. Another kind of work in which help is required is in embossing books in Braille type for the use of the blind. In regard to this work, you should apply to the Hon. Secretary, British and Foreign Blind Association, 33, Cambridge Square, W. Do not trouble about the other matters you mention. Girls in their teens often do not look their best, and the complexion nearly always improves in later life. With a pleasant manner and a neat becoming style of dress, a girl may always make an agreeable impression, whereas there are many handsome girls who are so selfish and disagreeable that their beauty gives no pleasure to anybody, not even to themselves.

Pansy(Advice).—It would be a great mistake to become a companion, although you do say that such a career is your ambition. Companions occupy an anomalous position; their duties are undefined, and their services are consequently little valued. And, after middle life, the companion usually finds herself without an engagement, and without a profession of any kind. You say you do not wish to become a governess, but at the same time you feel yourself competent to teach children from seven years old to twelve. Now, under these circumstances would it not be wise to become an elementary school teacher? Your pupils would be of the ages mentioned, and you would have an occupation by which you could almost certainly earn a living. Elementary teachers are now in great demand, for this very reason, that so many girls will try to become companions and secretaries. Had you been under eighteen, you might have become an apprentice as a pupil-teacher in an elementary school; but as you are eighteen already, you had better pass the Queen’s Scholarship Examination, and then seek employment as an assistant teacher, or, much better, enter a teachers’ training college. You could study all the requirements more fully by obtaining through a bookseller a copy of the New Code, issued by the Education Department. If you wanted further advice, it is probable that some Board School or National School mistress in your own town would give it.

Snowball(Typewriting, etc.).—A typist and shorthand writer, employed as a clerk in a City office, usually receives a weekly salary of from 18s. to 21s. to begin with, rising at the end of a year or two (if she is really competent) to 25s. and, after that, rising again possibly to 30s., 35s., or any amount not exceeding £2. But many girls do not advance beyond 25s. per week, and employment is to some extent precarious, as so many girls can now do typing and write shorthand with moderate skill. But we consider that a girl occupies a tolerably secure position who can do verbatim reporting, and can be relied on to take down all that is said at a long meeting, which, when interruption and discussion takes place, is by no means an easy task. But as you are quite young, write a good clear hand, which you will doubtless improve within the next twelvemonth, and are determined to work, we should counsel the Post Office Department of the Civil Service in your case, especially if you pass the Cambridge Junior Examination well, for which you are preparing yourself. You should try to get into the Service as a girl clerk as soon as you are sixteen; that is better than waiting till you are eighteen to enter as a woman clerk. Pay great attention meantime to your studies in French, German, geography, arithmetic, and handwriting. Girl clerks begin at a salary at £35, and women clerks at £55. The latter are eligible for a pension after a certain number of years’ service.

Kalifa(House Decoration).—We do not quite agree with you that there is an increasing demand for ladies who undertake house decoration. To succeed in the business, a girl ought to be apprenticed to a decorator who will teach her how to draw and design furniture, and to see that workmen carry out orders properly. To learn the business thoroughly, a girl must either give time or pay a high premium; one of the foremost decorators charges £100. It is not an employment for everybody; and a good many ladies of taste have failed because they have not carried out their work in a sufficiently responsible and business-like manner.

Espérance(Suggestions).—If you shrink from nursing, it is difficult to know what you can do in the way of philanthropic work without possessing some private means. Perhaps through the church or chapel you attend you could be put in the way of doing something for the poor, such as district visiting. There are also, as you perhaps know, several settlements in the East of London in which women work. For instance, there is the St. Margaret’s House, Bethnal Green, a Church of England Settlement, and there is also the Canning Town Settlement, 459, Barking Road, Plaistow, which is unsectarian. You would probably find that should the occasion arise for you to earn your living, the experience gained by working in one of these settlements would help you to obtain a position as matron of some charitable institution. There is now a considerable demand for philanthropic workers who have been trained in settlements.

Lois(Librarianship).—We hardly think your scheme is feasible of obtaining a librarianship in a charitable institution or in a ladies’ club. In a workmen’s reading-room and institute it is quite possible you might obtain employment, or in a free library. The branches of the Manchester Free Library employ women. Some post of that kind you would probably fill well, as you have had several years’ experience already, and have interested yourself in the work. Then there is a large circulating library at Norwich, the property of a private firm, where some women are engaged. Otherwise, if you wish to make a change, you would have to seek a secretaryship, or post as book-keeper, as you say; but this seems to us rather a pity as you have done so well as a librarian.

Ingeborg(Needlework).—You had better communicate with the secretary of the Society for the Advancement of Plain Needlework, 16, Stafford Street, Marylebone Road, N.W., and ask what courses he would advise you to pursue in order to obtain a teachership of needlework. Very likely it may be thought best that you should pass the examination at the City Guilds’ Institute, as this qualification would help you materially to secure an appointment.

Eglantine.—If the teeth become loosened, and the gums show a tendency to bleed on slight provocation, use a mouth-wash of tincture of myrrh; add about a teaspoonful of tincture of myrrh to half a tumblerful of water, and rinse out your mouth and wash your teeth with it. The “tincture of myrrh and borax” of the shops is made by mixing tincture of myrrh with glycerine of borax. Both these are pharmacopœial preparations.A Japanese Girl.—In common parlance we use the term “fainting” to express any condition in which a person acutely loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The term therefore includes epilepsy, apoplexy, sunstroke, acute syncope, and the condition which you wish to know about, ordinary fainting fits, or semi-syncope. The fits, as everybody knows, occur chiefly in young women and girls who are anæmic or hysterical. They consist of a momentary weakness of the heart-beat, as the result of which the brain is insufficiently supplied with blood, and the person drops down “in a heap.” This sudden falling lowers the position of the head, and so prevents the brain from becoming anæmic. When a person faints, or feels faint, her head should be lowered; if she is sitting in a chair, her head should be forced down to her knees; if she is standing up, she should be placed upon her back. How often we see kind-hearted persons carrying a fainting girl out of church, taking care to keep her head well raised! Sal volatile, cold water and brandy are sometimes given to fainting girls, but none of these is necessary, and the brandy usually does harm. Though fainting looks very dangerous, it is really very trivial. We have never seen a death during one of these young women’s fainting fits.Lady Babbie.—It is related of a great physician that a girl once came to him complaining, as you do, that she made horrible grimaces, moving her scalp and eyebrows about in a most absurd manner, and making herself look ridiculous. Of course he knew at once what was the matter, and said to her, “Let me see you make these grimaces.” When she had finished, he said to her, “What you have got the matter with you is of no moment, but I warn you not to let anyone see you making those grimaces, because when you do so you present a striking resemblance to Mrs. ——” (a famous criminal of the time, then “wanted” by the police), “and you may get run in if you don’t take care!” This so frightened the girl that she never made grimaces again! This curious habit can be cured, as you see. It is semi-involuntary—that is, it was originally voluntary, but from constant repetition it has become a habit. It is a habit from which you must break yourself. It is no good saying you cannot—we say you can; but you must try, and at present avoid anything which is liable to produce it. We have not asked you to do anything impossible—“to do lessons or anything ofthatsort”—but why do you have such an objection “to do lessons or anything ofthatsort?” You will find that there are more unpleasant things in life than lessons!

A Japanese Girl.—In common parlance we use the term “fainting” to express any condition in which a person acutely loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The term therefore includes epilepsy, apoplexy, sunstroke, acute syncope, and the condition which you wish to know about, ordinary fainting fits, or semi-syncope. The fits, as everybody knows, occur chiefly in young women and girls who are anæmic or hysterical. They consist of a momentary weakness of the heart-beat, as the result of which the brain is insufficiently supplied with blood, and the person drops down “in a heap.” This sudden falling lowers the position of the head, and so prevents the brain from becoming anæmic. When a person faints, or feels faint, her head should be lowered; if she is sitting in a chair, her head should be forced down to her knees; if she is standing up, she should be placed upon her back. How often we see kind-hearted persons carrying a fainting girl out of church, taking care to keep her head well raised! Sal volatile, cold water and brandy are sometimes given to fainting girls, but none of these is necessary, and the brandy usually does harm. Though fainting looks very dangerous, it is really very trivial. We have never seen a death during one of these young women’s fainting fits.

Lady Babbie.—It is related of a great physician that a girl once came to him complaining, as you do, that she made horrible grimaces, moving her scalp and eyebrows about in a most absurd manner, and making herself look ridiculous. Of course he knew at once what was the matter, and said to her, “Let me see you make these grimaces.” When she had finished, he said to her, “What you have got the matter with you is of no moment, but I warn you not to let anyone see you making those grimaces, because when you do so you present a striking resemblance to Mrs. ——” (a famous criminal of the time, then “wanted” by the police), “and you may get run in if you don’t take care!” This so frightened the girl that she never made grimaces again! This curious habit can be cured, as you see. It is semi-involuntary—that is, it was originally voluntary, but from constant repetition it has become a habit. It is a habit from which you must break yourself. It is no good saying you cannot—we say you can; but you must try, and at present avoid anything which is liable to produce it. We have not asked you to do anything impossible—“to do lessons or anything ofthatsort”—but why do you have such an objection “to do lessons or anything ofthatsort?” You will find that there are more unpleasant things in life than lessons!

Rebecca.—The invention of the gamut and the lines of the stave is attributed to D’Arezzo, an Italian who flourished in the eleventh century. At the Vatican, and in the King’s Library, Paris, there are valuable copies of his famousMicrologus.Perplexed.—We think it would be for your own happiness if you cleared up the question, as no honest man has any right to be paying his addresses to two women at once. If you have a mother, you had better let her make the inquiry.Marguerite.—The simnel-cakes made in Lent, at Eastertide, and Christmas, in Shropshire and Herefordshire—more especially at Shrewsbury—date back to great antiquity. Herrick speaks of them in one of his epigrams, from which it appears that at Gloucester it was the custom for young people to carry simnels to their mothers on mid-Lent Sunday, called “Mothering Sunday.” In Mediæval Latin it is calledsiminellus, and is derived from the Latinsimila, or fine flour. Like the religious signification of the hot-cross-buns, the simnel-cakes were, in early times, marked with a figure of Christ or of the Virgin Mary. The Pagan Saxons ate cakes in honour or commemoration of their goddess Eastre, and, unable to prevent people from so doing as a heathen custom, the Christian clergy had the buns marked with a cross, to remind them of our Lord and His work of redemption.Troubled One.—We are well acquainted with the infidel argument that “the death of one man could not atone for, nor make restitution for, the sins and the debts of millions of other men.” But first, Christ was the Second Person of the Divine Trinity, andOnewith the Father and the Holy Ghost, and His was an infinite sacrifice for finite sin; an infinite satisfaction for finite indebtedness. Secondly, as man’s rebellion was against his Creator, and the unfulfilled obligations were to Him, his Creator had an absolute right to punish, or forgive, to claim, or to remit man’s debton His Own terms. Thus, if He said, “I will accept man’s acknowledgment of sin and indebtedness to Me, if he offer a lamb in token thereof,” He had an indisputable right to do so; and when He accepts a Divine, and therefore infinite sacrifice, He has a right to do so. Who may presume to question it?Two Chums.—The phrase, “Once in a blue moon” means “very rarely,” and the originator of the phrase exaggerated what it was designed to mean, as it expresses not rarity only, but impossibility of occurrence, as there is no such thing as a “blue” moon, any more than a personage correctly designated “Blue Beard.”Constant Readerappears to have overlooked many answers to her question. Brides do not supply house-linen, nor furniture, nor any household requisites. If her parents like to make a present of such a nature, it is perfectly gratuitous. The bridegroom is naturally to have a home suitable for the reception of his bride when he takes her from her father’s house.Tom Tit.—Certainly there are books on conchology. You have only to inquire at a good librarian’s.MacNally.—Inquire in the Will Department, Somerset House, and see those of that date. You should give the names and probable date; 1s. is charged for a search through each year, we believe. We have looked in theLondon Directoryand theRoyal Red Book, and did not see your cousin’s address.A. Neighbour.—To obtain any particulars respecting the writer Mary E. Wilkins, you had better write to her publisher.Antiquary.—Of all the ancient nations of which we possess historical records, Egypt stands first. According to Canon Rawlinson (quoted by Dawson), history and archæological discoveries give the earliest date as 2760B.C.; of Babylon, as 2300B.C.; of Phœnicia, as 1700B.C.; of Assyria, as 1500B.C.; of India, as 1200B.C., and of China, as 1154B.C.Whether any new light has been thrown on the subject by more recent investigations and discoveries than what we receive from Canon Rawlinson, we are not at this moment prepared to say.Country Lass.—Rosemary-tea is excellent for promoting the growth of the hair. Chemists prepare it in a cleaner form than you can at home. You cannot make your hair “wavy and glossy” unless the hair have flattened sides to each tube (we mean if the hair be round it will not curl), and if naturally rough, any gloss artificially produced would only be through greasiness. Joan and Jane are feminines of the Hebrew name John—“the gracious gift of God.”Amateur Stamp Collector.—With reference to the uses made by the authorities at the Asile des Billodes, at Le Locle, we can only repeat what we were told by a Swiss lady, who has long maintained a girl herself in this special institution, that “she believed the stamps were sent to, and made intopapier machéat, Nüremberg”; so for whatever other uses they are employed, or to whatever other destinations they may be sent (perhaps exclusive of those at Le Locle, according to their printed advertisement), it seems that a large proportion goes to that place. We have the paper, a copy of which you are so good as to send, and are quite ready to believe our friend was mistaken as regards the Asile she helps to support.

Perplexed.—We think it would be for your own happiness if you cleared up the question, as no honest man has any right to be paying his addresses to two women at once. If you have a mother, you had better let her make the inquiry.

Marguerite.—The simnel-cakes made in Lent, at Eastertide, and Christmas, in Shropshire and Herefordshire—more especially at Shrewsbury—date back to great antiquity. Herrick speaks of them in one of his epigrams, from which it appears that at Gloucester it was the custom for young people to carry simnels to their mothers on mid-Lent Sunday, called “Mothering Sunday.” In Mediæval Latin it is calledsiminellus, and is derived from the Latinsimila, or fine flour. Like the religious signification of the hot-cross-buns, the simnel-cakes were, in early times, marked with a figure of Christ or of the Virgin Mary. The Pagan Saxons ate cakes in honour or commemoration of their goddess Eastre, and, unable to prevent people from so doing as a heathen custom, the Christian clergy had the buns marked with a cross, to remind them of our Lord and His work of redemption.

Troubled One.—We are well acquainted with the infidel argument that “the death of one man could not atone for, nor make restitution for, the sins and the debts of millions of other men.” But first, Christ was the Second Person of the Divine Trinity, andOnewith the Father and the Holy Ghost, and His was an infinite sacrifice for finite sin; an infinite satisfaction for finite indebtedness. Secondly, as man’s rebellion was against his Creator, and the unfulfilled obligations were to Him, his Creator had an absolute right to punish, or forgive, to claim, or to remit man’s debton His Own terms. Thus, if He said, “I will accept man’s acknowledgment of sin and indebtedness to Me, if he offer a lamb in token thereof,” He had an indisputable right to do so; and when He accepts a Divine, and therefore infinite sacrifice, He has a right to do so. Who may presume to question it?

Two Chums.—The phrase, “Once in a blue moon” means “very rarely,” and the originator of the phrase exaggerated what it was designed to mean, as it expresses not rarity only, but impossibility of occurrence, as there is no such thing as a “blue” moon, any more than a personage correctly designated “Blue Beard.”

Constant Readerappears to have overlooked many answers to her question. Brides do not supply house-linen, nor furniture, nor any household requisites. If her parents like to make a present of such a nature, it is perfectly gratuitous. The bridegroom is naturally to have a home suitable for the reception of his bride when he takes her from her father’s house.

Tom Tit.—Certainly there are books on conchology. You have only to inquire at a good librarian’s.

MacNally.—Inquire in the Will Department, Somerset House, and see those of that date. You should give the names and probable date; 1s. is charged for a search through each year, we believe. We have looked in theLondon Directoryand theRoyal Red Book, and did not see your cousin’s address.

A. Neighbour.—To obtain any particulars respecting the writer Mary E. Wilkins, you had better write to her publisher.

Antiquary.—Of all the ancient nations of which we possess historical records, Egypt stands first. According to Canon Rawlinson (quoted by Dawson), history and archæological discoveries give the earliest date as 2760B.C.; of Babylon, as 2300B.C.; of Phœnicia, as 1700B.C.; of Assyria, as 1500B.C.; of India, as 1200B.C., and of China, as 1154B.C.Whether any new light has been thrown on the subject by more recent investigations and discoveries than what we receive from Canon Rawlinson, we are not at this moment prepared to say.

Country Lass.—Rosemary-tea is excellent for promoting the growth of the hair. Chemists prepare it in a cleaner form than you can at home. You cannot make your hair “wavy and glossy” unless the hair have flattened sides to each tube (we mean if the hair be round it will not curl), and if naturally rough, any gloss artificially produced would only be through greasiness. Joan and Jane are feminines of the Hebrew name John—“the gracious gift of God.”

Amateur Stamp Collector.—With reference to the uses made by the authorities at the Asile des Billodes, at Le Locle, we can only repeat what we were told by a Swiss lady, who has long maintained a girl herself in this special institution, that “she believed the stamps were sent to, and made intopapier machéat, Nüremberg”; so for whatever other uses they are employed, or to whatever other destinations they may be sent (perhaps exclusive of those at Le Locle, according to their printed advertisement), it seems that a large proportion goes to that place. We have the paper, a copy of which you are so good as to send, and are quite ready to believe our friend was mistaken as regards the Asile she helps to support.

[Transcriber’s Note: the following changes have been made to this text.

Page 579: Effiie to Effie—“and now Effie”.

Page 580: Soâne to Saône—“A Summer Voyage on the Saône”.

Symond’s to Symonds’—“J. A Symonds’”.

Edmond to Edmondo—“Edmondo de Amicis”.

Taines’ to Taine’s—“H. Taine’s”.

Page 581: Teneriffe, and its Seven Satellites to Tenerife, and its Six Satellites.

Vesa to Vasa—“Gustavus Vasa”.

Alex. to Alec.—“Alec. Tweedie”.

Grohmann to Grohman—“W. A. Grohman”.

Page 583: conciousness to consciousness—“self-consciousness”.

Page 586: baking powder to baking-powder—“baking-powder. Make”.]

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