Chapter XII: A Prisoner of War (2)

The Madison High-School team had a uniformly successful season this fall, although, because of its reputed strength on the gridiron, its managers found some difficulty in securing games with other high-school teams. The Madisonians were therefore compelled to arrange a number of games with elevens which might not ordinarily be considered in their class. For the second time they defeated the St. John's Military Academy team, the only eleven which has ever defeated Madison H.-S.,--barring the university team.

The strongest opponents they met were the Minneapolis H.-S. eleven. Five days after this hard game they played a team which came up from Chicago, representing the Hyde Park High-School, but I have never been able to find out what percentage of the members of this eleven ever saw the inside of a Hyde Park school-room. The managers and players of the team were not above practising deception either, for some of their men played against Madison under assumed names.

The Madison newspapers, it seems, had some fault to find with the method of play indulged in by the Chicagoans, and accused several of them of slugging. Full-back Trude was one of the men who received a raking over the coals. A few days later, however, the manager of the Madison High-School team received a letter from Mr. Trude, saying that the charges made against him were totally false, for the very simple reason that he was not in Madison on Thanksgiving day. Who the young man was who masqueraded as Trude and played full-back for the Hyde Park team I do not know.

This incident goes to show what serious results may come from what young men at first consider as merely innocent deception--if any deception may be considered as innocent. Many parents of Chicago school football-players objected this year to the game, and signified their unwillingness to have their sons take part in it. A number of these boys, however, disregarded these wishes, and played football under assumed names. In fact, it got to be quite a joke among Chicago high-schools that a number of boys had two names--their real name, and their "football" name. Of course, a few months of this sort of business hardened the unscrupulous players, and was no doubt indirectly responsible for the deception practised by Hyde Park upon Madison High-School.

Four of the members of the successful Madison High-School team graduate this year, but a good nucleus is left to start in with next fall. The average weight of the eleven was 143 pounds, and the average age, I am told, was 16-1/2 years. This seems very young to us in the East, where boys remain at school until they are considerably older, or, perhaps, do not get to school until they are more advanced in age. With teams averaging between sixteen and seventeen years there is no necessity for an age-limit rule, apparently; whereas in Boston and New York there is always an altercation when the age standard has to be decided, a strong faction regularly demanding that men of twenty-one shall be admitted to school athletics.

My opinion is, and always has been, that no one twenty-one years of age has any business being at school, unless he is extraordinarily stupid, or unless illness or a weak constitution has made it impossible for him to keep up with his studies. In either case such boys had better keep out of athletics, except for necessary light exercise, and devote all of their time to learning enough to get out of school with credit. All this is aside, and I find that I am again wandering far from the Madison High-School.

The Madisonians, to take the subject up again, did not meet any team this fall which was not considerably heavier than their own, and it is plain therefore that their victories were largely due to their team-work, and, doubtless, to the agility of their ends and the swiftness of their backs. Their eleven scored during the season 135 points to their opponents' 46.

The interest in football in Michigan has increased greatly of recent years, and this fall, out of five hundred boys attending the Grand Rapids High-School (many of these, of course, far too young to be allowed to play the game), fifty-two were candidates for positions on the football team. As finally selected, the average weight of the eleven was 149 pounds. Of nine games played eight were victories for the High-School, the one defeat being administered by the University of Michigan eleven.

The Detroit High-School team was likewise a strong one but, as it did not meet the Grand Rapids H.-S. eleven, the question of State superiority is left undecided. I hope that the lads of both schools will come to see that this is a matter of very small moment, so long as they have derived benefit from their sport; but unfortunately we have to face the condition that unless one aggregation can write "championship" all over its record, there is dissatisfaction in every camp.

The football season in Maine has closed in a muddle, the schedule of the Interscholastic Association not having been properly played out, and two or three schools are now lifting up their voices to claim that they are the best the State ever produced. It seems to be largely a case of a fear of defeat on the part of somebody, and a great lack of that spirit which should prompt the young men to go out on the field and play for the sake of playing, and not for the sake of winning the game.

Among the Hudson River teams which played good football this season was that of the Mohegan Lake School. They closed the season with a record of four victories and one defeat--losing to Riverview Academy, Poughkeepsie. The success of the eleven was largely due to the good work of Captain Kendall, who coached and looked after the eleven without the assistance of more experienced advisers. The Mohegan team had a very effective system of offence, but they were not strong in defensive work, doubtless because their second eleven was too weak to afford them hard enough practice.

Further up the river the Albany High-School took the laurels in its neighborhood. It won the championship of the Northeastern New York Interscholastic Association, and was the strongest eleven the school ever put forth. The chief feature of Albany's play was its team-work, which proved effective against heavier opponents.

Little progress has been made by the managers of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club Interscholastic Games, which are to be held in the Madison Square Garden this winter. So far, at the meetings of the executives many questions have been left undecided, and the events that are to be contested have not even been announced. Neither is it possible to announce as yet the names of any of the prominent athletes whom we shall see come together there, but as soon as there are any developments we shall take up the subject again, as this meeting will undoubtedly prove the most important interscholastic athletic event in New York this winter.

The skating races this year in New York are to be sanctioned by the Interscholastic Association, although they were not so sanctioned last year. Arrangements have already been made, and I hope to be able to deal with the subject more fully next week. It will be remembered that last season Morgan of De La Salle carried off all the honors. His records were as follows: 220 yards, 23 sec.; quarter-mile, 50-1/5 sec.; 2 miles, 6 min. 36-2/5 sec. He was also a member of De La Salle's winning team in the 1-mile relay race. This year undoubtedly there will be a greater interest in these skating races and surely a larger number of entries, for a number of skaters are already in training for the several events. I believe that arrangements have been made to hold the contests at the St. Nicholas Rink instead of at the 107th Street rink, which is no doubt a change for the better.

The Cook County League has adopted a schedule for the in-door baseball season as follows:

January 9--North Division at Hyde Park.
January 9--Austin at Lake View.
January 9--Englewood at Evanston.
January 16--Austin at Hyde Park.
January 16--Lake View at Englewood.
January 16--Evanston at North Division.
January 23--Hyde Park at Englewood.
January 23--Evanston at Austin.
January 23--North Division at Lake View.
January 30--Hyde Park at Evanston.
January 30--Austin at North Division.
February 3--Hyde Park at Lake View.
February 3--Austin at Englewood.
February 6--Englewood at North Division.
February 6--Lake View at Evanston.
February 13--Lake View at Austin.
February 13--Hyde Park at North Division.
February 13--Evanston at Englewood.
February 20--North Division at Evanston.
February 20--Hyde Park at Austin.
February 20--Englewood at Lake View.
February 27--Austin at Evanston.
February 27--Englewood at Hyde Park.
February 27--Lake View at North Division.
March 6--North Division at Austin.
March 6--Evanston at Hyde Park.
March 13--Lake View at Hyde Park.
March 13--Englewood at Austin.
March 20--Evanston at Lake View.
March 20--North Division at Englewood.

In every case the first-named team is scheduled to play against the last-named at the home of the latter.

It was decided by the managers when they laid out this schedule that it would not be required of the teams to play on the exact dates specified if another, earlier, day of the same week proves more convenient. The only stipulation is that if the managers of any two teams cannot agree upon an earlier date they must play no later than upon the day specified.

There is so little interest in this winter sport among the students of English H.-S. that no team has been entered by that institution, and South Division will prove a weak contestant on account of its lack of facilities for the development of athletic material, there being no gymnasium connected with the school. Englewood and Hyde Park are new members to the League. The former's team has played some good practice games, but the latter's has not as yet showed of what material it is composed. Austin, the champion team of last year, has but two new men on this year's team, so that the prospects are they will finish near the top if they do not get the pennant. Lake View's is another strong team that has been playing excellent ball. North Division has played several good games, but also several poor ones, and its final make-up is undetermined. Evanston will undoubtedly send a team that will be the strongest ever put out by that school. From present indications the championship seems to lie among Austin, Lake View, Englewood, and Evanston, their chances being in the order named.

The comment upon the division of spoils in Connecticut, recently made in these columns, has elicited a number of protests from readers in the Nutmeg State. Most of my correspondents, however, in their arguments have seemed to miss the main point of the evil. One argues that it is necessary to charge admission-fees to football games because the public interest in high-school athletics is so great in Connecticut that a stiff admission-fee is the only barrier against a disorderly crowd. He writes that where no charge is made a rough element lines the ropes, and frequently creates a disturbance for which the schools are in no way responsible, but which naturally reflects upon the management.

In support of these contentions he cites the disturbance at New Britain a year ago, when a number of the town rowdies destroyed a Hartford banner. If the conditions, therefore, are such that it is necessary to make the spectators pay an entrance-fee, purely as a means of protection, I believe by all means in retaining the box-office and the turnstile. My suggestion to do away with the sale of tickets was offered merely as a means to cut down the accumulation of an unnecessary surplus, not because there is any objection to the system. On the contrary, if the box-office keeps out the undesirable element, by all means let the box-office remain. But the fact that a rough element compels the Connecticut schools to charge an admission-fee to their games has no relation to the subsequent spoliation of the treasury.

Another writer states that some of the schools in the League are unable to raise money for athletics, and so must depend upon the Association to help them out financially. There is no objection to this either, so long as the money drawn from the Association is used strictly for the purpose of promoting that branch of athletics by which the money was earned. It is only natural that, in a League whose membership is scattered over so broad an area, some schools should incur greater expenses than others. For this very reason, if for no other, there should never be an equal division of profits.

Those schools that have heavy expenses should put in their bills to the Association's treasurer, and receive payment for their necessary expenditures. Thus one school will need $125, perhaps, while another will find it necessary to spend but $50. The latter should therefore only receive from the central treasury just that amount, and not a cent more, "to be devoted to athletics." The root of the evil is the _pro rata_ division. Aside from any ethical question, this promotes extravagance, and leads to a loose financial system. Money earned by athletics should be handled most judiciously, or it will prove a very insidious and complicating element in the economy of sport.

"FOOTBALL FACTS AND FIGURES."--BY WALTER CAMP.--POST 8VO, PAPER, 75 CENTS.

THE GRADUATE.

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QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG MEN.

ON ATHLETICS.

There was a time when the college man who joined an athletic team felt that he must train hard for a month or two before his great match came off, and that then his duty to his college and his team ended, and he could go out of training until the next season. "Training" then meant a somewhat barbarous plan of eating half-cooked meats, drinking limited quantities of water, taking physical exercise almost all day long, and doing little else. Since those days we have all discovered that training consists in eating normal food that is well cooked and taken at regular times of the day, going to bed at night by nine or ten o'clock, and rising to half past seven or eight o'clock breakfast. That part of the matter has been pretty well settled, but perhaps the most important defect in the old training system has not been corrected, though every one will acknowledge that it is a defect the moment he thinks it over. This is the absurd idea that you can get ready for a big athletic game in one or two months. A very long time ago it was discovered that if you want to do anything well you must practise at it day by day for many more months than can be crowded into one year. Nobody ever made a great success at anything by working night and day for a month or two. And it is precisely the same with baseball or rowing or football as it is with studies or law or the ministry.

You may have been eating all sorts of things during the summer, sitting up late at night, and getting up late in the morning. Do you fancy that on the 1st of October you can begin an entirely new life, and make a good football-player of yourself by Thanksgiving day? Not by any means. If you want to be the member of some college athletic team, begin before you get to college. Begin by eating carefully, not by eating food fit for wild animals, but by eating good meats, and so on, and not filling up on candies and sweets day after day at meals and between meals. There is a reason for this. A man whose stomach is weak has no courage, and if he has no courage he carries himself through a game on his nerves, and is completely exhausted at the end of that game. No one can give himself a strong, vigorous digestion in one month, nor in one year if he is at all weak there. It requires years of normal living to do this, and it is the most important part of all training. Probably the famous story about Napoleon is quite true, that he thought more of his soldiers' food and shoes than of their guns, for he maintained that no man could fight in pinching shoes and on an empty stomach. In the same way you cannot train your muscles, to do extraordinary things in a few short weeks. It requires months and years of gradual work. If you start in late and work hard every day you will ruin your muscles instead of improving them, and as a matter of actual record many a good man has been lost to his team for this reason alone.

What is the most critical time in a baseball match or a football game? When does the oarsman's great test come? Certainly not at the start, for we all do well then. But at the very close of the game, when, after all the players have become exhausted, the real nerve of the contest arrives. That is the time when the man who has been slowly and carefully training year by year will find that he is better than all the others, and that he can put in the extra pound at the oar or the extra speed at the long football run which carries his team to a closely won victory.

Athletic training, therefore, is nothing sudden, nothing to be "taken up" at any one time for a short space, but a general self-control and guard which the boy or man keeps over himself in summer and in winter, keeping himself healthy, in good hard condition, and ready for anything he may be called on to do. Any one will tell you this is quite in line with the best methods of study, of work, or of business in after-life; that it is the steady, careful man that wins. But as we are not preaching here, this must be left for fathers and older brothers to do.

* * * * *

THE COST OF ROYALTY.

Here are a few statistics lately published that will doubtless prove interesting to the reader. The royal family of England costs the British government, in round numbers, $3,000,000 annually. Of this sum the Queen receives nearly $2,000,000 a year, besides the revenue from the Duchy of Lancaster, which amounts to a quarter of a million. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland receives $100,000 a year for his services and expenses, and the Prince of Wales $200,000 a year. The President of France receives $240,000 a year for salary and expenses, an enormous salary when it is remembered that the republic is sweating under a stupendous national debt of over $6,000,000,000--the largest debt ever incurred by any nation in the world. Italy can have ten thousand men slaughtered in Abyssinia and still pay her King $2,600,000 a year. The civil list of the German Emperor is about $4,000,000 a year, besides large revenues from vast estates belonging to the royal family. The Czar of all the Russias owns in fee simple 1,000,000 square miles of cultivated land, and enjoys an income of $12,000,000. The King of Spain, little Alfonso XIII., if he is of a saving disposition, will be one of the richest sovereigns in Europe when he comes of age. The state allows him $1,400,000 a year, with an additional $600,000 for family expenses. We are said to be the richest nation on earth, yet our President's salary is only $50,000 a year. It was only $25,000 from 1789 to 1873.

* * * * *

NEW USE FOR A WATER-CART.

Two countrymen were paying a visit to the city of Edinburgh recently, when for the first time in their experience they saw a water-cart employed in laying the dust after the orthodox fashion. They had been warned by their friends before leaving home not to be surprised if they saw many wonderful things, and, above all, not to give expression to their astonishment, as they would probably only be laughed at for their ignorance. Hitherto the clodhoppers had attended fairly well to these instructions, and so far at least had not made fools of themselves. But, alas! a water-cart was too much for them. No sooner did their eyes alight on it than Jock, the more enthusiastic of the two, rushed off towards it, shouting to the driver:

"Hey, mon! hey, mon! stop, for guidness' sake; yer scaling a' yer watter!"

Jim, his companion, was not so easily deceived, however, and, vexed to see Jock make such an exhibition of his ignorance, ran after him, and seizing him by the coat tails, reprimanded him as follows:

"What for are you makin' such a fule o' yersel' for, Jock? The man ken's brawly that the watter's scaling. Lo'd, man, if ye had ony sense you could easily ken that it was only a dodge tae keep the laddies aff the back o' the cart."

* * * * *

A neat little correspondence took place between David Roberts, the artist, and a friendly art critic with whom he was in the habit of hobnobbing. Roberts had painted a number of pictures into which he put all his genius, and upon placing them on exhibition, much to his surprise and mortification his friend the critic severely attacked them. In due time, however, a note arrived, addressed:

"MY DEAR ROBERTS,--You have doubtless read my remarks upon your
pictures. I hope they will make no difference in our friendship.
Yours, etc., ----."

This had a tendency to slightly increase the painter's wrath, and he couched the following:

"MY DEAR ----,--The next time I meet you I shall pull your nose. I
hope it will make no difference in our friendship. Yours, etc., D.
ROBERTS."

It is not recorded whether they met afterwards, but it is safe to say those erstwhile friends hobnobbed no more.

This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin
collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question
on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address
Editor Stamp Department.

Three important measures have just been agreed upon by the House of Representatives, and probably will be accepted by the Senate. The first bill introduces the principle of responsibility on the part of the government for the delivery of registered letters and parcels.

The proposed law provides that senders or owners of registered matter lost in the mails may be indemnified to an extent not exceeding $10 for any one letter or package. This will do as a beginning, but the American public is entitled to at least as much as is given to the citizens of European nations by their respective post-office departments. For instance, we pay 10c. for a registered letter, and by the proposed law may collect up to $10 if the letter or parcel is lost. In England a registered letter costs 6c., and if lost the owner can collect up to $25; if 10c. is paid, the indemnity is raised to $75.

The second measure is one permitting the use of private postal cards to which a 1c. stamp is affixed, provided the same be approximately of the same size and weight as the officially made card. If passed, there will be some very handsome and many very humorous cards sent through the mail, and interesting collections could be made at a very little cost.

The third measure is one providing for the appointment of letter-carriers in small places, who shall collect 1c. for each letter or parcel delivered. This is practically applying to small villages the system which fifty years ago was common in New York, Philadelphia, and other large cities. If the charges are collected by stamps, it will revive the collecting of U. S. Locals.

B. J. JONES.--The old Anti-Surcharge Society was organized about
six years ago through the efforts of Mr. C. B. Corwin, but it soon
went to pieces, as the great body of collectors refused to
discontinue the collection of the innumerable and uncalled-for
varieties. The evil has abated of late years, from the fact that
the burden grew too heavy for all philatelists excepting a small
body of very rich men. The "Seebecks" are declining in price
rapidly.

J. LEARNED.--The collecting of entire U. S. envelopes should be
followed where possible. Discard all varieties of water-mark paper,
shapes, sizes, gums, etc., collecting simply by dies and papers.

A. A. WEILMAN.--It is claimed that the first envelope in modern
times used for prepayment of postage was the New South Wales for
1838. A genuine copy would probably bring $250.

W. H. CARR, JUN.--You can buy the Philatelic button of C. W.
Kissinger, Reading, Pa.

H. F. KING.--The Japanese wedding stamps were issued in 1894. The
red is sold at 4c., the blue at 5c.

O. LEWIS.--You do not state the paper, or whether used or unused.
On white paper it is worth 20c.; on amber paper, 25c.; on blue
paper, $5; on fawn paper, $15.

% %.--The half-dime, 1856, can be bought for 15c.

J. P. WILTON.--The stamp-dealers are offering $2 Columbian stamps
at $1.75. They are used for postage by the large banking houses,
chiefly for prepayment of postage on packages of bonds, stocks,
etc., sent to Europe.

G. R. D.--I do not know what dealers pay for stamps. Their selling
prices are quoted in the stamp catalogues. Your Agricultural
Department envelope bears the seal of the department. No commercial
value.

C. C. RANSOM.--It is impossible to give values for long lists of
stamps. Any catalogue will price the stamps both used and unused,
give the date of issue, and much other information. The standard
1897 catalogue costs 58c., but good catalogues can be bought at
5c., 10c., or 25c. each.

PHILATUS.

The price of good things oft is high,
But wise housekeepers tell
That Ivory Soap is cheap to buy
And best to use, as well.

Copyright, 1896, by The Procter & Gamble Co., Cin'ti.

Two Popular Writers!

* * * * *

KIRK MUNROE

=RICK DALE.= A Story of the Northwest Coast. Illustrated by W. A. ROGERS. Post 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25.

Lively and exciting, and has, incidentally, much first-hand
information about the far Northwest.--_Outlook_, N. Y.

Capital story of adventure..--_Philadelphia Evening Bulletin._

=SNOW-SHOES AND SLEDGES.= A Sequel to "The Fur-Seal's Tooth."--=THE FUR-SEAL'S TOOTH.--RAFTMATES.--CANOE-MATES.--CAMPMATES.--DORYMATES.= Post 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25 each. The Four "Mates" Volumes in a Box, $5.00.

=WAKULLA.--FLAMINGO FEATHER.--DERRICK STERLING.--CHRYSTAL, JACK & CO.=, and =DELTA BIXBY=. Illustrated. Square 16mo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.00 each.

* * * * *

JAMES BARNES

=NAVAL ACTIONS OF THE WAR OF 1812.= With 21 Full-page Illustrations by CARLTON T. CHAPMAN, printed in color, and 12 Reproductions of Medals. 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, Deckel Edges and Gilt Top, $4.50.

Unquestionably both the most lifelike and the most artistic
renderings of these encounters ever attempted.--_Boston Journal._

Brimful of adventure, hardihood, and patriotism.--_Philadelphia
Ledger._

=FOR KING OR COUNTRY.= A Story of the American Revolution. Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.50.

A capital story for boys, both young and old; full of adventure and
movement, thoroughly patriotic in tone, throwing luminous
sidelights upon the main events of the Revolution.--_Brooklyn
Standard-Union._

* * * * *

HARPER & BROTHERS, Publishers, New York

Clever Puzzle-Solvers.

Answers and Awards in that "Land of Shades" Contest.

A very great number of people took interest in that quaint story from the "Land of Shades" about an election held in that country. The answers sent in competition for the $40 offered in prizes showed an unusually high average in penmanship, neatness, and intelligence. In deciding which answers were the correct ones some standard had to be taken. That standard was "Harper's Book of Facts." It should, however, be explained that the effort was made, when the story was written, to put in no questions on the correct answers to which there is a conflict of authorities. But these contests often bring to light conflicts heretofore unknown. It happened so in this one. The question was about the "Father of Tractarianism." The answer had in advance was Dr. E. B. Pusey. Keble and Newman were prominent, but the title, so far as could be found, had been applied only to Pusey. But several solvers in this contest found authorities for others besides Pusey. So the question was dropped, and played no part in deciding the awards. In passing judgment upon other answers exact spelling of names was not required, nor was it held essential that first names, dates, etc., be given. If the solver showed that he or she had found the correct answers, such showing was excepted. A very great number gave Wöhler as the discoverer of aluminium. Wöhler's employment of the metal was in 1827. Marggraff discovered it and used it, as a toy it is true, in 1754. A slight misunderstanding existed about the large ship recently built. Both answers given were accepted as correct--the Pennsylvania at Belfast, and the Kaiser Wilhelm I., at Glasgow. The hardest question was No. 29. About a dozen guessed it, but they missed other questions in so great number that none of them are among the prize-winners. All prize-winners failed on it. "Clouds," "snow," "sole-soul" were oftenest given, but any one can see that they poorly answer the riddle. Many gave "flamingo" as the answer to the last question but one. Others gave "blackbird." Neither was accepted, because not so good as "flicker."

Following are answers allowed: 1. John Kinzie. 2. Pompey. 3. Abraham Lincoln. 4. Constantine the Great. 5. Robert Cavalier La Salle. 6. G. Wilhelm von Leibnitz. 7. Sir Christopher Wren. 8. St. Vincent de Paul. 9. Rouget de Lisle. 10. Eric the Red. 11. Edward III. of England. 12. John C. Fremont. 13. Schouten. 14. Robert Barker. 15. Praxiteles. 16. Socrates. 17. Tarquin the Elder. 18. Joseph Hopkinson. 19. Andrew Jackson. 20. Queen Elizabeth of England. 21. Dr. E. B. Pusey. 22. Marggraff. 23. H. H. Richardson. 24. F. P. Blair. 25. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse and Pennsylvania. 26. Helvetii. 27. Knickerbockers of New York. 28. Egyptians. 29. The green cheese of which the moon is said to be made. 30. Ink. 31. North Pole. 32. Butcher-bird or Razor-bird. 33. Jay. 34. Flicker. 35. Chattering Fly-Catcher.

One contestant answered correctly every question save two--29 and 34. His name is Archer O. Yeames, and he lives in Jamaica Plain, Mass. He is given $15 of the $40 prize-money and the highest honor of the contest. Three others tied for second honor, and $4 is given to each. Their names, mentioned in an order that gives a little the highest credit to the first, the next to the second, and so on in the order in which all ties are named, are: Raymond Tilley, Pittsburg, Pa.; Edwin F. Killin, Stevens Point, Wis.; and Mary H. Eastman, Wilmington, Del. The next in order of merit was the answer of Esther Neilson, Philadelphia, and $3 is awarded her. Two tied for fourth place, and are given $2.50 each. Both live in Pittsburg--Thomas S. Jacobs and Pearl Coyle. For fifth place the prizes decrease rapidly--more rapidly than they would had it not proved necessary to admit five instead of three contestants, since five stood exactly alike. That is, they missed the same number of questions, but not always the same questions. They are given $1 each. They are: J. Lawrence Hyde, Washington; Joseph T. England, Baltimore; Paul F. Case, Fairport, N. Y.; Elizabeth C. Drake, Chicago; and Walter Collins, Glenfield, Pa. The Messrs. Harper & Brothers, New York, will forward checks for the sums named as soon as these awards shall have had time to be read by all contestants. The desire is that winners first learn of their success in the printed announcement. To notify them by mail, by sending them money, is to favor them, in time, over other contestants. It was a hot contest. Congratulations are extended to the victors, and the losers are urged to try again. For the information of the latter it may be stated that in this contest scarcely any two were alike; all who failed missed at least five of the thirty-five questions.

* * * * *

More Signs and Omens.

I live in the "Sunny South," where there is a sign for everything
that happens. Among the commonest of these, many are of negro
origin.

1. Clear in the night, rain again in three days.

2. "Katydids'" arrival, sign of frost in six weeks.

3. Sign of a wedding if a cat washes her face and then looks at
you.

4. If the husks on the corn are thick, sign of a cold winter.

5. If the rooster crows before the door, look out for company.

6. If you drop your apron, you have lost your lover.

7. If your hair-pin is about to come out of your hair, your lover
is thinking of you.

8. Bad luck for any article of your clothing to burn, either on you
or off.

9. Bad luck to have a rainy wedding-day.

10. Sign of a death if a bird comes in the house.

11. Bad luck if a hooting owl comes near the house.

12. Sign of a death if a "screech-owl" comes near the house. (This
is considered a terrible thing, and causes great fear among the
negroes.)

13. Whippoorwills are considered birds of ill omen.

14. Sign of a death if the dog howls at night.

I think it would be interesting to continue this, and have the
members send in different local superstitions.

MAY INMAN MAGUIRE.
HENDERSONVILLE, N. C.

* * * * *

Going Out on a Risky Errand.

A government Indian agent who has seen years of service tells some stories about Indians. Here is one:

"A ranch near the town of Beaver, in Utah, was attacked by Indians, and one man who was visiting the ranchman's family was killed. The house was surrounded by the Indians, and the people within defended themselves as best they could; but the ranchman, watching his opportunity, lowered his little boy and his daughter, aged eight and twelve, from the back window, and told them to try to make their way to the cañon and follow it down to Beaver, where they could obtain help. The two children succeeded in reaching the cañon unobserved, and with rare presence of mind the boy told his sister to follow down one side of the cañon, and he would follow the other, so that in case the Indians should find one of them the other might not be observed.

"The children succeeded in reaching Beaver, where a relief party was organized, which hastened to the rescue of the besieged party. At the beginning of the siege the Indians had heard the children in the house, and missing their voices, the alert savages discovered that they had gone, and endeavored to overtake them, but being unsuccessful, and knowing that help would soon arrive, withdrew before the rescuers could reach the ranch."

* * * * *

Blind Boys and Baseball.

Blind boys can play baseball. It is not the baseball of the League, but it answers--blind boys. Only one man in the game must have good eyes--the umpire. The diamond is like the regular ones, save that bases are forty instead of ninety feet apart. Players are stationed the same as in a League game, but there is a second short stop, or ten men on each side.

The catcher sits on the ground. Think of it--sits on the ground! He stays well back from the home-plate, and wears a mask and breastplate. The pitcher aims, first, to enable the batter to hit the ball, and, second, to have the ball, if not batted, to strike the ground just in front of the catcher and be taken on the bound. The batsman uses a bat much like a cricket bat. Taking his position, the umpire says, "One, two, three," and on the instant the "three" is spoken the pitcher delivers the ball. The batter has to guess at the time the ball will reach him, and he guesses rightly in more cases than one would think possible. If the ball is missed it lands in the catcher's lap. Beginners at the bat strike ludicrously wide of the ball, but as all the players are blind, they miss the place to laugh. If the ball is batted, the umpire calls out the name of the player toward whom the ball is going. This player hears it, and if he fails to catch it, chases it into the grass. It is his if he gets it, no matter on what bound it may be.

When the batter runs, the first-base man calls out, "First," and keeps calling, so the runner may know in what direction to go. The second-base man does the same, calling, "Second." Six outs put a side out. These blind boys get a wonderful amount of fun out of the play, and become expert at it.

* * * * *

Life in Our Soldiers' Orphans' Home.

No one but a member of a home like this can know enough of the
every-day life to fully understand the spirit in which the children
take their confinement; for confinement it is in the end. Owing to
a peculiar training received here, the average child knows more
about the history of our country than any other class of children
in the United States. We have good times among ourselves, and
originate many plays and jokes. We have a band of sixteen pieces, a
debating club, and several minor clubs. On going to school each boy
salutes "Old Glory" as he passes it. To show that the boys are
poetical (?), for instance, when cold slaw is being passed at the
table, the first boy says, "Slaw"; if the next boy doesn't want
any, he says, "Naw."

At present all thoughts are centred on Christmas. Ask a boy the day
before Christmas or Thanksgiving what he intends to do next day; he
will say, "Eat turkey, of course." We are always glad to get a
letter, and to be certain of having one in the mail we get our
relatives to mark the envelope, so we can tell it before the mail
is distributed.

One of the Board of Trustees, who lives in Canton, O., recently
visited William McKinley, and told him he was coming to the home
next day. Then the President-elect of the United States, with tears
coming to his eyes, said, "Give my love to every child there. God
bless them!" When the board member told the children this in our
chapel, every patriotic son of America raised his handkerchief and
shook it, after the manner of the Chautauqua salute, and in his
heart said, "Long live our next President!" The boys and girls over
fourteen years of age learn a trade, devoting one-half of each day
to it. But in every case a half-day pupil has better lessons than a
whole-day one. Many children leave here in June next, and have no
place to go. If any persons could put these in the way of
employment they will find them faithful and true in every sense of
the word.

JOSEPH L. GILL, Cottage 18.
XENIA, O.

* * * * *

A Great Man Facing Defeat.

Mr. Gladstone, one of the greatest of Englishmen, and a man who has seen comparatively few of his plans of state succeed, is said to be personally disliked by Queen Victoria. For years he had worked hard upon a plan having for its object the benefit of Ireland and Irish farmers and tenants. Seven years ago all of his plans were frustrated. While his great policy was being wrecked, he sat in the library of the House of Commons and read the words of a famous opera. Some friends finding him there, expressed amazement. But this act of the great minister did not indicate indifference. It showed, rather, a tension that sought relief in order to avoid worse effects. For when spoken to he said, with a voice full of pathos, "For the past five years I have rolled this stone patiently up hill, and it has now rolled to the bottom again; and I am eighty-one years old."

* * * * *

At Least one Faithful Hearer.

A famous Church of England bishop had a dog named Watch. Once, as Watch lay by the open door, the prelate read the Bible passage, "What I say unto you I say unto you all--Watch!" The dog sprang up, and coming forward, lay down by the reading-desk.

"One hearer attends my words, at least," mused the bishop.

Any questions in regard to photograph matters will be willingly
answered by the Editor of this column, and we should be glad to
hear from any of our club who can make helpful suggestions.

HINTS ON RETOUCHING.

III.--TREATING THE NEGATIVES FROM THE GLASS SIDE.

While this picture does not come exactly under the head of retouching, it describes how to treat a negative from the glass side so that a good print may be made from a negative in which the contrasts between the high lights and shadows are too strong.

Take a piece of best quality white tissue-paper, moisten it slightly, and paste it at the edges to the glass side of the negative. Moistening the paper before attaching it to the negative causes it to adhere closely to the glass without wrinkles.

Put the negative in the retouching-frame with the glass side uppermost, and with a pencil go over the negative, softening the high lights, working up detail in the shadows--in fact, making a drawing of the negative on the piece of tissue-paper with which it is covered. When the drawing or pencilling is finished, take a crayon stump and blend the lines and lighten the edges of the shadows. It is a good plan to have a print of the picture pinned to the board as a guide to working on the negative. When finished and ready for printing, place a piece of tissue-paper or a sheet of ground glass over the frame, and print in the shade. If the first work is not successful, the paper can be removed and a fresh one substituted.

Instead of using tissue-paper the back of the negative may be coated with ground-glass substitute, tinted with red or purple aniline dye. Ground-glass varnish may be made by the following formula, or may be bought ready prepared:

Gum-sandarach 45 grains.
Gum-mastic 10 grains.
Ether 1 fluid ounce.
Benzole 3/4 fluid ounce.

Flow this over the back of the negative, and when dry it may be worked on with a pencil in the same manner as described for the tissue-paper. Where the solution covers the high lights it can be removed either by scraping it away and leaving the glass clear, or it may be removed with spirits of turpentine. The edges may be softened so as to remove the harsh contrast between the clear glass and the tinted solution by rubbing them with a powder made of one part finely powdered resin and two parts dextrine. A leather stump dipped in the powder is the best means of applying it.

In landscapes, where in order to obtain prints of the clouds in the sky the other parts of the picture must be very much over-printed, apply the ground-glass solution to the back of the negative, and soften the lines where the horizon meets the sky by the dextrine powder. A few drops of the aniline dye will be sufficient to give the varnish a tint.

Benzole is highly inflammable, and must not be brought near a light. The varnish should be kept in a glass-stoppered bottle, as the ether is volatile, and soon evaporates if not tightly corked.

For blocking out backgrounds use Gihon's opaque, a non-actinic water-color paint. It costs fifty cents a cake, and one cake will last for a year or more.

WILLIAM WALKER PATEN, 937 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Md.; G. EARL
RAIGNET, 603 North Seventeenth St., Phil., Pa.; ELBERT H. DYER, 62
Bradford St., Philadelphia, Pa.; LOUISE LEWIS, 1820 Pine St.,
Philadelphia, Pa.; FRANCIS T. STAINER, Challinack, B. C.; RAYMOND
E. REYNOLDS, 34 Ripley Place, Buffalo, N. Y.; ARTHUR INKERSLEY, 709
Hyde St., San Francisco, Cal.; CONANT TAYLOR, 159 South Oxford St.,
Brooklyn, N. Y., GEORGE D. PORTER, 212 Tulip St., Brooklyn, N. Y.;
GEORGE FULLER, Pittsfield, Ill.; GILBERT JACKSON, Boonville, Oneida
Co., N. Y., wish to be enrolled as members of the Camera Club.

LADY SOPHIE F. MACQUAIDE, 46 Mechlin Street, Germantown, Pa., asks
if any member of the Camera Club has a No. 2 Bullet Camera for
sale. She wishes to buy one.

W. H. writes that the directions for bromide-paper say that it
should be opened in a dark room, and asks if that means that the
room must be totally dark; if fixing, clearing, and developing
solutions can be bought from dealers in photographic supplies; if
Eastman's developing-powder is good for dry plates; and if
transparencies can be developed with this powder. By a photographic
dark room is meant a room in which there is a yellow or ruby light;
the white light fogs the sensitive plate or paper. Solutions of all
kinds may be either bought ready prepared, or will be made up at
the store where photographic supplies are sold. One can buy the
ingredients and make the solutions at home. It is cheaper to buy
the hypo and make up the fixing-bath. One ounce of hypo to four
ounces of water is the proportion for the fixing-bath. Eastman's
powders may be used with any dry plate, and are also excellent for
making transparencies.

* * * * *

A SHREWD TRICK.

People in general cannot understand the doings of a student of nature. Especially quite ignorant persons are apt to conclude, when told that the objects of his search are fossils or minerals, that under this explanation is concealed the purpose of securing some buried treasure, for that is the only thing that would induce them to dig. Mr. A. L. Adams relates an amusing instance of this reasoning.

"While excavating a large cavern on the southern coast of Malta, we had dug a trench in the soil on its floor some six feet in depth, in quest of organic remains. The natives in the vicinity, hearing of our presence, came in numbers daily to witness the proceedings, interrogating the workmen with reference to the object of our researches, of which the workmen were about as ignorant as themselves.

"One afternoon three stalwart fellows paid us a visit, and whilst they sat on the heap of dirt staring down into the dark ditch below, I dropped a Spanish dollar on a shovelful of earth, and the next moment it lay with the soil on the heap. Picking it up in a careless manner, I put it into our luncheon-bag, and a few minutes afterwards our friends disappeared, muttering to one another as they went.

"Great was our amusement the next morning to find that our trench had been carried fully four feet below the level we had gained on the previous evening. Not only that; several other excellent sections of the floor had been made by the natives in expectation of finding buried treasure."

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* * * * *

A SURPRISE FOR EMPEROR WILLIAM.

Before the many independent states of Germany were united into an empire by Bismarck and Emperor William I., the Bavarians and the Prussians were on terms of a none too solid friendship. The old feeling of rivalry has not been entirely eradicated from the lower classes, as may be gathered from the following anecdote which is authentic, the incident occurring only a few weeks ago. The Emperor had just been reviewing a body of naval recruits brought together from all parts of the Empire, and he had addressed them briefly upon the glory of a naval career, and had warned them against the enemies of the nation both at home and abroad. At the close of his speech the young Prussian Emperor was attracted by the stalwart appearance of a big bluejacket in the front rank. He called the man to him and asked him what part of the Empire he came from.

"From Wiesbach, in Bavaria, your Majesty," replied the recruit, saluting.

"And did you understand all I have said," continued the Emperor. "Do you know whom I mean when I speak of our foreign enemies?"

"Yes, your Majesty. The Russians."

"And do you know whom I refer to by our enemies at home?" continued the Emperor, referring, of course, to the socialists and other disturbing elements of the Empire.

"Yes, your Majesty," replied the Bavarian, promptly. "You mean the Prussians!"

* * * * *

A SMALL BOY'S AMBITION.

I want to be a newspaper-boy,
And just as soon, sir, as I can,
For when I'm grown up 'tis my wish
To be a big newspaper-man.

* * * * *

EXTREME POLITENESS.

Politeness is of course one of the most desirable qualities in a man or a woman, and particularly in boys or girls. The following story may teach us something even if we do not necessarily believe it to be true. It appears that in Japan not long ago three men broke into a dyer's house while he was away. They were surprised at their work by the dyer's wife, who asked them what they wanted. One of them replied by gently asking the wife how much money there was in the place. She answered that there was just a little in the house. The robber laughed and said:

"You are a good old woman, and we believe you. If you were poor, we would not rob you at all. Now we only want some money and this," placing his hand on a fine silk dress.

The old woman replied: "All my husband's money I can give to you, but I beg you will not take that dress, for it does not belong to my husband, and was confided to us only for dyeing. What is ours I can give, but I cannot give what belongs to another."