VARIETIES.

VARIETIES.A Sufficient Reason.Author:“But why do you charge me more for printing this time than usual?”Publisher:“Because the compositors were constantly falling asleep over your novel.”Living happily together.—A few more smiles of silent sympathy, a few more tender words, a little more restraint on temper, may make all the difference between happiness and half-happiness to those we live with.Friendship.Well-chosen friendship, the most nobleOf virtues, all our joys makes doubleAnd into halves divides our trouble.Denham.How they Closed the Day.When Dr. Walsham How was rector of Whittington, an old woman, on the occasion of his first visit, said to him—“The old man and me, sir, never go to bed without singing the Evening Hymn. Not that I’ve any voice left, for I haven’t, and as for him, he’s like a bee in a bottle, and then he don’t humour the tune, for he don’t rightly know one tune from another, and he can’t remember the words, neither, so when he leaves out a word I puts it in, and when I can’t sing I dances, and so we get through it somehow.”Showing and Seeing.—Behaviour is a mirror in which everyone shows and might see her own image.—Goethe.Mental Exertion.A lady took her Irish maid to task for carelessness and forgetfulness. “Why is it, Mary,” said she, “that you keep on making the same mistakes over and over again? Why don’t you try to remember what I tell you?”The day happened to be very warm, so Mary returned the quaint reply, “Sure, ma’am, I can’t be aggravatin’ me moind this hot weather.”Consolation.—There never was a night which was not followed by a morning, nor a winter which was not succeeded by a summer. A most consoling reflection, this, to those distressed in the night and winter of spiritual trial and trouble.

A Sufficient Reason.

Author:“But why do you charge me more for printing this time than usual?”

Publisher:“Because the compositors were constantly falling asleep over your novel.”

Living happily together.—A few more smiles of silent sympathy, a few more tender words, a little more restraint on temper, may make all the difference between happiness and half-happiness to those we live with.

Friendship.

Well-chosen friendship, the most nobleOf virtues, all our joys makes doubleAnd into halves divides our trouble.Denham.

Well-chosen friendship, the most nobleOf virtues, all our joys makes doubleAnd into halves divides our trouble.

Well-chosen friendship, the most noble

Of virtues, all our joys makes double

And into halves divides our trouble.

Denham.

How they Closed the Day.

When Dr. Walsham How was rector of Whittington, an old woman, on the occasion of his first visit, said to him—

“The old man and me, sir, never go to bed without singing the Evening Hymn. Not that I’ve any voice left, for I haven’t, and as for him, he’s like a bee in a bottle, and then he don’t humour the tune, for he don’t rightly know one tune from another, and he can’t remember the words, neither, so when he leaves out a word I puts it in, and when I can’t sing I dances, and so we get through it somehow.”

Showing and Seeing.—Behaviour is a mirror in which everyone shows and might see her own image.—Goethe.

Mental Exertion.

A lady took her Irish maid to task for carelessness and forgetfulness. “Why is it, Mary,” said she, “that you keep on making the same mistakes over and over again? Why don’t you try to remember what I tell you?”

The day happened to be very warm, so Mary returned the quaint reply, “Sure, ma’am, I can’t be aggravatin’ me moind this hot weather.”

Consolation.—There never was a night which was not followed by a morning, nor a winter which was not succeeded by a summer. A most consoling reflection, this, to those distressed in the night and winter of spiritual trial and trouble.

COURTESY.ByELIZABETH A. S. DAWES, M.A., D.Lit.“Plus fait douceur que violence.”—La Fontaine, vi. 3.“A beautiful behaviour is better than a beautiful form; it gives a higher pleasure than statues and pictures; it is the finest of the fine arts.”—Emerson.Ihavechosen “courtesy” as the subject of my little address this time, as it is a virtue which is perhaps somewhat in danger of being forgotten and overlooked in these modern days of continual hurry and bustle; and yet it forms such an essential part of a beautiful character that nobody can justly claim the title of “gentleman” or “gentlewoman” if he or she neglects the practice of it, which is, too, the opinion of our Shakespeare, for he writes, “We must be gentle now we are gentlemen” (Winter’s Tale, v. 2).The derivation of the word, which really means the manners and behaviour to be observed at a royal court, is neatly given by Spenser in hisFaerie Queene, Book vi. 1.“Ofcourt, it seems, mencourtesiedo call,For that it there most useth to abound;And well beseemeth, that in princes hallThat vertue should be plentifully found,Which of all goodly manners is the groundAnd root of civil conversation”;and Milton likewise says that “courtesywas first named incourtsof princes.” And as an example of a prince who practised this virtue we may quote from an old memoir about Henry VIII., “We cannot omit to observe thiscourtly(shall I call it?) or good quality in him; that he wascourteous, and did seem to study to oblige.” However, the English girls of to-day need not look far for the pattern of a perfectly gracious and courteous woman, for who fulfils this ideal better than her Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria? Who better known than she for the courteous message of thanks to her troops when they have nobly done their duty, or for the quick expression of sympathy to the suffering victims of an accident or some personal bereavement?Then for a definition or short explanation of whatcourtesyis we cannot do better than turn toThe Greatest Thing in the World. Here on p. 26 we learn that courtesy is an ingredient of Love, that it is “Love in Society, Love in relation to Etiquette,” and has been defined as “love in little things”; in a word it is the quality denoted by the sentence, “Love doth not behave itself unseemly.” From these words we can also gather the reason why we should all show courtesy, for, as it is one of the components of love, and Christ said that all His disciples were to be distinguished from the rest of the world by their love for another, we shall not be true followers of Christ, or have a really beautiful character, if we omit any part of love; just as a beautiful mosaic could never be otherwise than imperfect, if, though complete in all other respects, the stones of one certain colour were everywhere missing.It must also be remembered that a courteous behaviour should be worn always and everywhere, and not only put on like a grand robe for state occasions, for courtesy is “a happy way of doing things, and should adorn even the smallest details of life, and contribute to render it as a whole agreeable and pleasant.” Hence, first and foremost, courtesy should be practised in the home by the children both towards their parents and towards each other. This is a matter which merits more attention and thought than is generally given to it, for by a courteous manner and a gentle tongue, more influence in the government of others is often attained than by qualities of greater depth and substance. Now woman, not man, is the true home-maker, therefore girls should take great pains to be courteous, and thus by their gentleness lead and direct the perhaps rude and selfish brother who will probably unconsciously sooner or later imitate and adopt his sister’s gracious ways. A sweet-tongued gentle maiden cannot fail to render the home, be it a poor or rich one, both pleasant and dear to her brothers and sisters. And then to parents how far more gentle and courteous we all should be than we are. It has been well said that a blessing is never fully realised until it is lost, and so I fear we hardly any of us realise clearly and distinctly to ourselves how much our parents, especially our dear mothers, do and suffer for us until the day comes when we know what it is to be without them.Dr. Miller, in his bookThe Building of Character, which I should earnestly recommend every girl to read, says, “Wherever else we may fail in patience, it should not be in our own homes. Only the sweetest life should have place there. We have not long to stay together, and we should be patient and gentle while we may.” And to enforce this teaching, he quotes one of the tenderest little poems ever written, and of which I subjoin a couple of verses:—“The hands are such dear hands;They are so full; they turn at our demandsSo often; they reach outWith trifles scarcely thought about;So many times they doSo many things for me, for you,If their fond wills mistake,We may well bend—not break.They are such fond frail lips,That speak to us. Pray, if love stripsThem of discretion many times,Or if they speak too slow or quick, such crimesWe may pass by; for we may seeDays not far off when those small words may beHeld not so slow or quick, or out of place, but dear,Because the lips are no more here.”Further, a courteous manner should be used towards the servants, orders given politely and unnecessary troubling of them avoided; for instance, lying late in bed, though intensely pleasant, often necessitates the disarrangement of the servants’ morning work, for which the delinquent herself will perhaps blame them later in the day.Atschool, again, how many “open doors” are there for doing little courtesies to mistresses and schoolfellows, and for aiding to maintain the peace and harmony both in class-room and playground by a gentle look or word, and for the “soft answer which turneth away wrath,” and stays the rising quarrel. The girl who will be most beloved, and who will have the best influence in a school, is undoubtedly she who is ever ready with a pleasant smile to play with the little ones, to say a kind word to another when in trouble, and who shows by her whole behaviour that she wishes to make those around her happy and comfortable. Then on those days of discouragement, when, in spite of all endeavours, the lessons are not well known, and it seems useless to go on trying to do as well as the other girls, or when, perchance, unmerited blame or irritating teasing has unnerved and tired you, how you welcome the friend who, without being told, knows how “wrong everything is going,” and with gentle loving words strives to cheer you, and bids you take heart again and bravely return to the fight.If we look at the reverse of the picture and contemplate the discourteous girl, be it at home or at school, we cannot fail to observe how many opportunities she loses of giving pleasure. She may come down to breakfast, and just mutter a “Good morning” and omit the morning kiss; during the day she may never notice how often she might fetch something for her mother or mistress, jump up or open the door for somebody with their hands full, or try to subdue her loud boisterous laughing or talking in a room where others are busy reading or writing—she will also pass in and out of a door in front of her elders, pay little attention to the wants of her neighbours at table; in short, she will not increase in any way the pleasantness of her surroundings.A word of warning, too, must be given to those girls who, with the best of intentions to try and do right and help others, make the mistake through their very excess of zeal of directing or correcting others in a rough, brusque way, and perhaps enforce their words by a not too gentle push or shove! These must read La Fontaine’s fable ofPhoebus and Boreas, orThe Sun and the Northwind, and see how the north wind, for all his violent blowing, could not divest the traveller of his cloak, whereas the sun by the influence of his gentle warming rays soon accomplished that in which the rough blasts of Boreas had failed. And if they follow the teaching of this fable, they will soon see how much more the gentle word accomplishes than the rough one.And now to close, I would like to ask you, who read these few remarks of mine, to endeavour to put more gentleness and courtesy in your dealings with other people than you have done heretofore; for in all of us there is always room for improvement, and there is not one of us surely but must admit that we often leave little courtesies undone and little gentle words unsaid. Courtesy is like the drop of oil that enables machinery to work noiselessly and smoothly, for it lessens the jars and friction of life and the consequent worry and fretfulness. Little things make or mar the peace of life, therefore exhibit courtesy which is “Love in little things,” and you will gain the gratitude and esteem of those around you, and carry away in your minds these lines of Lord Houghton, and never, if you can avoid it, lose an opportunity of putting them into practice—“An arm of aid to the weak,A friendly hand to the friendless,Kind words, so short to speak,But whose echo is endless:The world is wide—these things are small,They may be nothing, but they are All.”

ByELIZABETH A. S. DAWES, M.A., D.Lit.

“Plus fait douceur que violence.”—La Fontaine, vi. 3.“A beautiful behaviour is better than a beautiful form; it gives a higher pleasure than statues and pictures; it is the finest of the fine arts.”—Emerson.

“Plus fait douceur que violence.”—La Fontaine, vi. 3.

“A beautiful behaviour is better than a beautiful form; it gives a higher pleasure than statues and pictures; it is the finest of the fine arts.”—Emerson.

havechosen “courtesy” as the subject of my little address this time, as it is a virtue which is perhaps somewhat in danger of being forgotten and overlooked in these modern days of continual hurry and bustle; and yet it forms such an essential part of a beautiful character that nobody can justly claim the title of “gentleman” or “gentlewoman” if he or she neglects the practice of it, which is, too, the opinion of our Shakespeare, for he writes, “We must be gentle now we are gentlemen” (Winter’s Tale, v. 2).

The derivation of the word, which really means the manners and behaviour to be observed at a royal court, is neatly given by Spenser in hisFaerie Queene, Book vi. 1.

“Ofcourt, it seems, mencourtesiedo call,For that it there most useth to abound;And well beseemeth, that in princes hallThat vertue should be plentifully found,Which of all goodly manners is the groundAnd root of civil conversation”;

“Ofcourt, it seems, mencourtesiedo call,

For that it there most useth to abound;

And well beseemeth, that in princes hall

That vertue should be plentifully found,

Which of all goodly manners is the ground

And root of civil conversation”;

and Milton likewise says that “courtesywas first named incourtsof princes.” And as an example of a prince who practised this virtue we may quote from an old memoir about Henry VIII., “We cannot omit to observe thiscourtly(shall I call it?) or good quality in him; that he wascourteous, and did seem to study to oblige.” However, the English girls of to-day need not look far for the pattern of a perfectly gracious and courteous woman, for who fulfils this ideal better than her Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria? Who better known than she for the courteous message of thanks to her troops when they have nobly done their duty, or for the quick expression of sympathy to the suffering victims of an accident or some personal bereavement?

Then for a definition or short explanation of whatcourtesyis we cannot do better than turn toThe Greatest Thing in the World. Here on p. 26 we learn that courtesy is an ingredient of Love, that it is “Love in Society, Love in relation to Etiquette,” and has been defined as “love in little things”; in a word it is the quality denoted by the sentence, “Love doth not behave itself unseemly.” From these words we can also gather the reason why we should all show courtesy, for, as it is one of the components of love, and Christ said that all His disciples were to be distinguished from the rest of the world by their love for another, we shall not be true followers of Christ, or have a really beautiful character, if we omit any part of love; just as a beautiful mosaic could never be otherwise than imperfect, if, though complete in all other respects, the stones of one certain colour were everywhere missing.

It must also be remembered that a courteous behaviour should be worn always and everywhere, and not only put on like a grand robe for state occasions, for courtesy is “a happy way of doing things, and should adorn even the smallest details of life, and contribute to render it as a whole agreeable and pleasant.” Hence, first and foremost, courtesy should be practised in the home by the children both towards their parents and towards each other. This is a matter which merits more attention and thought than is generally given to it, for by a courteous manner and a gentle tongue, more influence in the government of others is often attained than by qualities of greater depth and substance. Now woman, not man, is the true home-maker, therefore girls should take great pains to be courteous, and thus by their gentleness lead and direct the perhaps rude and selfish brother who will probably unconsciously sooner or later imitate and adopt his sister’s gracious ways. A sweet-tongued gentle maiden cannot fail to render the home, be it a poor or rich one, both pleasant and dear to her brothers and sisters. And then to parents how far more gentle and courteous we all should be than we are. It has been well said that a blessing is never fully realised until it is lost, and so I fear we hardly any of us realise clearly and distinctly to ourselves how much our parents, especially our dear mothers, do and suffer for us until the day comes when we know what it is to be without them.

Dr. Miller, in his bookThe Building of Character, which I should earnestly recommend every girl to read, says, “Wherever else we may fail in patience, it should not be in our own homes. Only the sweetest life should have place there. We have not long to stay together, and we should be patient and gentle while we may.” And to enforce this teaching, he quotes one of the tenderest little poems ever written, and of which I subjoin a couple of verses:—

“The hands are such dear hands;They are so full; they turn at our demandsSo often; they reach outWith trifles scarcely thought about;So many times they doSo many things for me, for you,If their fond wills mistake,We may well bend—not break.They are such fond frail lips,That speak to us. Pray, if love stripsThem of discretion many times,Or if they speak too slow or quick, such crimesWe may pass by; for we may seeDays not far off when those small words may beHeld not so slow or quick, or out of place, but dear,Because the lips are no more here.”

“The hands are such dear hands;

They are so full; they turn at our demands

So often; they reach out

With trifles scarcely thought about;

So many times they do

So many things for me, for you,

If their fond wills mistake,

We may well bend—not break.

They are such fond frail lips,That speak to us. Pray, if love stripsThem of discretion many times,Or if they speak too slow or quick, such crimesWe may pass by; for we may seeDays not far off when those small words may beHeld not so slow or quick, or out of place, but dear,Because the lips are no more here.”

They are such fond frail lips,

That speak to us. Pray, if love strips

Them of discretion many times,

Or if they speak too slow or quick, such crimes

We may pass by; for we may see

Days not far off when those small words may be

Held not so slow or quick, or out of place, but dear,

Because the lips are no more here.”

Further, a courteous manner should be used towards the servants, orders given politely and unnecessary troubling of them avoided; for instance, lying late in bed, though intensely pleasant, often necessitates the disarrangement of the servants’ morning work, for which the delinquent herself will perhaps blame them later in the day.

Atschool, again, how many “open doors” are there for doing little courtesies to mistresses and schoolfellows, and for aiding to maintain the peace and harmony both in class-room and playground by a gentle look or word, and for the “soft answer which turneth away wrath,” and stays the rising quarrel. The girl who will be most beloved, and who will have the best influence in a school, is undoubtedly she who is ever ready with a pleasant smile to play with the little ones, to say a kind word to another when in trouble, and who shows by her whole behaviour that she wishes to make those around her happy and comfortable. Then on those days of discouragement, when, in spite of all endeavours, the lessons are not well known, and it seems useless to go on trying to do as well as the other girls, or when, perchance, unmerited blame or irritating teasing has unnerved and tired you, how you welcome the friend who, without being told, knows how “wrong everything is going,” and with gentle loving words strives to cheer you, and bids you take heart again and bravely return to the fight.

If we look at the reverse of the picture and contemplate the discourteous girl, be it at home or at school, we cannot fail to observe how many opportunities she loses of giving pleasure. She may come down to breakfast, and just mutter a “Good morning” and omit the morning kiss; during the day she may never notice how often she might fetch something for her mother or mistress, jump up or open the door for somebody with their hands full, or try to subdue her loud boisterous laughing or talking in a room where others are busy reading or writing—she will also pass in and out of a door in front of her elders, pay little attention to the wants of her neighbours at table; in short, she will not increase in any way the pleasantness of her surroundings.

A word of warning, too, must be given to those girls who, with the best of intentions to try and do right and help others, make the mistake through their very excess of zeal of directing or correcting others in a rough, brusque way, and perhaps enforce their words by a not too gentle push or shove! These must read La Fontaine’s fable ofPhoebus and Boreas, orThe Sun and the Northwind, and see how the north wind, for all his violent blowing, could not divest the traveller of his cloak, whereas the sun by the influence of his gentle warming rays soon accomplished that in which the rough blasts of Boreas had failed. And if they follow the teaching of this fable, they will soon see how much more the gentle word accomplishes than the rough one.

And now to close, I would like to ask you, who read these few remarks of mine, to endeavour to put more gentleness and courtesy in your dealings with other people than you have done heretofore; for in all of us there is always room for improvement, and there is not one of us surely but must admit that we often leave little courtesies undone and little gentle words unsaid. Courtesy is like the drop of oil that enables machinery to work noiselessly and smoothly, for it lessens the jars and friction of life and the consequent worry and fretfulness. Little things make or mar the peace of life, therefore exhibit courtesy which is “Love in little things,” and you will gain the gratitude and esteem of those around you, and carry away in your minds these lines of Lord Houghton, and never, if you can avoid it, lose an opportunity of putting them into practice—

“An arm of aid to the weak,A friendly hand to the friendless,Kind words, so short to speak,But whose echo is endless:The world is wide—these things are small,They may be nothing, but they are All.”

“An arm of aid to the weak,

A friendly hand to the friendless,

Kind words, so short to speak,

But whose echo is endless:

The world is wide—these things are small,

They may be nothing, but they are All.”

THINGS IN SEASON, IN MARKET AND KITCHEN.ByLA MÉNAGÈRE.GloriousJune! Can anyone complain of a lack of the least good thing? Rather we haveun embarras de richesse; so much so, indeed, that we hardly know what to select for our typicalmenu. Look at the vegetable market, for instance. See the piles of snowy cauliflowers, the crisp cabbages and spinach, the quantities of salad stuffs, cucumbers, spring carrots and turnips, asparagus, artichokes, peas and French beans, while the very potatoes look attractive. Then see the fruit, the ever-welcome green gooseberries, strawberries, early raspberries, and ripe cherries galore. The fruiterers have golden apricots, nectarines, custard apples, and many other luscious things. The fishmongers are showing plovers’ eggs in their little nests of moss, the pinkest of prawns and crabs, scarlet lobsters in a garnish of parsley, magnificent salmon, salmon-trout, speckled trout, and beautiful fine soles, with mackerel that glisten like the whitebait.Game is, of course, of no account now; but young chickens are coming to the fore, and pigeons are excellent, so also are the plovers.Then look at the wealth of June blossom that is poured into the market. Can anything surpass the beauty of these roses? Lilies and hydrangeas, snowy narcissi, gorgeous tulips, iris, and peonies, and if you can find a sweeter or a more splendid flower than a blush peony of the Dutch variety, you will be clever indeed. Sweet mignonette, sweet peas, and still sweeter pinks, make the air quite heavy with their fragrance. Then we have quantities of beautiful grasses, mosses, ferns, and foliage plants here for all sorts of purposes, for June is the harvest month of the floral decorator. Dinners, balls, receptions, weddings, at homes—all make great demand on the markets this month.The place of game at fashionable dinners is taken by plovers’ eggs, or by an aspic jelly. As the eggs are usually sold ready boiled, and require no accompaniment, we may leave them without further remark; but it might be useful here if we considered the making of a simple aspic jelly such as could be manufactured by the home cook.Aspic Jelly.—Get a knuckle-bone of veal and one of ham and crack them in pieces. Put with them a large onion, with two cloves, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and two quarts of water. Let these simmer gently in a brown stone jar for several hours, then strain off. To a pint of this stock (which should be perfectly clear) add one ounce of Swinborne’s isinglass previously soaked in cold water, also a teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, a tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar; and then a wineglassful of strong sherry. Stir over the fire until it nearly boils, then break into the liquor the whites of two eggs and the shells, stir well, and draw to the side of the fire; let it simmer for a quarter of an hour, then strain through a jelly-bag three or four times until it is perfectly clear. Keep the mould in a very cold place until it is wanted. The quart should make two moulds of jelly. A good jelly will keep for some time, and is often most useful for an invalid.An aspic of game or poultry makes an excellent luncheon dish, and will prove an easy and dainty way of serving up the remains of cold poultry, etc.Pour some ready-made aspic jelly into the bottom of a plain round mould which has been wetted with cold water. Next make a layer of stars and diamonds from the white and yellow of a hard-boiled egg, a few fine sprigs of parsley, and the red part of a cold tongue here and there. Let this set, then lay on thin slices of cold fowl and ham, leaving plenty of space to run more jelly in between. Fill the mould up to the top with jelly, then put it away to set. When quite stiff turn it out on to a dish.Suppose that for our Junemenuwe take the following:Bisque of Crab.Devilled Whitebait.Grenadines of Veal. Jardinière Sauce.Aspic Jelly.Saddle of Lamb. French Beans.Gooseberry Tart.Cream Cheese. Oaten Wafers. Coffee.Bisque of Crab.—Wash well in several waters half a pound of the best rice, put it into a saucepan with a quart of the best clear white stock, and add a little milk. Add also an onion, a small piece of cinnamon, a little salt and pepper and a good bit of butter. Let the rice simmer a long while, then add to it the pith from the body of a freshly-boiled crab, and another pint of milk or stock. Rub all carefully through a sieve, then pour it into a stewpan with the flesh from the claws torn into flakes, add a teaspoonful of the essence of anchovies, a teaspoonful of arrowroot dissolved in a little milk, and a few drops of cochineal to deepen the colour. At the last moment, before serving, after the soup has boiled up once, add a small cupful of hot cream.Devilled Whitebait.—To fry whitebait a good depth of clear frying fat is needed, and a frying basket in which the fish can all be plunged into the fat at once. They should be carefully wiped, then lightly shaken in a well-floured cloth, just so as to coat them sufficiently. Plunge into boiling fat for about three minutes, then withdraw them from the fat, sprinkle them with black and red pepper, return to the pan for another minute, then drain and serve on a napkin with fried parsley as a garnish. Send quarters of lemon and brown bread and butter to table with them.Grenadines of Veal, Jardinière Sauce.—A slice of the best lean fillet of veal, about two-thirds of an inch thick, should be shaped into small pieces, and then dipped into beaten egg and into a mixture of breadcrumbs, minced ham and seasoning. Fry these carefully on both sides to a light brown, then put between two plates and stand in a hot oven.For the sauce take a pint of stock, and one onion, a large carrot, a turnip, a few French beans, a few peas, and any other available vegetable. Mince these finely and evenly, fry them in dripping, drain and add to the stock. Thicken this with a spoonful of potato flour, and season highly. Boil gently for a while, then pour in the centre of a hot dish and set the grenadines around the edge. Let boiled potatoes (small ones) accompany this dish.The saddle of lamb should be simply roasted and served with its own gravy; the French beans boiled first, then sautéd, in butter with chopped parsley, and potatoes, if liked, treated the same way. Pass mint sauce around as well.Cream should accompany the gooseberry tart, and strawberries with cream might appear at the same time, or in lieu of the tart as preferred.A roast duck and green peas might take the place of the saddle of lamb, according as means and circumstances permit.

ByLA MÉNAGÈRE.

loriousJune! Can anyone complain of a lack of the least good thing? Rather we haveun embarras de richesse; so much so, indeed, that we hardly know what to select for our typicalmenu. Look at the vegetable market, for instance. See the piles of snowy cauliflowers, the crisp cabbages and spinach, the quantities of salad stuffs, cucumbers, spring carrots and turnips, asparagus, artichokes, peas and French beans, while the very potatoes look attractive. Then see the fruit, the ever-welcome green gooseberries, strawberries, early raspberries, and ripe cherries galore. The fruiterers have golden apricots, nectarines, custard apples, and many other luscious things. The fishmongers are showing plovers’ eggs in their little nests of moss, the pinkest of prawns and crabs, scarlet lobsters in a garnish of parsley, magnificent salmon, salmon-trout, speckled trout, and beautiful fine soles, with mackerel that glisten like the whitebait.

Game is, of course, of no account now; but young chickens are coming to the fore, and pigeons are excellent, so also are the plovers.

Then look at the wealth of June blossom that is poured into the market. Can anything surpass the beauty of these roses? Lilies and hydrangeas, snowy narcissi, gorgeous tulips, iris, and peonies, and if you can find a sweeter or a more splendid flower than a blush peony of the Dutch variety, you will be clever indeed. Sweet mignonette, sweet peas, and still sweeter pinks, make the air quite heavy with their fragrance. Then we have quantities of beautiful grasses, mosses, ferns, and foliage plants here for all sorts of purposes, for June is the harvest month of the floral decorator. Dinners, balls, receptions, weddings, at homes—all make great demand on the markets this month.

The place of game at fashionable dinners is taken by plovers’ eggs, or by an aspic jelly. As the eggs are usually sold ready boiled, and require no accompaniment, we may leave them without further remark; but it might be useful here if we considered the making of a simple aspic jelly such as could be manufactured by the home cook.

Aspic Jelly.—Get a knuckle-bone of veal and one of ham and crack them in pieces. Put with them a large onion, with two cloves, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and two quarts of water. Let these simmer gently in a brown stone jar for several hours, then strain off. To a pint of this stock (which should be perfectly clear) add one ounce of Swinborne’s isinglass previously soaked in cold water, also a teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, a tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar; and then a wineglassful of strong sherry. Stir over the fire until it nearly boils, then break into the liquor the whites of two eggs and the shells, stir well, and draw to the side of the fire; let it simmer for a quarter of an hour, then strain through a jelly-bag three or four times until it is perfectly clear. Keep the mould in a very cold place until it is wanted. The quart should make two moulds of jelly. A good jelly will keep for some time, and is often most useful for an invalid.

An aspic of game or poultry makes an excellent luncheon dish, and will prove an easy and dainty way of serving up the remains of cold poultry, etc.

Pour some ready-made aspic jelly into the bottom of a plain round mould which has been wetted with cold water. Next make a layer of stars and diamonds from the white and yellow of a hard-boiled egg, a few fine sprigs of parsley, and the red part of a cold tongue here and there. Let this set, then lay on thin slices of cold fowl and ham, leaving plenty of space to run more jelly in between. Fill the mould up to the top with jelly, then put it away to set. When quite stiff turn it out on to a dish.

Suppose that for our Junemenuwe take the following:

Bisque of Crab.Devilled Whitebait.Grenadines of Veal. Jardinière Sauce.Aspic Jelly.Saddle of Lamb. French Beans.Gooseberry Tart.Cream Cheese. Oaten Wafers. Coffee.

Bisque of Crab.—Wash well in several waters half a pound of the best rice, put it into a saucepan with a quart of the best clear white stock, and add a little milk. Add also an onion, a small piece of cinnamon, a little salt and pepper and a good bit of butter. Let the rice simmer a long while, then add to it the pith from the body of a freshly-boiled crab, and another pint of milk or stock. Rub all carefully through a sieve, then pour it into a stewpan with the flesh from the claws torn into flakes, add a teaspoonful of the essence of anchovies, a teaspoonful of arrowroot dissolved in a little milk, and a few drops of cochineal to deepen the colour. At the last moment, before serving, after the soup has boiled up once, add a small cupful of hot cream.

Devilled Whitebait.—To fry whitebait a good depth of clear frying fat is needed, and a frying basket in which the fish can all be plunged into the fat at once. They should be carefully wiped, then lightly shaken in a well-floured cloth, just so as to coat them sufficiently. Plunge into boiling fat for about three minutes, then withdraw them from the fat, sprinkle them with black and red pepper, return to the pan for another minute, then drain and serve on a napkin with fried parsley as a garnish. Send quarters of lemon and brown bread and butter to table with them.

Grenadines of Veal, Jardinière Sauce.—A slice of the best lean fillet of veal, about two-thirds of an inch thick, should be shaped into small pieces, and then dipped into beaten egg and into a mixture of breadcrumbs, minced ham and seasoning. Fry these carefully on both sides to a light brown, then put between two plates and stand in a hot oven.

For the sauce take a pint of stock, and one onion, a large carrot, a turnip, a few French beans, a few peas, and any other available vegetable. Mince these finely and evenly, fry them in dripping, drain and add to the stock. Thicken this with a spoonful of potato flour, and season highly. Boil gently for a while, then pour in the centre of a hot dish and set the grenadines around the edge. Let boiled potatoes (small ones) accompany this dish.

The saddle of lamb should be simply roasted and served with its own gravy; the French beans boiled first, then sautéd, in butter with chopped parsley, and potatoes, if liked, treated the same way. Pass mint sauce around as well.

Cream should accompany the gooseberry tart, and strawberries with cream might appear at the same time, or in lieu of the tart as preferred.

A roast duck and green peas might take the place of the saddle of lamb, according as means and circumstances permit.

OLD ENGLISH COTTAGE HOMES;OR,VILLAGE ARCHITECTURE OF BYGONE TIMES.PART IX.Thereis a kind of cottage, chiefly found in the North of England, but also not unfrequently to be seen in the western and central counties; it is constructed entirely of stone or granite. The mullions of the windows, “dressings” of the gables, doorways, and sometimes the walls themselves, are built in “ashlar.” “Ashlar,” in England, means stone brought to a smooth surface, not only on face but round the sides as well. Now this is rather important for all who are engaged in building operations, because “ashlar” means a different thing in England from what it does in other parts of the United Kingdom. In Ireland, for instance, “ashlar” means stones brought to a smooth surface in front alone, the edges being left irregular, and if you require them to be cut smooth and squared at the edges, you have to specify that they shall have “even beds and joints.”A curious trial occupied the Irish Law Courts for many weeks some time back. An English architect and an Irish builder were engaged in erecting an important edifice in Ireland. The architect in his specification stipulated “ashlar” for the frontage of the structure. The builder carried it out in the English manner and then sent in a heavy bill of extras for “beds and joints.” This was opposed by the architect on behalf of his clients. At the trial all the Irish witnesses maintained that the builder was right, and all the English that he was wrong. The judge and jury became thoroughly puzzled, and could not understand the disputed point, as evidently both sides were perfectly sincere. At last the judge, perfectly bewildered, appealed to a very eminent counsel who was engaged, and said to him—“Mr. ——, can you explain what all this means? We have been for some days listening to the apparently endless dispute about ‘beds and joints.’”“Well, my lord, I can only suggest that it must be in some way connected with a question ofboard and lodging,” answered the counsel.The matter remains unsettled, I believe, to this day. Of course we use the word “ashlar” in its English signification.In addition to all the northern counties stone cottages are found in Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Oxfordshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and Sussex.They are usually very solidly built, and, though they present sometimes a stern and severe aspect, they are well suited to a rough climate, as they are warm and comfortable, and so substantial that they can resist the floods which often inundate mountainous districts. The group of cottages which we sketched some years back at Glossop, in Derbyshire, bore up against a singularly severe catastrophe. The little mountain stream shown in the foreground was dammed by a very solid earthwork higher up the valley so as to form a reservoir. During a terrible storm of wind and rain the dam was swept away, and the vast torrent of water poured down the valley, sweeping everything before it, and completely submerging the lower part of the village. The old stone houses shown in our drawing were flooded to their upper storey. A man who described the occurrence to us said—“It was all so sudden-like. I heard a loud roar, followed by a rushing noise, which made the house seem to rock. I jumped out of bed and found myself up to my knees in water. I got my wife and children to stand upon the table and chairs, while I tried to find out what was going on, half expecting that the old house would come down, but it stood like a rock; and when the water subsided, it was as good as ever, though some of the modern houses were reduced to ruin.”LOOSE STONE AND PEAT COTTAGE, SCOTLAND AND N. ENGLAND.These stone cottages, with their heavy mullioned windows and low-pitched gables, continued to be built down nearly to the end of the last century. Of course, they must have been expensive; but their durability seems to prove that the extra outlay was, in the end, true economy. Artistically, they appear well suited to their bleak grey surroundings. These great, wild woodlands, interspersed with shapeless and fantasticrocks and strange-looking bowlders, swept by howling winds, so that no tree can lift its head save under shelter of the hillside, are not so unkindly as they seem.STONE COTTAGES, GLOSSOP, DERBYSHIRE.We once knew a beautiful and delicate girl who had to leave London and, with her parents, live in one of these wild-looking districts. After a short time she grew strong and still more beautiful. Later on she married, and went with her husband to live in a southern land under the influence of a more genial climate. But, alas, it proved less friendly to her than the rugged North, for within six months she died. Three days before this sad event she said to her husband—“If I could only feel the wind over the great moor I think I could live.”He would have given all he possessed to save her, but the doctors assured him that she would certainly die on the journey. Health is often to be found in these rugged stone houses of the North country, stern and sombre as they look when compared with the cheerful half-timber cottages of the South.In some out-of-the-way districts of Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland, cottages are built of “loose stone”—i.e., stones fitted together without mortar, and are thatched with peat. Sometimes the angle-stones, window and door openings, have mortar joints, the rest being left open. In all stone counties of England walls constructed in this manner divide the fields instead of hedgerows, the top row of stones being fastened together with mortar when the wall is more than breast high. This is a very ancient method of building, and is found in almost every country of the world.H. W. Brewer.(To be continued.)

Thereis a kind of cottage, chiefly found in the North of England, but also not unfrequently to be seen in the western and central counties; it is constructed entirely of stone or granite. The mullions of the windows, “dressings” of the gables, doorways, and sometimes the walls themselves, are built in “ashlar.” “Ashlar,” in England, means stone brought to a smooth surface, not only on face but round the sides as well. Now this is rather important for all who are engaged in building operations, because “ashlar” means a different thing in England from what it does in other parts of the United Kingdom. In Ireland, for instance, “ashlar” means stones brought to a smooth surface in front alone, the edges being left irregular, and if you require them to be cut smooth and squared at the edges, you have to specify that they shall have “even beds and joints.”

A curious trial occupied the Irish Law Courts for many weeks some time back. An English architect and an Irish builder were engaged in erecting an important edifice in Ireland. The architect in his specification stipulated “ashlar” for the frontage of the structure. The builder carried it out in the English manner and then sent in a heavy bill of extras for “beds and joints.” This was opposed by the architect on behalf of his clients. At the trial all the Irish witnesses maintained that the builder was right, and all the English that he was wrong. The judge and jury became thoroughly puzzled, and could not understand the disputed point, as evidently both sides were perfectly sincere. At last the judge, perfectly bewildered, appealed to a very eminent counsel who was engaged, and said to him—

“Mr. ——, can you explain what all this means? We have been for some days listening to the apparently endless dispute about ‘beds and joints.’”

“Well, my lord, I can only suggest that it must be in some way connected with a question ofboard and lodging,” answered the counsel.

The matter remains unsettled, I believe, to this day. Of course we use the word “ashlar” in its English signification.

In addition to all the northern counties stone cottages are found in Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Oxfordshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and Sussex.

They are usually very solidly built, and, though they present sometimes a stern and severe aspect, they are well suited to a rough climate, as they are warm and comfortable, and so substantial that they can resist the floods which often inundate mountainous districts. The group of cottages which we sketched some years back at Glossop, in Derbyshire, bore up against a singularly severe catastrophe. The little mountain stream shown in the foreground was dammed by a very solid earthwork higher up the valley so as to form a reservoir. During a terrible storm of wind and rain the dam was swept away, and the vast torrent of water poured down the valley, sweeping everything before it, and completely submerging the lower part of the village. The old stone houses shown in our drawing were flooded to their upper storey. A man who described the occurrence to us said—

“It was all so sudden-like. I heard a loud roar, followed by a rushing noise, which made the house seem to rock. I jumped out of bed and found myself up to my knees in water. I got my wife and children to stand upon the table and chairs, while I tried to find out what was going on, half expecting that the old house would come down, but it stood like a rock; and when the water subsided, it was as good as ever, though some of the modern houses were reduced to ruin.”

LOOSE STONE AND PEAT COTTAGE, SCOTLAND AND N. ENGLAND.

These stone cottages, with their heavy mullioned windows and low-pitched gables, continued to be built down nearly to the end of the last century. Of course, they must have been expensive; but their durability seems to prove that the extra outlay was, in the end, true economy. Artistically, they appear well suited to their bleak grey surroundings. These great, wild woodlands, interspersed with shapeless and fantasticrocks and strange-looking bowlders, swept by howling winds, so that no tree can lift its head save under shelter of the hillside, are not so unkindly as they seem.

STONE COTTAGES, GLOSSOP, DERBYSHIRE.

We once knew a beautiful and delicate girl who had to leave London and, with her parents, live in one of these wild-looking districts. After a short time she grew strong and still more beautiful. Later on she married, and went with her husband to live in a southern land under the influence of a more genial climate. But, alas, it proved less friendly to her than the rugged North, for within six months she died. Three days before this sad event she said to her husband—

“If I could only feel the wind over the great moor I think I could live.”

He would have given all he possessed to save her, but the doctors assured him that she would certainly die on the journey. Health is often to be found in these rugged stone houses of the North country, stern and sombre as they look when compared with the cheerful half-timber cottages of the South.

In some out-of-the-way districts of Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland, cottages are built of “loose stone”—i.e., stones fitted together without mortar, and are thatched with peat. Sometimes the angle-stones, window and door openings, have mortar joints, the rest being left open. In all stone counties of England walls constructed in this manner divide the fields instead of hedgerows, the top row of stones being fastened together with mortar when the wall is more than breast high. This is a very ancient method of building, and is found in almost every country of the world.

H. W. Brewer.

(To be continued.)

“MY FAVOURITE CONTRIBUTORS” COMPETITION.Prizes of One Guinea.Jessie Offin, Loughton, Essex.“Christabel,” Poole, Dorset.“Pansy,” Beverley, East Yorkshire.“Rose,” North Muir, Forfar.“Wild Orchid,” Croydon Grove, Croydon.Agnes Ward Strong, Moseley, Birmingham.Nellie Turner Godfrey, Redhill, Surrey.Ada Alice Gaze, Norwich.Emma Elizabeth Epps, Redhill, Surrey.Elizabeth Kerr, Port Charlotte, Islay, N.B.Prizes of Half-a-Guinea.Edith Mary Foyster, Brentwood, Essex.Félicie Buisseret, Namur, Belgique.Evelyn Agnes Forster, Crowthorne, Berkshire.Edith K. Ellis, Highgate.Florence Marie Benton, Swavesey, Cambs.Lilian Grundy, Lynwood, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire.M. Evangeline Hulse, Carlisle.“Modest Violet,” New Whittington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.Mary Agnes Parker, Peterborough, Northampton.Agnes Mary Vincent, Warwick Square.Honourable Mention.Mabel Jenks, Cambridge; E. Flesch, Brünn, Mähren; Gwendoline Doughty, St. Leonards, Bridgenorth, Salop; Kate Kelsey, Crossleigh, Montpelier, Bristol; “A grateful old woman,” Ballymena, Ulster, Ireland; Millicent H. Warwick, Manchester; Mary Adèle Venn, West Kensington Park, W.; Helen Elizabeth Howitt, Dunoon-on-Clyde; A. Park Pearson, Halifax; Laura Buck, Potters Road, New Barnet; Alice Dunn, Brisbane, Queensland.Report.From the time our first competition was announced until now, it has been a real pleasure to look over the papers sent in by our readers, who seem always to have understood the spirit and object of the various competitions we have placed before them and to have entered into them enthusiastically and naturally. The consequence is that their papers have been full of interest and instruction as to matters we never could have learned by books or by travel. The barrier behind which thousands of lives are lived could never have been broken down but for the ready help of the girls themselves. Their papers have made our views of life broader, they have evoked sympathy and admiration for the toilers in our great cities; they have permitted us to stand side by side with them as they work and struggle and fight for what they know to be good and pure; they have made us free of their homes, whether in the farm kitchen, or in the streets of our great cities, so that one can sit down and picture them all, whether in a London factory, a country farm, a village rectory, or away in our far-off colonies.Butthis competitionis different from any of those which have preceded it, for the Editor has asked the opinion of his thousands of readers as to their favourites among the staff of writers, artists, and musicians whom he has employed for the last twenty years. It is a bold thing to have done, and yet it is but natural that a man who has devoted the best years of his life to a certain object should desire to know how his methods have answered and whether the material he has offered for the instruction and healthy amusement of girls has met with the approbation of those for whom he has catered. It is no easy task in the present age when independence is growing rampant, to influence girls and surround them with an atmosphere which, without in the least coercing them, will keep them pure and gentle and womanly.So throwing caution to the winds, the editor has submitted himself and his staff to the microscopic criticism of his many thousands of readers, and begged them to select ten out of the number whom they like best and to give a reason for their preference.We have received some hundreds of papers, each of which has been conscientiously read and pondered over. Each competitor has stamped her paper with her own individuality; she knows exactly what she prefers and why she prefers it. One and all regret that they are limited in their choice to ten of the staff, seeing that all are so good, but there seems to have been no hesitation as to the chief favourites.In awarding the prizes, we have taken into consideration not so much the handwriting and decoration of the manuscripts as the thoughtfulness and intelligence with which they have been written.Side-Lights.Widespread as we consider our knowledge of girl nature by this time, competition papers often spring upon us surprises, showing us we have much to learn upon the subject. We confess that, although we have always taken care to provide our readers with subject-matter for deeper thought, still we were scarcely prepared to find that in the majority of cases the first things read were these graver articles and the papers dealing with instructive and interesting matters, the stories as a rule being kept till the last. In one paper only were all the favourites chosen for stories.Quotations.1. I can safely say all the stories and articles in the “G. O. P.” are the best to be had. In truth one puts down the “G. O. P.” with better feelings and higher aspirations than when one took it up. Years ago my father found me reading a paper that he did not think fit for a girl to read, so he promised to buy me a magazine if I would read only such books as he provided. I promised, and he set about getting me suitable reading. As a result, he was shown the “G. O. P.,” and brought it home to me, and for twenty years I have been a reader of the “G. O. P.,” and hope to be for as long as I live, for I do not think I could get a better.2. May I suggest another competition to you? You have already had one for girls who work with head and hands—will you not also have one for those who are preparing to work with head or hands? I am sure there would be many interesting pictures of student life at our colleges among the papers sent in. I feel that the “G. O. P.” decided my life for me. In April, 1881, when I was eight years old, we bought the number for the month. There was an article in it on the North London Collegiate School; it mentioned the pupils who were graduates—some were doctors or medical students. I said I would be one too; the idea stayed with me. At last the way was opened for me, though it is harder than I thought.3. May I hope you will read this as a friendly letter from American girls who do not wish the pleasure they have received from your paper to remain unexpressed.4. I am very proud to be able to say I commenced taking in the “G. O. P.” on the 2nd October, 1880, being the beginning number of the second volume, and ever since I have taken the greatest interest in it. When I got married, one of the first pieces of furniture we bought was a book-case to put my favourite books in; I often take one of the old volumes down for information—I appreciate them more every day for the kind and practical help they give.

Prizes of One Guinea.

Prizes of Half-a-Guinea.

Honourable Mention.

Mabel Jenks, Cambridge; E. Flesch, Brünn, Mähren; Gwendoline Doughty, St. Leonards, Bridgenorth, Salop; Kate Kelsey, Crossleigh, Montpelier, Bristol; “A grateful old woman,” Ballymena, Ulster, Ireland; Millicent H. Warwick, Manchester; Mary Adèle Venn, West Kensington Park, W.; Helen Elizabeth Howitt, Dunoon-on-Clyde; A. Park Pearson, Halifax; Laura Buck, Potters Road, New Barnet; Alice Dunn, Brisbane, Queensland.

From the time our first competition was announced until now, it has been a real pleasure to look over the papers sent in by our readers, who seem always to have understood the spirit and object of the various competitions we have placed before them and to have entered into them enthusiastically and naturally. The consequence is that their papers have been full of interest and instruction as to matters we never could have learned by books or by travel. The barrier behind which thousands of lives are lived could never have been broken down but for the ready help of the girls themselves. Their papers have made our views of life broader, they have evoked sympathy and admiration for the toilers in our great cities; they have permitted us to stand side by side with them as they work and struggle and fight for what they know to be good and pure; they have made us free of their homes, whether in the farm kitchen, or in the streets of our great cities, so that one can sit down and picture them all, whether in a London factory, a country farm, a village rectory, or away in our far-off colonies.

Butthis competitionis different from any of those which have preceded it, for the Editor has asked the opinion of his thousands of readers as to their favourites among the staff of writers, artists, and musicians whom he has employed for the last twenty years. It is a bold thing to have done, and yet it is but natural that a man who has devoted the best years of his life to a certain object should desire to know how his methods have answered and whether the material he has offered for the instruction and healthy amusement of girls has met with the approbation of those for whom he has catered. It is no easy task in the present age when independence is growing rampant, to influence girls and surround them with an atmosphere which, without in the least coercing them, will keep them pure and gentle and womanly.

So throwing caution to the winds, the editor has submitted himself and his staff to the microscopic criticism of his many thousands of readers, and begged them to select ten out of the number whom they like best and to give a reason for their preference.

We have received some hundreds of papers, each of which has been conscientiously read and pondered over. Each competitor has stamped her paper with her own individuality; she knows exactly what she prefers and why she prefers it. One and all regret that they are limited in their choice to ten of the staff, seeing that all are so good, but there seems to have been no hesitation as to the chief favourites.

In awarding the prizes, we have taken into consideration not so much the handwriting and decoration of the manuscripts as the thoughtfulness and intelligence with which they have been written.

Side-Lights.

Widespread as we consider our knowledge of girl nature by this time, competition papers often spring upon us surprises, showing us we have much to learn upon the subject. We confess that, although we have always taken care to provide our readers with subject-matter for deeper thought, still we were scarcely prepared to find that in the majority of cases the first things read were these graver articles and the papers dealing with instructive and interesting matters, the stories as a rule being kept till the last. In one paper only were all the favourites chosen for stories.

Quotations.

1. I can safely say all the stories and articles in the “G. O. P.” are the best to be had. In truth one puts down the “G. O. P.” with better feelings and higher aspirations than when one took it up. Years ago my father found me reading a paper that he did not think fit for a girl to read, so he promised to buy me a magazine if I would read only such books as he provided. I promised, and he set about getting me suitable reading. As a result, he was shown the “G. O. P.,” and brought it home to me, and for twenty years I have been a reader of the “G. O. P.,” and hope to be for as long as I live, for I do not think I could get a better.

2. May I suggest another competition to you? You have already had one for girls who work with head and hands—will you not also have one for those who are preparing to work with head or hands? I am sure there would be many interesting pictures of student life at our colleges among the papers sent in. I feel that the “G. O. P.” decided my life for me. In April, 1881, when I was eight years old, we bought the number for the month. There was an article in it on the North London Collegiate School; it mentioned the pupils who were graduates—some were doctors or medical students. I said I would be one too; the idea stayed with me. At last the way was opened for me, though it is harder than I thought.

3. May I hope you will read this as a friendly letter from American girls who do not wish the pleasure they have received from your paper to remain unexpressed.

4. I am very proud to be able to say I commenced taking in the “G. O. P.” on the 2nd October, 1880, being the beginning number of the second volume, and ever since I have taken the greatest interest in it. When I got married, one of the first pieces of furniture we bought was a book-case to put my favourite books in; I often take one of the old volumes down for information—I appreciate them more every day for the kind and practical help they give.

OUR PUZZLE POEM REPORT: AN ACCIDENTAL CYCLE III.SOLUTION.An Accidental Cycle III.5.Lamp Explosions.Some use cheap lamps, whose oil, alas!Is held in china or in glass,Such folly no one can surpass.6.Escape of Gas.When you escape of gas detect,Don’t search about with lighted match,But for a little while reflect—It might your head from form detach.7.To Cyclists.If you’re cycling down a hillWith a waggon coming towards you,Keep your head;And to save an awful spillMake for hedge, though it accords youScratches red.Prize Winners.Twelve Shillings and Sixpence Each.Jessie F. Dulley, Lindens, Wellingborough.Ellie Hanlon, 1, Otranto Place, Sandycove, Dublin.G. Meggy, Rimpton Rectory, Bath.Janet M. Pugh, Bronclydur, Towyn, Merionethshire.Ethel Tomlinson, The Woodlands, Burton-on-Trent.Seven Shillings Each.Mrs. Ethel Hartley, 310, Rotton Park Road, Birmingham.John Marshall, 13, Prospect Road, Child’s Hill, N.W.Eben. Mutten, 17, George Street, Devonport.Katharine Mary Stanley, The Old House, Washingboro’, Lincoln.L. Trotman, 26, Blessington Road, Lee, S.E.Helen B. Younger, 5, Comiston Gardens, Edinburgh.Very Highly Commended.Mrs. Acheson, Eliza Acworth, Agnes Amis, Annie A. Arnott, Margaret E. Bourne, Nellie D. Bourne, Rebecca Clarke, Rev. Joseph Corkey, Mrs. G. H. B. Cumming, Ethel Dickson, Cecil French, Mrs. W. H. Gotch, Edith E. Grundy, Meta Kelway, Eliza Learmount, Agnes McConnell, Mrs. Nicholls, Rev. V. Odom, Annie B. Ormond, Isabel Snell, Frederick Wm. Southey, Ellen C. Tarrant, Constance Taylor, C. Thompson, Mary F. Wakelin, Edith Mary Younge.Highly Commended.Division I.Edith Ashworth, S. Ballard, Rev. F. Townshend Chamberlain, Lillian Clews, Helen Margaret Coulthard, J. L. Ellson, Herbert V. French, Annie M. Goss, Ellen Hambley, Francis Hingston James, Mrs. Latter, Dora Laurence, Eva H. Laurence, Carlina Leggett, Winifred A. Lockyear, Mrs. C. A. Martin, Jennie M. M’Call, F. Miller, Helen M. Norman, Violet C. Todd, W. Fitzjames White, Henry Wilkinson, Alice Woodhead, Elizabeth Yarwood, Diana C. Yeo.Highly Commended.Division II.Eva Mary Allport, Lily Belling, G. Brightwell, Jane Lindsay Campbell, R. Swan Coulthard, George Robert Davidge, Leonard Duncan, Eleanor Elsey, Mrs. F. Farrar, C. S. Gregory, Hilda Mary Harrison, Charlotte Hayward, Florence Hayward, Ethel Winifred Hodgkinson, Madge L. Kemp, A. Kilburn, Gertrude Longbottom, E. Lord, Annie Manderson, Helen A. Manning, E. Mastin, Jessie Middlemiss, E. M. Le Mottée, J. D. Musgrave, E. Pearson, N. E. Purvey, Kate Robinson, M. Winifred Shakespear, Bettie Temple, Mrs. Mabel Tench, R. Marjorie Thomas, Ellen Thurtell, M. Tolson, Frances H. Webb-Gillman, Margaret M. Wilcox.EXAMINER’S REPORT.Here is another award at last to excite indignant comment and criticism. So large was the number of first-rate solutions that we had to pounce upon the most trifling errors with a keenness worthy of a better cause. After we had examined and re-examined again and again, we were rewarded for our exertions by finding that faults abounded, the enormity of which might fairly be expressed in sixteenths.For instance, a failure to indent the lines properly was reckoned one-sixteenth of a mistake. The substitution of “around” foraboutwas counted two-sixteenths, and so on, with arithmetical precision. As only a limited number of names can be mentioned, all we have to do is to draw the line at a certain point (in this case it was at nine-sixteenths), and say: “Beyond that, no mention.” The result is an adjudication which can face criticism with a very fair amount of confidence. And here let us say that if any competitor thinks that an injustice has been done, we hope she will not harbour the thought privately, but frankly let us know as soon as the report appears. We much prefer to have the opportunity of acknowledging a mistake or of proving that none has been made.To return to the puzzle. Many competitors failed to notice the “s” in the title, and wrote “Exploding Lamp.” This could only be regarded as a whole mistake, and was therefore fatal to any chance of success.The rhythm of the first line, No. 6, was often marred by the insertion of “an.” In the second line, as we have already intimated, “around” could not be considered equal toabout, for a reason which a reference to the puzzle will divulge. In the fourth line “face” was continually given forhead, though the better sense of the latter reading is obvious, and the puzzle form of spelling “detach” was often adopted without thought.In No. 7, “Cycling” was the title generally given, though many solvers were careful to read thetwointo it. This was an error we could not very severely condemn, and as a matter of fact two solutions which were perfect in every other respect, were admitted into the prize bundle. In the first line “you are” would not do instead of the contractionyou’re, neither did the insertion of “a” before hedge improve the rhythm of the last line but one. In the same line we did not object to the more strictly grammatical “accord” in place ofaccords, although the puzzle gave the latter.We have received several letters questioning our award on “An Accidental Cycle II.” We have turned up every solution written about, and find that absolute justice was done to each. For the benefit of a very large number of solvers who cherish similar doubts in silence, we may say that the mistake of spelling “some one” as one word was a very important factor in the adjudication. That our report should have contained no reference to this point was an unfortunate circumstance.The award on the whole series of Accidental Cycles cannot be published for two or three weeks, the number of solutions being very large.

An Accidental Cycle III.

5.Lamp Explosions.

Some use cheap lamps, whose oil, alas!Is held in china or in glass,Such folly no one can surpass.

Some use cheap lamps, whose oil, alas!

Is held in china or in glass,

Such folly no one can surpass.

6.Escape of Gas.

When you escape of gas detect,Don’t search about with lighted match,But for a little while reflect—It might your head from form detach.

When you escape of gas detect,

Don’t search about with lighted match,

But for a little while reflect—

It might your head from form detach.

7.To Cyclists.

If you’re cycling down a hillWith a waggon coming towards you,Keep your head;And to save an awful spillMake for hedge, though it accords youScratches red.

If you’re cycling down a hill

With a waggon coming towards you,

Keep your head;

And to save an awful spill

Make for hedge, though it accords you

Scratches red.

Prize Winners.

Twelve Shillings and Sixpence Each.

Seven Shillings Each.

Very Highly Commended.

Mrs. Acheson, Eliza Acworth, Agnes Amis, Annie A. Arnott, Margaret E. Bourne, Nellie D. Bourne, Rebecca Clarke, Rev. Joseph Corkey, Mrs. G. H. B. Cumming, Ethel Dickson, Cecil French, Mrs. W. H. Gotch, Edith E. Grundy, Meta Kelway, Eliza Learmount, Agnes McConnell, Mrs. Nicholls, Rev. V. Odom, Annie B. Ormond, Isabel Snell, Frederick Wm. Southey, Ellen C. Tarrant, Constance Taylor, C. Thompson, Mary F. Wakelin, Edith Mary Younge.

Highly Commended.

Division I.

Edith Ashworth, S. Ballard, Rev. F. Townshend Chamberlain, Lillian Clews, Helen Margaret Coulthard, J. L. Ellson, Herbert V. French, Annie M. Goss, Ellen Hambley, Francis Hingston James, Mrs. Latter, Dora Laurence, Eva H. Laurence, Carlina Leggett, Winifred A. Lockyear, Mrs. C. A. Martin, Jennie M. M’Call, F. Miller, Helen M. Norman, Violet C. Todd, W. Fitzjames White, Henry Wilkinson, Alice Woodhead, Elizabeth Yarwood, Diana C. Yeo.

Highly Commended.

Division II.

Eva Mary Allport, Lily Belling, G. Brightwell, Jane Lindsay Campbell, R. Swan Coulthard, George Robert Davidge, Leonard Duncan, Eleanor Elsey, Mrs. F. Farrar, C. S. Gregory, Hilda Mary Harrison, Charlotte Hayward, Florence Hayward, Ethel Winifred Hodgkinson, Madge L. Kemp, A. Kilburn, Gertrude Longbottom, E. Lord, Annie Manderson, Helen A. Manning, E. Mastin, Jessie Middlemiss, E. M. Le Mottée, J. D. Musgrave, E. Pearson, N. E. Purvey, Kate Robinson, M. Winifred Shakespear, Bettie Temple, Mrs. Mabel Tench, R. Marjorie Thomas, Ellen Thurtell, M. Tolson, Frances H. Webb-Gillman, Margaret M. Wilcox.

Here is another award at last to excite indignant comment and criticism. So large was the number of first-rate solutions that we had to pounce upon the most trifling errors with a keenness worthy of a better cause. After we had examined and re-examined again and again, we were rewarded for our exertions by finding that faults abounded, the enormity of which might fairly be expressed in sixteenths.

For instance, a failure to indent the lines properly was reckoned one-sixteenth of a mistake. The substitution of “around” foraboutwas counted two-sixteenths, and so on, with arithmetical precision. As only a limited number of names can be mentioned, all we have to do is to draw the line at a certain point (in this case it was at nine-sixteenths), and say: “Beyond that, no mention.” The result is an adjudication which can face criticism with a very fair amount of confidence. And here let us say that if any competitor thinks that an injustice has been done, we hope she will not harbour the thought privately, but frankly let us know as soon as the report appears. We much prefer to have the opportunity of acknowledging a mistake or of proving that none has been made.

To return to the puzzle. Many competitors failed to notice the “s” in the title, and wrote “Exploding Lamp.” This could only be regarded as a whole mistake, and was therefore fatal to any chance of success.

The rhythm of the first line, No. 6, was often marred by the insertion of “an.” In the second line, as we have already intimated, “around” could not be considered equal toabout, for a reason which a reference to the puzzle will divulge. In the fourth line “face” was continually given forhead, though the better sense of the latter reading is obvious, and the puzzle form of spelling “detach” was often adopted without thought.

In No. 7, “Cycling” was the title generally given, though many solvers were careful to read thetwointo it. This was an error we could not very severely condemn, and as a matter of fact two solutions which were perfect in every other respect, were admitted into the prize bundle. In the first line “you are” would not do instead of the contractionyou’re, neither did the insertion of “a” before hedge improve the rhythm of the last line but one. In the same line we did not object to the more strictly grammatical “accord” in place ofaccords, although the puzzle gave the latter.

We have received several letters questioning our award on “An Accidental Cycle II.” We have turned up every solution written about, and find that absolute justice was done to each. For the benefit of a very large number of solvers who cherish similar doubts in silence, we may say that the mistake of spelling “some one” as one word was a very important factor in the adjudication. That our report should have contained no reference to this point was an unfortunate circumstance.

The award on the whole series of Accidental Cycles cannot be published for two or three weeks, the number of solutions being very large.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.STUDY AND STUDIO.M. H.—1. The thought in your poem is very good, and you describe nature well and sympathetically. You need, however, to pay more attention to yourtechnique. Your lines are frequently halting—“’Tis sunset on the ocean, radiant with light.”is an instance in point.—2. Water-colours would be suitable for painting on gauze or satin. No preparation of the material is required.“Barty.”—1. Barty Joscelin, inThe Martian, is a fictitious character, though some of his early experiences in France were probably drawn from real life.—2. We are not familiar with the books you mention, but no doubt you could obtain a list from a bookseller, or the publisher if you knew the name.Sweet Seventeen.—1. Your writing is fairly good, but you should not leave a margin at the end of your lines. Try to write as freely as possible.—2. Inquire at the chemist’s where you purchase the sulphur ointment.Norah T.—We have never seen a really good book of such dialogues as you require, but you might apply to The United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, 60, Old Bailey, E.C., saying what you need.Twenty Minutes, by Harriet L. Childe-Pemberton, is a little book containing amusing dialogues for recitation, but they are not connected with “temperance.”Student.—1. A charming book, though not a new one, about animals is Mrs. Alfred Gatty’sWorlds not Realised; andParables from Nature, by the same author, contains much information mingled with beautiful allegorical teaching.—2. Apply to the National Health Society—secretary, Miss Lankester, 53, Berners Street, W., or to the St. John’s Ambulance Association, St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, E.C., for full list of books on nursing. We may mentionHints and Helps for Home Nursing and Hygiene, by Dr. Cosgrave, price 1s. (St. John’s Ambulance Association). We do not think you at all discourteous in your criticisms on the articles in question.Hildegarde Winter.—1. It is rather difficult for us to advise you what music to practise without knowing your powers. There are books of “Short Voluntaries” (1s. each), by Edward Redhead, published by Orsborn & Tuckwood, 64, Berners Street, London, W., which might suit you. They are intended for organ or harmonium, but sound well on the piano. Book III. contains some charming easy music. Would Mendelssohn’s “Songs without Words” be too difficult? You should practise at least an hour a day and as much longer as you can, but we fear that without any tuition you will find it hard to make much progress.—2. The tails of your g’s and y’s spoil your writing; they are too long, and badly formed. You could easily improve your hand.MEDICAL.Gwen Lewis.—Goître or Derbyshire neck is one of those diseases which are “endemic,” that is, resident in certain localities. It is very common in some places, chiefly in the mountainous or hilly districts of Derbyshire, Devonshire and Wales. It is more common in the valleys than in the hills. It is supposed to be due to some constituent in the water, possibly excess of lime. Goître, however, is not very infrequent in persons who have never seen a mountain, and who have lived in districts which are decidedly not goîtrous. There are many forms of goître, and the treatment for each variety is different. Unfortunately, that variety which is “endemic” is most difficult to cure. If the patient can leave the district where the condition was developed, and live in a place where the disease does not occur, the mass will cease growing and often wither altogether. The rational treatment of goître is therefore to change one’s residence. Iodine, both internally and externally, is often advised for the relief of simple goître, and it does sometimes do good. Mercury is often occasionally used with good results. Surgical procedures have been adopted, but unless the growth is enormous or interferes with breathing or swallowing, and in other special cases, this treatment is not to be recommended. Friction, massage and electricity have been tried with practically no result whatever.Buttercup.—Careful and moderate exercise is what you require. All your troubles, including the curvature of the spine, will be improved by this means. Gymnastic exercises are extremely valuable, and if we can only impress upon you to be moderate, we have no hesitation in saying that you will derive great benefit from gymnastics. The dumb-bells, the clubs, the horizontal bar, and the other milder exercises are very helpful, but you must avoid all the violent, we might almost say furious, exercises which are far too commonly indulged in. Again, you must not give up walking for gymnastics, but let a little of one augment a little of the other. Avoid sofas and easy-chairs, for these tend to weaken the spine. Before doing this, however, we advise you to have your back examined to find out what was the cause of the curvature.Mystic.—Beer poured over a red-hot horse-shoe will not cure dyspepsia. On the contrary, it will make it worse. What an extraordinary superstition!Heath Phillips.—You suffer from acne undoubtedly, possibly from that form known as “acne rosacea.” If you never feel indigestion you certainly have not got it. Sulphur ointment is very good for acne, but in the later stages, especially of the rosaceous acne, ichthiol ointment (2½ per cent.) is better.Merry Sunbeam.—The hair frequently combs out in considerable quantities, especially during spring and autumn. This is no abnormality, it is quite healthy, but it frequently alarms girls, because a very little hair makes a great show. The solution you use is useful, but you must beware of using much alcohol for the hair, as it renders it brittle. Wash your head less often, say once a fortnight, and add a teaspoonful of borax to each quart of water. The yolk of an egg makes a useful and strengthening hair-wash, but it should not be used too frequently, and the hair must be well rinsed afterwards.Ethel.—Chlorate of potassium lozenges are very useful for a “relaxed throat.” You must be careful not to swallow too many, for the drug is very apt to produce indigestion. Never take more than five in the course of one day. We have seen truly alarming symptoms in a girl who has eaten an ounce of the lozenges in an afternoon.Maitland.—Singeing the eyebrows would in no way permanently injure them. The hairs of the eyebrows grow very fast, and in a few weeks you will be none the worse for the accident.Enquirer.—By an “enlarged neck” you probably mean enlarged glands in the neck, a condition extremely commonly due to decayed teeth.Harry’s Girl.—Sugar is fattening, and very probably you are getting too fat because you eat too much sugar. There is no necessity for you to give up sugar altogether, but be more moderate in the amount you eat.Mignonette.—We published a long article on blushing and nervousness a short time back in which you will find all the information you require.MISCELLANEOUS.Primrose.—We do not think a stone could be set in a small wedding-ring. You had better consult a jeweller about it, as we have not seen it and cannot give a reliable opinion.Dodo.—The distinctions between the heterodox beliefs of a Deist and an Atheist are considerable. The former believes in the existence of a God, but rejects the divine revelation of Him given in the Holy Scriptures. He also believes in the immortality of the soul, and in the suitable reward of virtue and the punishment of vice. The latter denies the existence of a God, or Divine Providence, and holds no religious belief of any description. An infidel, or unbeliever, is one who denies the Jewish and Christian religions, and may be of any unorthodox belief.H. H.—Much depends on your finances. There is a good rule which tells you to “be just before you are generous.” Of course, it would be best to take nothing that you can help (by self-denial) from the contributions you usually make in church; but the money required for restitution of fraudulently-acquired money, it should be your first duty to make good (see St. Matt. v. 23 and 24). This precept would apply to such a case as yours. Of course, “there is hope while there is life.” Our blessed Lord says “He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him”—His blood-shedding—and “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.”Olive.—That the Celts are a branch of the great Aryan family is regarded as beyond all doubt, by their language, which bears a close resemblance in grammatical structure and vocables to Sanscrit. They were the first of the Aryan settlers in Europe. Herodotus (B.C.450) speaks of theKeltai. By this name the Greeks called them, and the RomansGalli, and a very numerous branch of them called themselvesGael. They settled in most of the European countries, and in the British islands, notably in Scotland and Ireland, but more in England than is generally supposed. Your own aboriginal family name is clearly Celtic.Sunflower.—The fact that your copy of the Bible is 100 years old is not the only question to be considered. If one of the several editions named after typographical errors, such as the “Breeches Bible” or the “Vinegar Bible” (published in 1727), and others, then there would be a fixed value for it. The celebrated “Bowyer Bible,” illustrated with 7,000 engravings, etchings, and original drawings, was sold to a Mrs. Heywood, of Bolton, for £500. It was one of the Macklin Bibles. You had better send a particular account of yours to some large library, and discover its value from the manager.Queenie B.—Fringes, if worn, are short and encroach little on the forehead. You should look at the dummies in the hair-dressers’ windows, and get a hair-dresser to cut your hair properly, or it will not curl. A situation as “companion” is rarely to be obtained. A girl should have a good address and good manners, should be a good reader, and write a good legible hand, be well-informed, sing, or play; have a sweet temper, and a great store of patience, with tact. As to the salary, that would vary, and must be left to private arrangement. If you possess all these qualifications, then advertise.

M. H.—1. The thought in your poem is very good, and you describe nature well and sympathetically. You need, however, to pay more attention to yourtechnique. Your lines are frequently halting—“’Tis sunset on the ocean, radiant with light.”is an instance in point.—2. Water-colours would be suitable for painting on gauze or satin. No preparation of the material is required.“Barty.”—1. Barty Joscelin, inThe Martian, is a fictitious character, though some of his early experiences in France were probably drawn from real life.—2. We are not familiar with the books you mention, but no doubt you could obtain a list from a bookseller, or the publisher if you knew the name.Sweet Seventeen.—1. Your writing is fairly good, but you should not leave a margin at the end of your lines. Try to write as freely as possible.—2. Inquire at the chemist’s where you purchase the sulphur ointment.Norah T.—We have never seen a really good book of such dialogues as you require, but you might apply to The United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, 60, Old Bailey, E.C., saying what you need.Twenty Minutes, by Harriet L. Childe-Pemberton, is a little book containing amusing dialogues for recitation, but they are not connected with “temperance.”Student.—1. A charming book, though not a new one, about animals is Mrs. Alfred Gatty’sWorlds not Realised; andParables from Nature, by the same author, contains much information mingled with beautiful allegorical teaching.—2. Apply to the National Health Society—secretary, Miss Lankester, 53, Berners Street, W., or to the St. John’s Ambulance Association, St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, E.C., for full list of books on nursing. We may mentionHints and Helps for Home Nursing and Hygiene, by Dr. Cosgrave, price 1s. (St. John’s Ambulance Association). We do not think you at all discourteous in your criticisms on the articles in question.Hildegarde Winter.—1. It is rather difficult for us to advise you what music to practise without knowing your powers. There are books of “Short Voluntaries” (1s. each), by Edward Redhead, published by Orsborn & Tuckwood, 64, Berners Street, London, W., which might suit you. They are intended for organ or harmonium, but sound well on the piano. Book III. contains some charming easy music. Would Mendelssohn’s “Songs without Words” be too difficult? You should practise at least an hour a day and as much longer as you can, but we fear that without any tuition you will find it hard to make much progress.—2. The tails of your g’s and y’s spoil your writing; they are too long, and badly formed. You could easily improve your hand.

M. H.—1. The thought in your poem is very good, and you describe nature well and sympathetically. You need, however, to pay more attention to yourtechnique. Your lines are frequently halting—

“’Tis sunset on the ocean, radiant with light.”

is an instance in point.—2. Water-colours would be suitable for painting on gauze or satin. No preparation of the material is required.

“Barty.”—1. Barty Joscelin, inThe Martian, is a fictitious character, though some of his early experiences in France were probably drawn from real life.—2. We are not familiar with the books you mention, but no doubt you could obtain a list from a bookseller, or the publisher if you knew the name.

Sweet Seventeen.—1. Your writing is fairly good, but you should not leave a margin at the end of your lines. Try to write as freely as possible.—2. Inquire at the chemist’s where you purchase the sulphur ointment.

Norah T.—We have never seen a really good book of such dialogues as you require, but you might apply to The United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, 60, Old Bailey, E.C., saying what you need.Twenty Minutes, by Harriet L. Childe-Pemberton, is a little book containing amusing dialogues for recitation, but they are not connected with “temperance.”

Student.—1. A charming book, though not a new one, about animals is Mrs. Alfred Gatty’sWorlds not Realised; andParables from Nature, by the same author, contains much information mingled with beautiful allegorical teaching.—2. Apply to the National Health Society—secretary, Miss Lankester, 53, Berners Street, W., or to the St. John’s Ambulance Association, St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, E.C., for full list of books on nursing. We may mentionHints and Helps for Home Nursing and Hygiene, by Dr. Cosgrave, price 1s. (St. John’s Ambulance Association). We do not think you at all discourteous in your criticisms on the articles in question.

Hildegarde Winter.—1. It is rather difficult for us to advise you what music to practise without knowing your powers. There are books of “Short Voluntaries” (1s. each), by Edward Redhead, published by Orsborn & Tuckwood, 64, Berners Street, London, W., which might suit you. They are intended for organ or harmonium, but sound well on the piano. Book III. contains some charming easy music. Would Mendelssohn’s “Songs without Words” be too difficult? You should practise at least an hour a day and as much longer as you can, but we fear that without any tuition you will find it hard to make much progress.—2. The tails of your g’s and y’s spoil your writing; they are too long, and badly formed. You could easily improve your hand.

Gwen Lewis.—Goître or Derbyshire neck is one of those diseases which are “endemic,” that is, resident in certain localities. It is very common in some places, chiefly in the mountainous or hilly districts of Derbyshire, Devonshire and Wales. It is more common in the valleys than in the hills. It is supposed to be due to some constituent in the water, possibly excess of lime. Goître, however, is not very infrequent in persons who have never seen a mountain, and who have lived in districts which are decidedly not goîtrous. There are many forms of goître, and the treatment for each variety is different. Unfortunately, that variety which is “endemic” is most difficult to cure. If the patient can leave the district where the condition was developed, and live in a place where the disease does not occur, the mass will cease growing and often wither altogether. The rational treatment of goître is therefore to change one’s residence. Iodine, both internally and externally, is often advised for the relief of simple goître, and it does sometimes do good. Mercury is often occasionally used with good results. Surgical procedures have been adopted, but unless the growth is enormous or interferes with breathing or swallowing, and in other special cases, this treatment is not to be recommended. Friction, massage and electricity have been tried with practically no result whatever.Buttercup.—Careful and moderate exercise is what you require. All your troubles, including the curvature of the spine, will be improved by this means. Gymnastic exercises are extremely valuable, and if we can only impress upon you to be moderate, we have no hesitation in saying that you will derive great benefit from gymnastics. The dumb-bells, the clubs, the horizontal bar, and the other milder exercises are very helpful, but you must avoid all the violent, we might almost say furious, exercises which are far too commonly indulged in. Again, you must not give up walking for gymnastics, but let a little of one augment a little of the other. Avoid sofas and easy-chairs, for these tend to weaken the spine. Before doing this, however, we advise you to have your back examined to find out what was the cause of the curvature.Mystic.—Beer poured over a red-hot horse-shoe will not cure dyspepsia. On the contrary, it will make it worse. What an extraordinary superstition!Heath Phillips.—You suffer from acne undoubtedly, possibly from that form known as “acne rosacea.” If you never feel indigestion you certainly have not got it. Sulphur ointment is very good for acne, but in the later stages, especially of the rosaceous acne, ichthiol ointment (2½ per cent.) is better.Merry Sunbeam.—The hair frequently combs out in considerable quantities, especially during spring and autumn. This is no abnormality, it is quite healthy, but it frequently alarms girls, because a very little hair makes a great show. The solution you use is useful, but you must beware of using much alcohol for the hair, as it renders it brittle. Wash your head less often, say once a fortnight, and add a teaspoonful of borax to each quart of water. The yolk of an egg makes a useful and strengthening hair-wash, but it should not be used too frequently, and the hair must be well rinsed afterwards.Ethel.—Chlorate of potassium lozenges are very useful for a “relaxed throat.” You must be careful not to swallow too many, for the drug is very apt to produce indigestion. Never take more than five in the course of one day. We have seen truly alarming symptoms in a girl who has eaten an ounce of the lozenges in an afternoon.Maitland.—Singeing the eyebrows would in no way permanently injure them. The hairs of the eyebrows grow very fast, and in a few weeks you will be none the worse for the accident.Enquirer.—By an “enlarged neck” you probably mean enlarged glands in the neck, a condition extremely commonly due to decayed teeth.Harry’s Girl.—Sugar is fattening, and very probably you are getting too fat because you eat too much sugar. There is no necessity for you to give up sugar altogether, but be more moderate in the amount you eat.Mignonette.—We published a long article on blushing and nervousness a short time back in which you will find all the information you require.

Buttercup.—Careful and moderate exercise is what you require. All your troubles, including the curvature of the spine, will be improved by this means. Gymnastic exercises are extremely valuable, and if we can only impress upon you to be moderate, we have no hesitation in saying that you will derive great benefit from gymnastics. The dumb-bells, the clubs, the horizontal bar, and the other milder exercises are very helpful, but you must avoid all the violent, we might almost say furious, exercises which are far too commonly indulged in. Again, you must not give up walking for gymnastics, but let a little of one augment a little of the other. Avoid sofas and easy-chairs, for these tend to weaken the spine. Before doing this, however, we advise you to have your back examined to find out what was the cause of the curvature.

Mystic.—Beer poured over a red-hot horse-shoe will not cure dyspepsia. On the contrary, it will make it worse. What an extraordinary superstition!

Heath Phillips.—You suffer from acne undoubtedly, possibly from that form known as “acne rosacea.” If you never feel indigestion you certainly have not got it. Sulphur ointment is very good for acne, but in the later stages, especially of the rosaceous acne, ichthiol ointment (2½ per cent.) is better.

Merry Sunbeam.—The hair frequently combs out in considerable quantities, especially during spring and autumn. This is no abnormality, it is quite healthy, but it frequently alarms girls, because a very little hair makes a great show. The solution you use is useful, but you must beware of using much alcohol for the hair, as it renders it brittle. Wash your head less often, say once a fortnight, and add a teaspoonful of borax to each quart of water. The yolk of an egg makes a useful and strengthening hair-wash, but it should not be used too frequently, and the hair must be well rinsed afterwards.

Ethel.—Chlorate of potassium lozenges are very useful for a “relaxed throat.” You must be careful not to swallow too many, for the drug is very apt to produce indigestion. Never take more than five in the course of one day. We have seen truly alarming symptoms in a girl who has eaten an ounce of the lozenges in an afternoon.

Maitland.—Singeing the eyebrows would in no way permanently injure them. The hairs of the eyebrows grow very fast, and in a few weeks you will be none the worse for the accident.

Enquirer.—By an “enlarged neck” you probably mean enlarged glands in the neck, a condition extremely commonly due to decayed teeth.

Harry’s Girl.—Sugar is fattening, and very probably you are getting too fat because you eat too much sugar. There is no necessity for you to give up sugar altogether, but be more moderate in the amount you eat.

Mignonette.—We published a long article on blushing and nervousness a short time back in which you will find all the information you require.

Primrose.—We do not think a stone could be set in a small wedding-ring. You had better consult a jeweller about it, as we have not seen it and cannot give a reliable opinion.Dodo.—The distinctions between the heterodox beliefs of a Deist and an Atheist are considerable. The former believes in the existence of a God, but rejects the divine revelation of Him given in the Holy Scriptures. He also believes in the immortality of the soul, and in the suitable reward of virtue and the punishment of vice. The latter denies the existence of a God, or Divine Providence, and holds no religious belief of any description. An infidel, or unbeliever, is one who denies the Jewish and Christian religions, and may be of any unorthodox belief.H. H.—Much depends on your finances. There is a good rule which tells you to “be just before you are generous.” Of course, it would be best to take nothing that you can help (by self-denial) from the contributions you usually make in church; but the money required for restitution of fraudulently-acquired money, it should be your first duty to make good (see St. Matt. v. 23 and 24). This precept would apply to such a case as yours. Of course, “there is hope while there is life.” Our blessed Lord says “He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him”—His blood-shedding—and “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.”Olive.—That the Celts are a branch of the great Aryan family is regarded as beyond all doubt, by their language, which bears a close resemblance in grammatical structure and vocables to Sanscrit. They were the first of the Aryan settlers in Europe. Herodotus (B.C.450) speaks of theKeltai. By this name the Greeks called them, and the RomansGalli, and a very numerous branch of them called themselvesGael. They settled in most of the European countries, and in the British islands, notably in Scotland and Ireland, but more in England than is generally supposed. Your own aboriginal family name is clearly Celtic.Sunflower.—The fact that your copy of the Bible is 100 years old is not the only question to be considered. If one of the several editions named after typographical errors, such as the “Breeches Bible” or the “Vinegar Bible” (published in 1727), and others, then there would be a fixed value for it. The celebrated “Bowyer Bible,” illustrated with 7,000 engravings, etchings, and original drawings, was sold to a Mrs. Heywood, of Bolton, for £500. It was one of the Macklin Bibles. You had better send a particular account of yours to some large library, and discover its value from the manager.Queenie B.—Fringes, if worn, are short and encroach little on the forehead. You should look at the dummies in the hair-dressers’ windows, and get a hair-dresser to cut your hair properly, or it will not curl. A situation as “companion” is rarely to be obtained. A girl should have a good address and good manners, should be a good reader, and write a good legible hand, be well-informed, sing, or play; have a sweet temper, and a great store of patience, with tact. As to the salary, that would vary, and must be left to private arrangement. If you possess all these qualifications, then advertise.

Primrose.—We do not think a stone could be set in a small wedding-ring. You had better consult a jeweller about it, as we have not seen it and cannot give a reliable opinion.

Dodo.—The distinctions between the heterodox beliefs of a Deist and an Atheist are considerable. The former believes in the existence of a God, but rejects the divine revelation of Him given in the Holy Scriptures. He also believes in the immortality of the soul, and in the suitable reward of virtue and the punishment of vice. The latter denies the existence of a God, or Divine Providence, and holds no religious belief of any description. An infidel, or unbeliever, is one who denies the Jewish and Christian religions, and may be of any unorthodox belief.

H. H.—Much depends on your finances. There is a good rule which tells you to “be just before you are generous.” Of course, it would be best to take nothing that you can help (by self-denial) from the contributions you usually make in church; but the money required for restitution of fraudulently-acquired money, it should be your first duty to make good (see St. Matt. v. 23 and 24). This precept would apply to such a case as yours. Of course, “there is hope while there is life.” Our blessed Lord says “He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him”—His blood-shedding—and “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.”

Olive.—That the Celts are a branch of the great Aryan family is regarded as beyond all doubt, by their language, which bears a close resemblance in grammatical structure and vocables to Sanscrit. They were the first of the Aryan settlers in Europe. Herodotus (B.C.450) speaks of theKeltai. By this name the Greeks called them, and the RomansGalli, and a very numerous branch of them called themselvesGael. They settled in most of the European countries, and in the British islands, notably in Scotland and Ireland, but more in England than is generally supposed. Your own aboriginal family name is clearly Celtic.

Sunflower.—The fact that your copy of the Bible is 100 years old is not the only question to be considered. If one of the several editions named after typographical errors, such as the “Breeches Bible” or the “Vinegar Bible” (published in 1727), and others, then there would be a fixed value for it. The celebrated “Bowyer Bible,” illustrated with 7,000 engravings, etchings, and original drawings, was sold to a Mrs. Heywood, of Bolton, for £500. It was one of the Macklin Bibles. You had better send a particular account of yours to some large library, and discover its value from the manager.

Queenie B.—Fringes, if worn, are short and encroach little on the forehead. You should look at the dummies in the hair-dressers’ windows, and get a hair-dresser to cut your hair properly, or it will not curl. A situation as “companion” is rarely to be obtained. A girl should have a good address and good manners, should be a good reader, and write a good legible hand, be well-informed, sing, or play; have a sweet temper, and a great store of patience, with tact. As to the salary, that would vary, and must be left to private arrangement. If you possess all these qualifications, then advertise.

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