Chapter XI: A Flood of Light (2)

But because Hartford scored 18 points to Barnard's 14, to English High's 12, or to Andover's 11, is no proof--barely an indication--that Hartford could defeat any one of these schools in a dual contest. Therefore Hartford cannot justly claim any school championship. That she scored more points than any other single team was due to the fact that in events where Hartford was weak the weakest schools were stronger than those ranking next on the score to Hartford. (I hope that sentence is not too complicated to make my meaning clear.)

The fact of the matter is that the contest at Columbia Oval was among teams from leagues, not among teams from schools, and therefore the question of school supremacy cannot enter into the discussion. Hartford deserves praise for being able so strongly to represent her league, but she has no just or valid claim to the title of "champion school." The only way such a title can be secured is to have dual meets with all other schools in her (athletic) class--and there are but ten or a dozen--and if she can defeat them all, then she may rightfully call herself champion.

Wieland. Atkins. Fox (Capt.). Schwendener. Steinel.

MILWAUKEE EAST SIDE HIGH-SCHOOL ATHLETIC TEAM.

Champions of the Wisconsin I.S.A.A.]

The baseball season in almost all of the Eastern interscholastic leagues has been more or less overshadowed, as was the case last year, by the almost universal interest in track athletics. Nevertheless, there has been some good ball-playing on the many diamonds, and a glance over the averages shows that some excellent work has been done. Owing to our limited space in this Department, it is impossible to give a full review of the work performed by all the baseball associations, or even by the more prominent ones, but the results of the contests are important, and should go down to make the record complete.

The scores of games played, with the standing of the teams at the close of the season, follow:

GAMES PLAYED.

Brookline, 9, Somerville, 6.
Brookline, 15, Hopkinson, 9.
Cambridge, 13, Somerville, 12.
Cambridge, 13, Roxbury, 6.
Hopkinson, 17, Boston Latin, 10.
Brookline, 14, Roxbury, 1.
Brookline, 8, Boston Latin, 7.
English High, 19, Roxbury, 18.
Somerville, 3, Hopkinson, 2.
Brookline, 8, Cambridge, 6.
Somerville, 10, Boston Latin, 6.
Roxbury, 12, Boston Latin, 7.
Brookline, 6, English High, 0.
Hopkinson, 7, Roxbury Latin, 6.
Cambridge, 17, Boston Latin, 12.
Cambridge, 10, Hopkinson, 9.
Somerville, 6, English High, 5.
English High, 6, Boston Latin, 1.

STANDING.

Won. Lost.
Brookline High 6 0
Cambridge High and Latin 4 1
Somerville High 3 2
English High 2 2
Hopkinson 2 3
Roxbury Latin 1 4
Boston Latin 0 6

There were seven nines in the league, representing the largest schools of Boston and the immediate neighborhood. The championship was taken by the Brookline High-School team, which won every game played. Brookline was a new-comer in the association this year, and was a favorite from the start, it being conceded, even before B.H.-S. was admitted, that her team would take the championship. The nine played a strong game from start to finish, the best individual work being done by Seaver, in left field, Lewis, at first base, Hutchins, behind the bat (who played through the season without an error), and Kernon and Aechtler, who played right field and second base, respectively. The total errors for the season made by B.H.-S. were 30.

Brookline High showed so early in the season that her team was certain of first honors that several of the other nines seemed to lose interest in the contest, and, as a result, a number of games were left unplayed. Hopkinson's, for instance, held an excellent chance to take second place, but the players seemed to lose their nerve. Almost all will be back next year, however, and the team should make a better showing. Better work had been expected of C. H. and L., Somerville, and E.H.-S. than they developed. None of these teams played all the games they were scheduled for. Somerville, however, can boast the only player who made a home run in the whole season--McRae. Roxbury Latin's nine was unusually weak.

Pearson. Schoenhut. White. McCarty (Capt.). Underwood.

Horst. Cartwright. Sharp. Hamilton. Newhall.

THE GERMANTOWN ACADEMY BASEBALL NINE.

Champions of the Philadelphia Inter-Academic B.B. League.]

The Championship of the Inter-Academic League of Philadelphia went to Germantown Academy. This school has finished first eight times in the nine seasons of the league's existence, losing in 1891 only, when the pennant went to the Cheltenham Military Academy.

In the Interscholastic League of Philadelphia the Championship went to the Central High-School, with Roman Catholic H.-S., Central Manual-Training School, and Northeast Manual-Training School following in the order named.

The Maine Interscholastic Tennis Tournament resulted in a victory for Dana of Portland, who defeated his schoolmate, Pendleton, in the final round. These two men then formed a partnership in the doubles, and came out the victors. It is uncertain if Dana will go to Newport in August.

THE GRADUATE.

* * * * *

YOUNG MOTHERS

should early learn the necessity of keeping on hand a supply of Gail Borden Eagle Brand Condensed Milk for nursing babies as well as for general cooking. It has stood the test for 30 years, and its value is recognized.--[_Adv._]

ADVERTISEMENTS.

Postage Stamps, &c.

$117.50 WORTH OF STAMPS FREE

to agents selling stamps from my 50% approval sheets. Send at once for circular and price-list giving full information.

C. W. Grevning, Morristown, N.J.

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1000 Mixed Foreign Stamps, San Marino, etc., 25c.; 101 all dif., China, etc., 10c.; 10 U.S. Revenues, 10c.; 20 U.S. Revenues, 25c. Ag'ts w'td at 50% com. _Monthly Bulletin_ free. Shaw Stamp & Coin Co., Jackson, Mich.

=STAMPS!= 100 all dif. Bermuda, etc. Only 10c. Ag'ts w'td at 50% com. List free. L. DOVER & CO., 1469 Hodiamont, St. Louis, Mo.

A LESSON FROM AFRICA.

Sometimes valuable information about ourselves comes from unexpected sources. Here is something interesting about American baking powders all the way from Africa.

Rev. Bishop William Taylor, for several years Methodist Bishop of Africa, says that the red label of the Royal Baking Powder, so familiar to every housekeeper in America, is quite as well known and the powder as highly prized in every part of that continent to which civilization has extended. The Royal Baking Powder was taken to South Africa a great many years ago by Mrs. Robinson, a missionary. But its use soon spread beyond the Missions, and it came to be regarded as a necessity by all classes. It was found particularly valuable in the mines and upon the ranches, and frequently sold at interior stations for a dollar a pound. Especially has it conduced to the comfort and health of the missionaries, who would find bread-making a sorry business without it.

Another interesting fact is that no other baking powder will stand service in that country. Rev. Ross Taylor, the agent for African Missions, says: "During the past ten years we have shipped Royal Baking Powder regularly to our African Missions, and for the last four years to the exclusion of all other brands, because of the testimony of our missionaries that it maintains its strength, freshness, and purity in the tropical climate, which others do not. For instance, the superintendent of our mission in Angola, a work that is financially maintained on commercial lines, reported that he could not hold his trade with anything else but the Royal. We are using it in forty mission stations in Africa."

Here is a suggestive fact of value to American housekeepers. Though the presence of this keeping quality in the Royal and the lack of it in other powders is developed more conspicuously in the hot, moist climate of Africa, it exists in the Royal and is deficient in the others as they are sold in this country in exactly the same ratio. This natural test demonstrates more forcibly than a chemical analysis could the wide difference that exists between the different baking powders in their combination and actual practical value. The maintenance of its strength and freshness under all climatic conditions is evidence that the Royal Powder is more accurately made and composed of purer and better ingredients. Such a powder only will give uniform results in perfect foods and prove of the greatest economy in the saving of flour, butter, and other articles used in their production.--_N. Y. Christian Advocate._

HARPER'S

BAZAR

The great fashion magazine of the world. None excels it in its field.--_Chicago Inter-Ocean_, Feb. 22, 1896.

10 CENTS A COPY - $4.00 A YEAR

This Department is conducted in the interest of Girls and Young
Women, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the
subject so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor.

In one of our most intimate and confidential talks a dear girl asked me to tell her what I think the most desirable gift for a woman. She spoke of several friends--one of them as having grace of movement; another, as rarely beautiful, with brilliant eyes and lovely complexion; a third, as accomplished, playing and singing, and speaking two or three languages besides her own; and a fourth, as very clever. We may multiply the list, and as we look over our circle of friends we easily see that nearly every one has something bright and individual which commends her to us; but the sum of the matter is that the gift of all gifts for a girl is expressed in one little word of five letters--charm.

If you insist on my defining charm, I am afraid I will disappoint you, for it is as difficult of analysis as a perfume. The better way, if I could manage it, would be to show you somebody who has it, as I would show you a painting on the wall, or a flower in the garden. Very plain girls and women are sometimes endowed with this grace. I remember one who was not pretty at all--a little dumpy brown thing, who had not the art of dressing very well, and who slipped in and out of a room as softly and shyly as a mouse, bless her heart! But this sweet Elizabeth was popular beyond all the girls of her class; she was constantly in demand, and nothing could be done without her. It was, "Where is Elizabeth?" "What does Elizabeth say?" "Will Elizabeth be of the party? if so, everything will go delightfully." Once Elizabeth was ill, and a hush seemed to fall on the little town, while people, old and young, were anxious to know how she was, and her house was a perfect bower with the flowers that were left for her daily. When she went away for a visit everybody was interested, and when she returned the town had a gala-day. There were any number of prettier girls, any number of cleverer girls, in her set, but none who compared with our little brown Elizabeth. She had charm.

In her case charm had several elements. Her voice was low yet clear. She never made an effect of insisting, as girls with shrill voices do; her tones were soft and distinct. She was gentle, but she was not overlooked in consequence. She always knew where to find things. At home her father and brothers appealed to her for the boots and papers which were out of sight, but which it was important to have on the instant. Elizabeth could explain away little vexations. She remembered people's names and faces--a very great talent, and one worth everybody's cultivating. Elizabeth was considerate and full of tact. I never saw her do a rude thing, or heard her say anything unkind.

Then, too, Elizabeth knew what was going on. She read the papers, and could talk intelligently about current events--another admirable plan for all girls to follow.

I know another girl, Melissa, who has all Elizabeth's charm, and superadded has great beauty. She carries herself gracefully, this tall, elegant young woman; her hair, her eyes, her face, her figure, express distinction. But when I asked a friend, the other day, what constituted Melissa's greatest claim to admiration, he said: "Well, it isn't that she's so pretty; it isn't that she's so dainty. I hardly know what it is. She has style; she has loveliness; I think, most of all, she has what you women call charm."

A few years ago, in London, an elderly lady--several years past eighty she was--passed away. A man who had known her for many years said, "The most charming woman of our time has gone." Once this gentleman was a guest at a country-house where the old lady was expected. Everybody was anticipating her coming; everybody wanted to meet her. When she arrived, she came into the drawing-room in black velvet and a lace cap, with a fan in her hand and a flower in her dress, and at once she held a little court. In her girlhood this woman had delighted Washington Irving. In her old age she had poets, artists, scholars, and statesmen in her drawing-room. She had charm.

In a little New England village a lady was living all by herself, and every morning I saw a pilgrimage of young people going up through her small garden to her door. "What is the secret of Miss Emily's having so much company," I inquired. "So many of the boys and girls and the young people here have errands to see her, and _she_ isn't young, or in public life, or--anything, that I can see." The principal of the high-school answered my question. "Emily Lawrence, madam, is the most charming woman in Connecticut."

MARGARET E. SANGSTER.

This Department is conducted in the interest of Bicyclers, and the
Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject. Our
maps and tours contain many valuable data kindly supplied from the
official maps and road-books of the League of American Wheelmen.
Recognizing the value of the work being done by the L.A.W., the
Editor will be pleased to furnish subscribers with membership
blanks and information so far as possible.

The Department this week, owing to the number of questions on bicycling matters, will be entirely devoted to answers. Many of the questions received each week cannot be answered satisfactorily, since they are inquiries as to the roads from one place which the writer mentions to another city or town. Readers of this Department can readily understand that this would entail a large number of special maps or descriptions not likely to interest any one but the writer. Our idea in publishing maps is to give general routes which any one may use from beginning to end, or in parts, to serve his purpose, and often it is wiser to go a roundabout way from one point to another, thereby getting on to some good route, than to try the short route and perhaps walk half the way. Bicycling routes having the least number of miles are not always the shortest. Many a fifty-mile road is really shorter than one of thirty miles, since a bad mile, a sandy half-mile, a two-mile stretch of cobblestones are any and all worse than four miles of good road.

J. T. H. asks if we can tell him the best bicycle to buy and how to
buy one. Possibly we may have an exhaustive article on this subject
some day in the future, though it will be impossible to tell which
is the best wheel. Most of the well-known makes are good bicycles,
and one is pretty safe with any of them. Unquestionably, in a year
or two, bicycles--new ones at that--will be sold at much less than
$100, for as they cost but a small portion of that amount to
manufacture, it will soon become impossible to keep up any
agreement among bicycle firms to hold the price so high. Indeed,
to-day almost any one can buy a '96 wheel of good make for less
than $100, though this is still the retail price. Many a
second-hand bicycle, especially a woman's wheel, is quite as good
as a new one, and can be bought for half-price or less. A woman's
wheel is especially adapted to this kind of purchase, since many
women of means buy a new bicycle every year, and not being
particularly athletic, do not ride any one wheel more than two or
three hundred miles, perhaps, and take the best of care of it all
the time. Such a bicycle of the '95 make, for example, is quite as
good as one of the new '96 machines for practical purposes, and can
be bought for $50. In the case of a second-hand man's wheel more
care should be taken in examining bearings, chain, sprocket wheels,
and so on. Some suggestions on these points have already appeared
in this column.

BICYCLE CRANK asks what a military company of bicyclists does, what
its movements are, and how such a company can be formed. Also if a
bicycle military company is a good thing. As to the last, General
N. A. Miles said in a speech in 1892, delivered before the guests
at a banquet in Chicago given by the president of the L.A.W.: "The
president has told us that your league numbers thirty thousand men.
Suppose that out of that number you organize a corps of fifteen or
twenty thousand young, intelligent men and mount them upon wheels
and equip them as they should be. It would be one of the most
effective corps ever organized. It is estimated that there are in
this country a quarter of a million men who are accustomed to ride
the bicycle. If out of that number fifty thousand men were
organized it would make one of the most effective army corps that
was ever marshalled in any country or any time." As to the
movements, commands, etc., we can best answer by referring readers
to the _Cycle-Infantry Drill Regulations_, prepared by
Brigadier-General Albert Ordway. A company of cyclists consist of
infantry mounted on bicycles. The regulations therefore are
practically the same as infantry regulations, changed only to suit
bicycling necessities. When the men stop, they dismount, of course,
and become infantry. When they are mounted some of the drills are
like cavalry drill.

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.

SILVER SALTS.

There are four chemical elements either of which combined with a metal forms a compound resembling sea-salt. These four elements are Fluorine (F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), and Iodine (I). They are termed in chemistry "halogens" (salt-producers), and the compounds which they form are called "haloids." When they are combined with silver they make silver haloids, or salts of silver. Three of these salts, silver chloride, silver bromide, and silver iodide, are the substances most quickly affected by light, and are most important agents in making a photographic image.

Silver chloride is often found native in silver mines, and is called by the miners "horn-silver." As early as the sixteenth century it was observed that this "horn-silver" turned dark when it was brought up from the mines into the sunlight, but it was not until the year 1777 that it was found this darkening of the silver chloride was due to the chemical effect of light. This discovery was made by a Swedish chemist, Charles William Scheele. Silver chloride was the first salts of silver used in photography, and the first picture made on a sensitive surface by means of a lens was made by that famous chemist Sir Humphry Davy. His lenses were taken from his solar microscope. By coating paper with silver chloride and exposing it for a long time in the camera he obtained pictures of small objects. These pictures were positives, not negatives. An English chemist by the name of Wedgwood worked with him; but though they succeeded in making pictures, they could not "fix" the image, so that all their pictures were kept in portfolios away from the light, and only examined by candle-light.

Silver chloride is used in making photographic printing-paper, not by coating the paper with the silver chloride, but by producing it upon the paper itself by means of two solutions with which the paper is coated. The chemical formula for silver chloride is AgCl, meaning that a molecule of silver chloride contains one atom of silver and one atom of chlorine. (The chemical name for silver is argentum, and the symbol is Ag.) This chloride was used by Davy for coating the paper on which he made his pictures, but the paper was not very sensitive to light, it taking from a half-hour to two hours to make a picture. By repeated experiments, Fox Talbot, an Englishman, succeeded in making a paper which was very sensitive to light. He first coated the paper with a solution of common salt, sodium chloride (NaCl), and dried it. This salted paper was then brushed over with a solution of nitrate of silver, which combined with the sodium chloride (salt), and formed silver chloride.

In preparing the paper the nitrate of silver solution was made strong enough so that there might be a little left on the paper in addition to that which combined with the sodium chloride to form the silver chloride. (Sodium nitrate is also produced, but it has no effect on the paper.) Silver nitrate is very largely used in photography in all sensitive preparations. In surgery it is known as "lunar caustic," and is used to cauterize or burn the flesh to prevent the spreading of disease. It is produced in the separation of gold from silver in the refining process. It is produced chemically by dissolving pure silver in an equal part of nitric acid. The chemical formula for it is AgNO_{3}. (Nitrate of silver is very poisonous.)

The chemical formula for producing the silver chloride on the paper may be thus stated: NaCl+AgNO_{3}, AgCl+NaNO_{3}. That is, sodium chloride and silver nitrate make silver chloride and sodium nitrate.

Those of our Camera Club who have prepared the plain paper after the formula given in this column will now understand the chemistry of the operation. The next paper will explain why the chloride is produced _on_ the paper instead of simply coating the paper with the silver chloride.

The new chemical elements mentioned and their symbols and atomic weights:

Atomic.
Symbol. Weight.
Silver (argentum) Ag. 107
Nitrogen N. 14

WM. MERRITT, Rhinebeck, N. Y., ROY PIKE, Lake City, Minn., JOSEPH
K. FORNANCE, Norristown, Pa., D. M. MARTIN, Loveland, Ia., and
HULBURT MARSH, Groton, N. Y., wish to become members of the Camera
Club. Their names are enrolled on the list, and we welcome them to
our club. We hope to have the pleasure of seeing some of their work
very soon.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

Unequalled

in Strength

The high-carbon steel and nickel steel used in the tubing of Columbia bicycles have no equal in their power to resist the strains to which a bicycle frame is put. This tubing is all made in the Columbia mills especially for Columbias.

Standard of the World

Columbias in quality and construction are in a class by themselves.

$100 to all alike

The Columbia Catalogue, handsomest art work of the year, is free from the Columbia agent, or is mailed for two 2-cent stamps.

* * * * *

POPE MFG. CO., Hartford, Conn.

Columbia Branch Houses and Agencies are almost everywhere.

WALTER BAKER & CO., LIMITED.

Established Dorchester, Mass., 1780.

Breakfast Cocoa

Always ask for Walter Baker & Co.'s

Breakfast Cocoa

Made at

DORCHESTER, MASS.

It bears their Trade Mark

"La Belle Chocolatiere" on every can.

Beware of Imitations.

HARTFORD Single-Tubes are the easiest and quickest to repair. That saves time and patience. But this point would be of little worth apart from their strength, elasticity, safety and hill climbing power. The secret of making is ours. The tires are yours for any bicycle.

IF IT'S A HARTFORD TIRE IT'S RIGHT.

OF ANY DEALER.

THE HARTFORD RUBBER WORKS CO.

HARTFORD, CONN.

New York. Philadelphia. Chicago.

EARN A TRICYCLE.

We wish to introduce our Teas. Sell 30 lbs. and we will give you a Fairy Tricycle; sell 25 lbs. for a Solid Silver Watch and Chain; 50 lbs. for a Gold Watch and Chain; 75 lbs. for a Bicycle; 10 lbs. for a Gold Ring. Write for catalog and order sheet Dept. I

W. G. BAKER,

Springfield, Mass.

* * * * *

San Jacinto.

La Porte is a new town, situated on a point of land nearly
surrounded by Galveston Bay, Morgan's Ship Canal, and San Jacinto
Bay. It is about twenty miles from Houston, and thirty miles from
Galveston. The scenery in this part of the coast country is
beautiful, and the place is not without historic interest. On this
point of land was formerly the town of New Washington, which was
burned by Santa Anna before he left for San Jacinto battle-ground,
which is only six or seven miles from here. It was there that the
Texans under General Houston routed the Mexicans under Santa Anna
on that memorable day, the 21st of April, 1836.

The battle-ground is located on Buffalo Bayou. It comprises
twenty-three acres, ten of which are owned by the State. The
"Daughters of the Republic" are raising funds to beautify it and
erect a suitable monument. There is only one monument there now. It
is a plain marble shaft about fifteen feet high, with inscriptions
on the four sides of the base.

San Jacinto Day is a legal holiday in Texas, and large numbers of
people celebrate it by picnicking at the battle-ground. Exercises
are held in the public schools. This year I recited Lillie E.
Barr's poem, "San Jacinto Corn," published in the ROUND TABLE for
January 21, 1896. The battle of San Jacinto lasted only eighteen or
twenty minutes. There were more than fifteen hundred Mexican troops
opposed to seven hundred and eighty-three Texans. The loss of the
Texans was two killed, and twenty-three wounded, six of them
mortally. The loss of the Mexicans was six hundred and thirty
killed, two hundred and eight wounded, and seven hundred and thirty
prisoners. Santa Anna was taken prisoner on the 22d, and General
Cos on the 24th.

MERCY COMPTON MARSH, R.T.L.
LA PORTE, TEXAS.

* * * * *

My Escape.

The sun had set on yonder hill,
The little brook was very still,
And I went to bed with a cheerful heart,
Knowing that all was well.

But as the midnight rolled on still,
There came the dreadful cry
Of fire! fire! on the hill,
And I prepared to fly.

I rolled an egg up in a shawl,
And saddled my horse near by;
I sprang to the saddle and plied the paddle,
And then commenced to fly.

My horse flew up to the skies
And landed on a cloud.
And then I heard for the first time
A thunder wild and loud.

And there on the cloud beside me stood
A giant large and tall,
Who, in a voice of thunder, cried,
"What right have you here at all?"

I shivered and shook from head to foot,
And the giant he roared with rage,
"I'll take you home with me," he cried,
"And shut you up in a cage."

But I ran to the edge of the cloud
And gave a fearful leap,
And the shock awoke me, and I found
That I had been asleep.

Composed jointly by Helen, Virginia, and Gladys Mackay-Smith, aged 9, 11, and 13 years.

* * * * *

A Delightful Morsel about Japan.

A Lady of the Order, aged twelve, living at 118 B. Bluff, Yokohama, Japan, writes to the Table: "Here is a brief description of Nikko, which we visited two summers ago, and I hope it is good enough to print." It is quite "good enough." The Table would be glad and thankful for other morsels equally delightful.

CHARMING NIKKO.

Many hundreds of years ago one of the Tycoons, as the Emperors of
Japan were once called, sent one of his retainers to look for a
burial-place in Japan for his father, who had just died. The
retainer, after having looked for a long time found a barren place
which was, however, very beautiful, and seemed suitable to him for
an Emperor's burial-place. He planted there an avenue of trees now
called the "Tokaido," and after many years Nikko was founded.

This is one of the most beautiful country-places, about seven hours
in the railway from Yokohama. It is a lovely place in the
mountains, about 3500 feet above the level of the sea, famous for
its scenery and lovely temples. Many people go only to see these
magnificent buildings. There is something so lonely, so mysterious,
around these temples situated in damp low ground! Around these holy
places grow huge cryptomerias, a kind of fir-tree, the stems
covered with moss and climbing plants; altogether they are very
beautiful to look at.

The interior of the temples is even more lovely and grand than the
outside. The walls are decorated with valuable old carvings and
glistening lacquer. Even the floors are sometimes lacquer, and here
and there in some temples are images of gods entirely of gold.
There is said to be one temple in Nikko wholly covered with gold.
One other thing so lovely in Nikko is the abundance of running
water and cascades. One cannot go out of hearing of the constant
rushing and rippling of water. If you see this water, you will
notice that it is as clear as crystal.

There are no hot springs in Nikko as there are in other Japanese
country-places. Instead, all are icy cold. People are often tempted
to drink this water, as it is so clear, but it is not so clean as
it looks, because the Japanese wash all their pots and pans in it.
There are also many pretty water-falls in Nikko. The "Kirifuri,"
which means "the beautiful mist," is the biggest and grandest. This
water-fall falls about forty feet over stones into a rocky basin
which leads into the little and wild river "Diagawa," which flows
through the whole of Nikko. The way down to the water-fall is very
steep and rocky, but on the damp rocky walls on both sides grows a
kind of maiden-hair fern.

The "Urami" water-fall is the next in size and beauty. Before you
get to this one you come to some tea-houses, where you are supposed
to rest and take refreshments. Here the wild river comes rushing
past. To get to the water-fall you must go through a kind of ravine
which is very beautiful and rocky. One side of this is a damp wall
overgrown with all sorts of climbing plants and beautiful moss.
Moss, by-the-way, is another thing for which Nikko is famous. The
Urami fall rushes down in three cascades, one on each side of the
big one. You are able to go behind the big one so you can see it
rushing in front of you.

The "Red Lacquered or Sacred Bridge" is another wonder of Nikko,
and is known all over Japan. It is made entirely of red lacquer,
and anybody who walks on it, except the Mikado, is shot! It is only
unlocked when he is in the place. As lovely as Nikko is in
summer-time, when all the various flowers are in blossom, it is
even more lovely in autumn. Then the foliage takes the prettiest
colors; the Japanese maple is wonderfully beautiful with its dark
and light red or green shades. Nikko is a place which I should
advise any one who comes to Japan to visit. I am sure he would be
well paid for the tiresome journey there.

CECILE ROGERS.

* * * * *

Handy to have in Mind.

The next time you are asked to tell a riddle, tell this one:

Lo, the poor Indian, imprisoned stands,
Betwixt a bird and a feather.
From aloft all three a warning send
To ships in stormy weather.

The answer is Hen-lo-pen (the Cape).

* * * * *

Shadows Come Even Our Way.

We are sure there is no member who fails to recall the delightful morsels contributed to the Table by Lady Florence E. Cowan. They were dated Kingman, Arizona, and told us about the Indians, the plants, the folk-lore, etc., of that Territory. Her articles were exceedingly interesting, and always well written. Besides, her personal notes accompanying them were models of frankness and yet brevity. A brief note signed "S. Z. B." informs us she is dead. The Table and its readers are pained by the news.

* * * * *

Kinks.

No. 6.--NATURAL-HISTORY ENIGMAS.

I am loud and turbulent, yet incapable of noise;
I'm the forefront of battle, and the simplest of toys;
I live in the water, but must be always kept dry;
I am perfectly deaf, yet hear every cry;
I swim all the time, keep step when I travel;
I am fixed in one place, now this riddle unravel.

* * * * *

Of ten animals allowed in heaven,
According to Moslem creed,
My first is one. My second's another
Of the same identical breed.
My third each is when once he gets there,
After they let him in.
My whole the Moslem law keeps out,
Since he is a man of sin.

* * * * *

I nourish my young, and so am a beast;
My four feet are tied, so I walk but the least;
I am hard as a rock, am soft as pure silk;
I'm a dark, ugly brown, am whiter than milk;
I am made from a tree, am dug from the ground;
I grow from a seed; in the rocks I abound;
With never a feather, like a bird I can fly;
I am entirely dumb, but still have a cry.
A bird that can fly, with never a feather;
A beast with four feet bound closely together;
A rock and a vegetable, an earth and a tree;
I am all of these things; now what can I be?

* * * * *

I am so lowly I cling to the ground,
Yet soar to a heavenly height;
I represent the only thing of my kind.
Yet am owned by each human wight;
Each person can have only one of me, true,
Still, strange as it seems, he always has two:
I can swim on the water, but am sure to sink through it,
I am purely a spirit, going where man can't pursue it;
I'm the oldest of matter, have form, weight, and feeling,
I am simply a sound, loneliness revealing.
Though owned by the English, I belong to no nation,
Yet furnish support to all human creation.

* * * * *

Anybody May Enter this Journalism.

Frank Homer King contemplates starting an amateur paper, and asks whom he must apply to for a permit. Frank need apply to no one. He is free to name his paper anything he pleases, and to publish it as long and as often as he can pay the printer's bill. If he wishes to enter his publication in the mails, that it may be sent at newspaper rates, he applies to the postmaster of his city, who will give him a blank to fill out.

E. C. Hoff, Carroll, Iowa, and James M. Hughes, Richmond, Mo., contemplate starting amateur papers, and want contributions of stories, poems, etc. Joe Gibson. Jun., Ingersoll, Ont., and Cassius Morford, Banfield, Mich., want to receive samples of amateur papers.

* * * * *

A Glimpse of West Point.

In the summer the parade-ground at West Point is a perfect green
sea of grass, so well is it kept. The many white duck tents make a
picturesque sight, looking like so many sail-boats in green water.
The view from Fort Putnam, above the Post, I cannot describe, so
beautiful is it. The narrow Hudson, with its many turns, is indeed
similar to a brand-new silver ribbon, while a sail-boat seen from
this height can hardly be distinguished. It would look like a
sea-gull seeking for food, and going at a speed which could only be
determined by taking sight from some fixed object.

HANS W. GERHARD.

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

The London Philatelic Society and the stamp-dealers of London have appointed a joint committee to arrange for a postage-stamp exhibit in 1897. It is proposed to hold it at the Crystal Palace, and if proper conditions can be arranged to insure the stamps and take care of them during the exhibition, probably stamps to the value of nearly $2,000,000 will be shown.

The Swiss collectors will hold an exhibition this summer in Geneva, which will doubtless be very attractive. One of the largest collections of Swiss stamps is now for sale in New York city. It contains everything in used and unused condition--locals, general issues, singly and in blocks and sheets, post-cards, envelopes, money-order blanks, etc. The price asked is $6000, which is probably less than could be obtained if the collection were broken up and the stamps, etc., sold separately.

Holland holds a stamp exhibit at The Hague from July 17 to July 22, inclusive.

An elderly lady in British Guiana gave her rector an envelope addressed to "Miss Rose, Blankenberg," as an Easter offering. On the envelope was an unsevered pair of the extremely rare 1851 2c. rose British Guiana stamp. The envelope is probably worth $3000. A copy of this stamp, trimmed round, was sold in New York by auction, from the De Coppet collection, for $1050 several years ago.

The A.P.A. (American Philatelic Association) holds its annual meeting this year in the middle of August at Lake Minnetonka, a beautiful summer resort. The successor to President Tiffany will be elected, and preliminary canvassing for votes is now in active operation. Boston wants the 1897 convention.

Venezuela is out with another series of unnecessary stamps to commemorate "The Apotheosis of General Francisco de Miranda." Five varieties--5, 10, 25, 50, 100. It is a very good set to let alone.

J. C. LUNT, 109 Liberty Street, San Francisco, wishes to exchange
stamps with Mexican collectors.

C. L. PATTISON.--Columbian stamps, 1-30, inclusive, are worth 50c.
per set, used. The Hawaiian Provisionals are worth $2.50 for the
2c. vermilion, 35c. for the 2c. brown, 8c. for the 2c. rose or
violet.

ROSS BAKER.--Common coins have no selling value beyond their face
if U.S. coins, or at bullion value if foreign.

E. L.--U.S. cents for 1806 worth 35c., 1826 and 1842 worth 5c.,
1834 worth 10c. Half-cent 1806 worth 15c. These are the prices
dealers ask. What they pay I do not know.

A. HOBBS.--In making a rubbing of a coin use thin transparent paper
of a firm texture, and a hard lead-pencil. A soft pencil gives poor
results.

J. SMYTHE.--Your Afghanistan stamp is all right. Practically all
Afghanistan _used_ stamps are badly damaged, for the reason that
they cancel stamps by tearing off at least one corner. Sometimes
more than half of the stamp is gone, and a part of the letter also.

PHILATUS.

A fine complexion is too rare
To run the risk of losing;
But everyone who takes good care
(All other kinds refusing)
To get pure Ivory, grows more fair
With every day of using.

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

Secure

Reliable

Strong

_easy to hook; easy to unhook; if you do the hooking and unhooking. Can't let go itself. The DeLong Hook and Eye._

See that

hump?

Richardson & DeLong Bros., Philadelphia.

Also makers of the

CUPID Hairpin.

_Don't take substitutes to save a few pennies. It won't pay you. Always insist on HIRES Rootbeer._

Made only by The Charles E. Hires Co., Philadelphia.

A 25c. package makes 5 gallons. Sold everywhere.

Reader: Have you seen the

It is a Collection which no one who loves music should fail to own; it should find a place in every home. Never before, it may truthfully be said, has a song book been published at once so cheap, so good, and so complete.--_Colorado Springs Gazette._

This Song Collection is one of the most notable enterprises of the kind attempted by any publisher. The brief sketches and histories of the leading productions in the work add greatly to the value of the series.--_Troy Times._

Sold Everywhere. Price, 50 cents; Cloth, $1.00. Full contents, with Specimen Pages mailed, without cost, on application to

Harper & Brothers, New York.

By CAPTAIN KING

=CADET DAYS.= Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1.25.

=CAMPAIGNING WITH CROOK, AND STORIES OF ARMY LIFE.= Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, $1.25.

=A WAR-TIME WOOING.= Illustrated by R. F. ZOGBAUM. Post 8vo, Cloth, $1.00.

=BETWEEN THE LINES.= A Story of the War. Illustrated by GILBERT GAUL. Post 8vo, Cloth, $1.25.

* * * * *

HARPER & BROTHERS, Publishers, New York.

* * * * *

PAPA. "So, Bobby, you're the president of your bicycle club. That's very nice. How did they happen to choose you?"

BOBBY. "Well, you see, papa, I'm the only boy that's got a bicycle."

* * * * *

A COSTLY THRONE.

At the time of the coronation of the Czar of Russia much was printed in the newspapers about the costly crown jewels and the magnificent imperial throne, but for all its magnificence and richness this nineteenth-century throne was nothing when compared to that of the Mogul Emperors of Delhi. This Indian throne was built in the reign of the Shah Jehan by a Frenchman who had been forced to seek an asylum in the Mogul empire. It was called the Peacock Throne, to distinguish it from other royal chairs, and because it was decorated with the figures of two huge peacocks. The throne was six feet long by four feet wide, and stood on six massive legs, which were of solid gold inlaid with rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and all kinds of precious stones. The tails of the peacocks were expanded fanlike behind the throne, and they too were inlaid with pearls, emeralds, and other gems of suitable coloring. The whole was surmounted by a canopy of gold supported by twelve pillars likewise studded with diamonds and precious gems, the border of the canopy being made of a fringe of beautiful pearls. Between the two peacocks perched a life-size parrot, which was carved out of a single emerald. The royal umbrellas, which are appendages to most Oriental thrones, were made of the finest silks, and were fringed with pearls, the handles being of solid gold studded with diamonds. It has been said by many writers that the famous Koh-i-noor diamond was originally set in this Peacock Throne. This story is very possibly true, inasmuch as the Koh-i-noor was at one time owned by the Shah Jehan. This throne has been valued at $30,000,000, and this figure is doubtless not exaggerated, for the Mogul Emperors were wonderfully rich monarchs. When the Persians sacked Delhi in 1739, they destroyed the Peacock Throne, and carried off its jewels. A simple block of white marble now stands in the private audience hall in the palace of the Mogul Emperors at Delhi to show where this gorgeous chair once stood.

* * * * *

TALKING TO THEM.

There is a fish-dealer in New York who has a large number of rich customers. Once or twice a week his store can be found full of ladies who are doing their own marketing. The dealer is all smiles to his customers on such days, and very anxious to keep their good-will and trade. For some time an Irishman had been coming in the place, and after going from stand to stand, and peering long and closely at the fish, he usually wound up by purchasing some cheap specimen of the finny tribe, and departing. This was annoying to the dealer when his place was full of customers, and so one morning when the Irishman entered and began going from one stand to another as usual, he called out:

"Look here, my good man, what are you always smelling my fish for?"

The question was heard by every one, and they all listened for the answer.

"Faith, oim not smellin' thim; it's talkin' to thim oi am."

"Talking, did you say?"

"Yis; sure oim askin' thim the news from the sea."

"Well," said the dealer, impatiently, "what did they say?"

"Sure, they didn't know, yer honor; they telt me they hadn't been there fer over a month."

* * * * *

"Well," said mamma, as she bathed Johnnie's blackened eye with Pond's Extract, "what were you and Tommy fighting about?"

"We weren't fighting," exclaimed Johnnie, indignantly; "we were only arguing."

* * * * *

The following sentence is a kind of literary curiosity: "Sator arepo tenet opera rotas." It is curious, because it spells the same words backwards as forwards; the first letter of each word, placed consecutively, spells the first word; the second letter of each word spells the second word, and so on to the end; the last letters read backwards spell the last word; the next to the last letters, the next to the last word, and so on throughout; and there are just as many letters in each word as there are words in the sentence.

End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Round Table, July 7, 1896, by Various