Chapter III (2)

The man got up to go. "Well, good-night, boys," he said. "Rest as hard as you can to-morrow. You'll strike into the sand hills at about nine o'clock Monday morning. Take three days' feed, and every drop of water you can carry; and if you waste any of it washing your hands you're bigger fools than I think you are."

[TO BE CONTINUED.]

[_The series of four papers on the Science of Football, by Mr.
W. H. Lewis of the Harvard Football Team of 1893, begun in this
Department last week, is continued in the present issue._]

The subject of position-play in football may best be covered by taking up and discussing each individual of the team in turn. The end rusher, therefore, should be chosen for agility, speed, endurance, and good judgment. The first three qualifications are necessary to enable him to avoid, break up, and worm his way into, through, or around the interference, tackle into its very midst, or take advantage of occasional fumbles. His duty on the offensive, or when his own side has the ball, will depend upon his assignment in the particular play. Generally the end should stand much nearer his tackle when on the offensive, so as to be able to get into every play. In plays through tackle and end, or around the end on his own side of the line, he may help the tackle to block or pocket the opposing tackle. If a half-back comes into the line between tackle and end, the end should remember to take the inside man, as he is the more dangerous, because uncovered and nearest to the play.

The great bulk of the end's work comes in the defensive game. He is to prevent the long runs or open plays. He should never run behind his own line, because of the danger of leaving his side of the line open to criss-cross or some trick play. The end's primary duty is to turn the runner in. He therefore should go in as quickly and on as sharp an angle as possible, so that he can meet the interference before it gets well formed and started. He should take the direction of A D (shown in Fig. 1), A B C if he must, but never A E. If the opposing end plays up in the line opposite him, the only direction possible will be A B C.

He should meet the interference with body well forward, the arms extended straight and stiff, so as not to be hit by the interference, being careful to keep a little to the outside of it. In plays through the middle of the line, or pile up, the ends should keep out of the scrimmage, so as to be sure that the runner does not come out of the pile.

_Tackle._--If there is any one position in the line harder to play than another, that position is tackle. The tackle must look out for territory on both sides of him, and be ready to help either guard or end, as the emergency requires. The great majority of the plays are aimed at him. His constant study must be how to meet each particular play in every style of offence. He should stand about four feet from his guard, and should not allow himself to be drawn out further than six feet; the wider his line is drawn out, the weaker it will be and the more territory he will have to cover. The offensive work of the tackle depends largely upon the play and his assignment in it. In blocking he should always take the man nearest the centre, as he is the nearest to the starting-point of the play, and therefore the most dangerous. In that case he should call in his guard to take his man. On plays through and around the other side of the line, the tackle should momentarily block his man, and then get into the push or interference.

When the tackle himself takes the ball, he should be careful not to give his intention away. He should, without notice, shift his position and bring his feet pretty close together, to enable him to start quickly. He should take off by giving his tackle a push in his chest with the open hand. The end should go into the opposing tackle the moment his tackle takes off, so as to prevent his opponent from following. When his own side is going to kick, the tackle should block his man long enough to prevent his stopping the kick, and then get down the field so as to help the ends prevent a return. The tackle should go nearly straight, so as to protect the centre of the field, the ends taking care of the sides.

The great bulk of the tackle's work is on the defensive. His duty is to tackle everything in sight. Clean, sharp breaking through is imperative in a tackle. The first thing a tackle should do when he steps into the line on the defence, is to notice his opponent's style of blocking, and adapt his method of breaking through accordingly.

Plays directed on the tackle call for great judgment and great strength. The tackle should, if possible, shove his man back and into the play. His next best plan to meet it is to go down in front of it good and stiff and pile it up. He should go into the mass head and shoulders or sideways, but never upon any pretext turn his back to it. In defending his territory against trick plays, the best and only advice that can be given to a tackle is to keep the eyes open, notice the alignments of the opposing back's, the way they stand, their facial expression, and movement, and try to divine which way the ball is going. When the opposing side is going to kick, the tackle should spread a little so as to give himself a better chance of getting through.

_Guard._--The two guards and the centre make up the proverbial stone wall into which the opposing backs are supposed to ram their heads to no effect.

A guard should stand with the foot next to centre forward if possible, but if a man starts quicker with that foot back, why, stand that way. He should be careful not to allow himself to be drawn out too far from the centre. If his man goes out far he should tell the quarter-back, and have him send a play through guard and centre, and his opponent will probably move in again. As long as the inner foot of the opposite guard is inside of the outer foot of the guard blocking, the latter ought to be able to take him the moment the ball starts, and run him out to the side lines. The guard should also keep a sharp lookout for the opposing quarter, and if he comes up into the line between him and centre, push him out with open hand.

After having made a hole if called for, or blocked his man, the next duty of the guard is to get into the push or interference himself. Get hold of the runner; if possible, pull him along. Give him a chance to use you in warding off would-be tacklers. One of the first duties of a guard is to line up quickly. He should be right beside his centre the moment the ball is down. The play cannot start without some one to guard it. When his side is going to kick, the guard should move in close to the centre so that no little quarter or stray back can come through and stop the kick. He must block well, and almost until he hears the ball booted, because the path through the centre is the straightest line, and hence the shortest distance to the kicker, as will be seen in Fig. 3, line A B. The exact moment when he can let his man through must be determined by the quickness of the man in front of him and the kicker, as will be seen in Fig. 3. After having blocked long enough to insure the kicks getting away, he should get down the field with the other forwards to help prevent return of the ball.

On the defense there is an immense amount of hard work for the guard. He is primarily responsible for the ground between him and tackle, and secondarily for that between him and centre. In going through, this fact should be kept in mind. The fact that a guard must stand lower than tackle, and has less and different kind of territory to cover, will prevent him ordinarily from using as many methods of breaking through as a tackle. He must take some method of getting through that will enable him to use the body of his opponent to cover the territory between him and centre, and to enable him to get out and back up tackle, and that will put him through back to back with his man before the runner reaches the line.

_Centre Rush._--The position of centre rush is comparatively a new one. Until a few years ago the middle position in the line was occupied by a snap-back, whose only duty was to put the ball in play. After that he was merely a passenger. From the snap-back the centre rush has been evolved by gradual enlargement of his duties. To-day he is chief of forwards, there being no duplicate to his position, as there is of tackle and guard. Every play starts from the centre rush, and depends upon him for a large share of its success or failure. The position is one requiring painstaking, conscientious hard work, admitting of very little glory, although the centre handles the ball more than any other player. On the offensive, the first duty of the centre rush is to put the ball in play. Much depends upon this. The team can play no faster than he does. If he is slow, the whole thing is slow. He must follow the ball closely, and the moment it is down, take it from his back and put it down for the next play. When the ball goes out of bounds, he must be the first man on the side lines, to take it in on the jump for the next play. The line forms on him, and to have his team line up quickly he must be doubly quick.

To snap the ball back, the body should be just low enough to reach the ball with the snapping arm, and no lower nor higher. The distance between the forward and rear foot must be obtained by practice. The rear one, in general, should be just far enough back to give him a good start. The centre should straddle only enough to keep from wobbling from side to side. The centre should never stand flat-footed. The feet should be at right angles to the gridiron lines. The position is much like that of a sprinter on his mark, as is shown in Fig. 2.

_Different Methods of Snapping._--First, the flat, or side, snap, or snap on the longer axis of the ball. Place the ball upon the ground about two inches from the forward foot. Turn the lacing in. Have the seams of the ball parallel with the gridiron lines. Take a firm grip of the ball. Let the fingers be well over the front of it. The ball is sent back to the quarter with a downward motion of the wrist and arm. Place the ball as far under you as possible; it shortens the distance. The advantage of the side snap is that the snapper can balance himself partly on the ball, so that he can ofttimes put the ball into play under very trying circumstances.

Second, the end-over-end, or snap on the shorter axis. This snap is in most general use at present. It requires more skill in handling than the other. It has the advantage that it is quicker when well executed, and enables the quarter to be of considerably more aid in the interference. To use this style of snapping, place the ball on the end, the head out a little, although the exact angle must be acquired by practice. The ball is put into play by a delicate wrist motion back and downward.

The defensive-work of the centre is almost illimitable. He can be of as much or of as little use to his side as he has a mind to. He has more opportunity for brilliant tackles than any other man on his side, for the sole reason that he is not expected to do anything, and is the unaccounted-for man. His own man is handicapped by having to snap the ball, and he has no other assignment except that man. He should remain in his position long enough to see whether the play is coming at him or not. This will, of course, be determined by his shrewdness in guessing the play. If the play is at him, by keeping his man away from him, he can get under and into either hole. If his own position is not attacked, he should take the hole nearest the runner. He can often go through between guard and centre by having his guard break to the outside, and the opposing guard, following him, makes the hole for centre to go through.

_The Half-Back._--The function of the half-back is to carry the ball. The advance into the enemy's territory must be made by him, except that a tackle may occasionally be called on for a run. The position is a difficult, trying, and exhausting one. The back must be sent time and again without let-up. With reference to his own proper function, a half-back should be chosen for speed, endurance, sand, and a cool, quick judgment. There are two distinct styles of backs--the "plunging back" and the "wrigglers," or "dodgers." It is desirable to have one of each upon a team. The former is better in line-breaking as a rule, and the latter excels in "broken fields" and end-running. The backs should be drilled carefully in the Fundamentals, especially those connected with their immediate duties, such as tossing, catching, kicking, and tackling. Standing starts and short dashes are also invaluable as preliminary practice.

As to the form of the half-back, it should be such as will not give away the direction in which he intends to run, yet such as will enable him to start at once upon the snap of the ball or signal. Many of the best backs give away the point of attack by unconscious glances and movements, things that should be studiously avoided. False starts are also to be guarded against, as they spoil the whole play and slow up the game. The backs should take, as far as possible, the same position in the given play every time. The body should be angular in form and carried well forward, much like the position of the standing start of a sprinter, with this difference, that the rear foot should not be quite so far back. The position must be one in which the backs can start quickly in either direction. Backs generally stand perfectly square, with toes of both feet on a line. Before they can get away from that position they must take either a short step back or forward. This step is unnecessary and shows a man up.

In going through the line, the general rule is to go low. In running low, the runner should bend his neck so that he can see and take his holes cleanly. When going through the middle of the line, it is best to carry the ball in both hands. Take the ball in the pit of the stomach, the legs and trunk forming a basket or angle, and then grapple it to you with both hands. Do not carry the ball too far under the arm. The ball should be carried so that it may be shifted in order to use the nearest arm to ward off would-be tacklers. It is surprising how many tacklers can be warded off by using that arm like a piston-rod against every man that comes up. In line-breaking, the back should remember to keep his feet and fight for the last inch of ground. If he can only keep his feet and give his own side a chance to push, he is bound to gain ground.

_Full-Back._--No player has _cut so much ice_ in the winning or losing of big matches in the last two seasons as the full-back. The holding of big teams to small scores by inferior ones has been largely owing to good men in this position. Hence the growing appreciation of the demands of this position and its vital importance to the success of the eleven. Kicking to-day has come to be a part of the offensive game, and the full-back, consequently, the biggest ground-gainer of all the backs. The full-back should be chosen almost solely for his ability to kick. Other qualifications are desirable, to be sure, but the ability to kick is the prime requisite. The preliminary training of the full-back should be one continuous kick.

The position of the full-back on the offence will be generally midway between the two backs, or a little in advance of them, near enough to touch either with the out-stretched arm. In runs around the end the full-back will generally be called on either to lead the interference or to block some particular player on the other side--a half-back or an end, most likely. In bucking the centre, the full-back should put his head down and go low and hard. He should make up his mind where he is going, and then go there without halting and hesitating. While as a general rule it is hard to gain through a good centre, a short gain through that territory is all the more valuable. The line through the centre is a straight line, and therefore the shortest distance to the required five yards, as will be seen in Fig. 4, the base of a right-angled triangle being always shorter than the hypothenuse.

_The Quarter-Back._--The first essential qualification of a quarter-back is brains. He should be able to take in a situation at a glance, to think quickly, and to put that thought into execution at once. He should be cool without being deliberate, enthusiastic without being excitable. He should be brimful of nervous force and energy and of tireless activity. He should be absolutely fearless, and of positive force of character. The quarter-back should have constant, painstaking practice in handling and passing the ball. All spare moments on and off the field can most profitably be put in by him in receiving the snap from his centre and passing to some back. By that practice he gets used to his centre and learns intuitively when and where the ball will come every time.

The two ways commonly used in putting the ball into play are the "end" and "flap" snap. Take the position of quarter in receiving the "flap" snap first: The quarter stands, or rather kneels without touching his knees, close up behind the centre, about a foot from him.

The position is such that he can start quickly in the opposite direction from the one he is facing to receive the ball. Turning to the rear is easily and quickly done by using the balls of the feet as a pivot and swinging the body around on them. The ball should be picked up cleanly. It ought to require no more changing to throw than a baseball. The ball is picked up with the fingers over one end of it, the other end is bound to point along the arm, and thus it is ready for throwing. When the ball is snapped end over end, the quarter-back takes an entirely different position. He should stand squarely behind the centre, both feet being nearly on a line. He should stand near enough to take the ball on the first bound just the moment before the ball reaches the point where it begins to fall. His distance is about from two to three feet.

Upon the defence, the quarter with the other two backs form a kind of second rush-line. The play of the quarter-back on the defence, unless some special assignment is made him, is that of a free lance, a pirate to mix up things generally and break through where he is least expected. He generally stands behind the centre, and the moment the play starts, takes the nearest hole. Oft-times the guard and centre can make a hole to let the quarter through.

* * * * *

When an individual enters a competition which is held by any association for the purpose of determining which player has the strongest claim, by reason of his skill, to represent that association at a competition to be held by some other (and, usually, greater) organization at some future date, he takes upon himself, as a man of honor, the obligation, in case he wins, of representing the first body in the contest to be held by the second body. This more or less ethical and undoubtedly wordy definition I hope is clear; but in case it is not, let me put it in another and possibly more colloquial way: If the Scholastic School holds a golf tournament for the purpose of selecting a man to represent the Scholastic School at the University College golf tournament, every man who _enters_ the Scholastic School tournament pledges himself (in spirit, of course, he being an honorable amateur), in case he is a winner, to appear and compete, to the best of his ability, at the University College golf tournament as the representative of his school.

In other words, any person who wins at a preliminary event, and fails to fulfil at the final contest the obligations he has thus assumed, is guilty of a breach of faith. He is guilty of a breach of faith unless he is physically unable to stand the bodily strain of the contest he has entered for, and in such a case he should at once notify both the body he represents (that it may send a substitute if it chooses) and the officers of the organization for whose competition he is entered, that the latter may not be placed in a false position toward the public and the other competitors.

Mr. C. W. Beggs, of the Lawrenceville School, entered the Princeton Interscholastic Tennis Tournament as a representative of Lawrenceville--and won. By this victory Mr. Beggs became Princeton's representative at the National Interscholastic Tennis Tournament to be held at Newport, and accepted the obligation and responsibility of representing Princeton on that occasion, just as fully and as unequivocally as a football-player or a baseball-player accepts the responsibility of playing his position in the final match game of the season when he earns a place on his school's eleven or nine. Mr. Beggs did not fulfil his obligations toward Princeton. He did not appear at Newport on the day of the tournament, and, so far as I am able to learn, he did not notify the officers of the national event of his intended and perhaps entirely unavoidable absence.

By acting in this manner he disarranged the programme of the national event, he lessened the interest in the play of the tournament, and he deprived Princeton of a possible victory. It is possible that Mr. Beggs was prevented by illness from appearing on the courts at Newport, but illness alone can be accepted as a valid excuse for his absence. Having undertaken to be present, not travels nor "occasions of a life-time" should have kept him away--should have allowed him to break his faith.

These few words are not aimed in censure at Mr. Beggs. He is not alone in such conduct. But he is a vivid example of an unsportsmanlike act (unsportsmanlike unless he had the excuse of illness, and, even so, inconsiderate if he did not notify the National L.T.A., and it does not appear that he did), and the ethics of sport can only be taught to most of us by the display of a striking example. The interests of interscholastic sport may best be maintained by a strict adherence to obligations assumed.

"TRACK ATHLETICS IN DETAIL."--ILLUSTRATED.--8VO, CLOTH, ORNAMENTAL, $1.25.

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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 route given in the next three weeks will be one of the best trips in the vicinity of Chicago, extending from Chicago itself to Joliet, thence to Ottawa, and thence to La Salle, and return. Like the great majority of trips taken from Chicago, this one depends largely upon the time at the rider's disposal, for you may either start from Chicago itself, or if the time is too short you can take the train for Ottawa and ride from there, or it is possible to get off the train at Joliet and ride on. But if time is not so important a matter, it is by all means best to ride all the way from Chicago. A choice of roads leads out of the city. You can go by the Archer Road to Joliet viâ Summit, Mount Forest, Willow Springs, Sag, Lemont, Romeo, and Lockport. In going the other way, take the Washington Boulevard west to Des Plaines Avenue, and then south to Riverside. This route leads along the old Illinois-Michigan Canal, Des Plaines River, and the new drainage canal, and it gives an excellent opportunity for you to examine the work on this large engineering undertaking.

There is still one other route to Joliet, which is a good road if the weather is good, but which after rain it would be unwise to attempt. This route is as follows: Start south on Western Avenue, or go down through Pullman City, turning westward to arrive at Blue Island. Here it will be necessary to make inquiry for the Blue Island and Orland Road, which runs southwest through Orland Station on the Wabash railway to Joliet. Part of this secondary route is not on the map, but it can be traced from Orland through Alpine, Hadley, and on into Joliet. The most attractive route, however, is the second one--that is, through Riverside, Summit, Willow Springs, etc.

On this first stage to Joliet the road to Summit is easily found, except that on passing through Summit a sharp turn to the left should be made, instead of crossing the track and the canal, up a hill, the road then being perfectly clear through Mount Forest and Willow Springs to Sag Station, with one hill about midway between the two latter places. At Sag Station turn to the left and run down to Sag, less than a mile away; then, turning sharply to the right, run to Lemont. Thence, keeping always on the southern and eastern side of the tracks and the river, follow the road to Romeo, with a hill as you enter the town, and run thence through Lockport to Joliet. The distance is close upon forty miles. If the trip is made in a day, a good place to stop is at Sag. If, however, the wheelman decides to run to Ottawa in one day, Joliet would make a stop a little less than half the distance; though this run to Ottawa of about ninety miles is a little too much for the average rider, and Joliet being a good place to stop overnight, he is advised to make a two days' trip of the journey. In case Joliet is too far, there is a good hotel at Lockport, six or seven miles nearer Chicago than Joliet, and the stop might be made there, although that leaves a long ride for the next day.

NOTE.--Map of New York city asphalted streets in No. 809. Map of
route from New York to Tarrytown in No. 810. New York to Stamford,
Connecticut, in No. 811. New York to Staten Island in No. 812. New
Jersey from Hoboken to Pine Brook in No. 813. Brooklyn in No. 814.
Brooklyn to Babylon in No. 815. Brooklyn to Northport in No. 816.
Tarrytown to Poughkeepsie in No. 817. Poughkeepsie to Hudson in No.
818. Hudson to Albany in No. 819. Tottenville to Trenton in No.
820. Trenton to Philadelphia in No. 821. Philadelphia in No. 822.
Philadelphia-Wissahickon Route in No. 823. Philadelphia to West
Chester in No. 824. Philadelphia to Atlantic City--First Stage in
No. 825; Second Stage in No. 826. Philadelphia to Vineland--First
Stage in No. 827; Second Stage in No. 828. New York to
Boston--Second Stage in No. 829. Third Stage in No. 830; Fourth
Stage in No. 831; Fifth Stage in No. 832; Sixth Stage in No. 833.
Boston to Concord in No. 834. Boston in No. 835. Boston to
Gloucester in No. 836. Boston to Newburyport in No. 837. Boston to
New Bedford in No. 838. Boston to South Framingham in No. 839.
Boston to Nahant in No. 840. Boston to Lowell in No. 841. Boston to
Nantasket Beach in No. 842. Boston Circuit Ride in No. 843.
Philadelphia to Washington--First Stage in No. 844; Second Stage in
No. 845; Third Stage in No. 846; Fourth Stage in No. 847; Fifth
Stage in No. 848. City of Washington in No. 849. City of Albany in
No. 854; Albany to Fonda in No 855; Fonda to Utica in No. 856;
Utica to Syracuse in No. 857; Syracuse to Lyons in No. 858; Lyons
to Rochester in No. 859; Rochester to Batavia in No. 860; Batavia
to Buffalo in No. 861; Poughkeepsie to Newtown in No. 864; Newtown
to Hartford in No. 865; New Haven to Hartford in No. 866; Hartford
to Springfield in No. 867; Hartford to Canaan in No 868; Canaan to
Pittsfield in No. 869; Hudson to Pittsfield in No. 870. City of
Chicago in No. 874. Waukesha to Oconomowoc in No. 875; Chicago to
Wheeling in No. 876; Wheeling to Lippencott's in No 877;
Lippencott's to Waukesha in No. 878; Waukesha to Milwaukee in No.
879.

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.

HOW TO SALT PAPER.

Salting paper is the process by which photographic paper is coated with chloride of sodium (common salt), chloride of ammonium, or chloride of barium, and salted paper is pure photographic paper which has been immersed or floated in a salting-bath and then dried. Paper prepared especially for photographic use is the best; but paper which is free from impurities may be used. Whatman's drawing-paper is a good paper. The paper is first salted, and when dry the sensitizing solution is applied.

To salt paper with chloride of sodium, take 20 oz. of water and 30 grs. of common salt; dissolve the salt in the water and filter; put this solution in a flat dish larger than the sheets of paper to be salted. Select the smoothest side of the paper, and turn back two corners diagonally opposite to each other. Take hold of the paper by these corners and lower the sheet of paper gently into the solution. See that every portion of the surface is thoroughly wet, but do not let the paper touch the bottom of the dish. Let it remain in the solution for one minute; then, if it appears to be thoroughly covered, pin it up to dry, with the side which was salted turned outward. To sensitize this paper, take nitrate of silver, 1/2-oz., and water, 10 oz. After it is dissolved take out 3 oz., and to the remaining 7 oz. add strong ammonia-water, drop by drop. A brownish precipitate will form, but keep adding the ammonia till the solution is nearly or quite clear, then turn in the other 3 oz. and filter. This solution may be put in a flat dish, and the paper be sensitized by floating it on the solution, or it may be spread on with a brush, according to directions given in No. 869.

To salt paper with chloride of ammonium make a solution as follows:

Chloride of Ammonium 32 grs.
Water 4 oz.
Gelatine 8 grs.

Put the gelatine in the water, and set the vessel containing it in a dish of hot water until the gelatine is dissolved. When it is cold add the chloride of ammonium, and either float according to directions just given, or apply the solution with a brush.

To sensitize, take 1 oz. of water and 60 grs. of nitrate of silver. Dissolve thoroughly and brush the paper with this solution. Brush evenly and lightly both ways of the paper, so as to avoid a streaked appearance. Print and tone the same as for aristo prints. The combined toning-bath gives good results. The tone of the prints closely resembles platinum prints.

Another process for salting paper is:

Chloride of Ammonium 3 grs.
Chloride of Sodium 3 grs.
Water 2 oz.

Apply this solution with a brush, or float the paper on the bath. To sensitize, take 60 grs. of nitrate of silver and 1 oz. of water. Add ammonia-water, drop by drop, till 25 drops have been used. The solution at first turns muddy, but continue dropping the ammonia till it clears. If it does not clear after the 25 drops have been added clear by filtering. Sensitize as per former directions.

This paper is very easily prepared, is inexpensive, and gives fine delicate prints. Do not print much deeper than is desired for the finished print. One may use a toning and fixing bath combined, or a separate toning and fixing bath may be used.

One can sensitize a strip at the head of a letter or a corner of a visiting-card; and print the same as any paper.

The paper can be bought ready salted, but it is not always fresh. It is very little trouble to salt paper and to sensitize it, and the cost is much less than when paper is bought ready prepared. The plain paper should be used within two or three days after sensitizing with the silver, but the salted paper keeps well, and may be sensitized as needed.

Mark the sensitized paper on the wrong side lightly, as it is hard to distinguish the sensitive side. When dry these prints are so flat and the paper is so thin that they make nice book illustrations.

SIR KNIGHTS FRED. W. LONG and FRED. D. ROSE wish to know in what
numbers of the ROUND TABLE the "Papers for Beginners" may be found.
In Nos. 812, 813, 814, 816, 817, 818, 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826,
832, 838, 840, and 842. See also the late numbers for "Chemistry
for Amateur Photographers."

E. LESTER CROCKER, Tarrytown-on-Hudson, New York, wishes to be
enrolled as a member of the Camera Club.

ILL-TEMPERED BABIES

are not desirable in any home. Insufficient nourishment produces ill temper. Guard against fretful children by feeding nutritious and digestible food. The Gail Borden Eagle Brand Condensed Milk is the most successful of all infant foods.--[_Adv._]

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STAMPS on Approval! 50% disct. _List free._

W. C. Shields, 30 Sorauren Ave., Toronto, Canada.

110 Foreign Stamps, Liberia, Borneo, Mexico, etc., 5c. H. L. ASHFIELD, 767 Prospect Ave., N.Y.

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. Eight Numbers. Price, 50 cents each; Cloth, $1.00. Full contents, with Specimen Pages, mailed, without cost, on application to =Harper & Brothers, New York=.

From Calamus to Quill.

It is most interesting to trace the evolution of the pen, beginning
with the _calamus_ and _stilus_--the reed and erasing bodkin--and
ending with a fountain-pen of the most improved make. In ancient
days great care was taken in the selection of the choicest reeds,
the best-cured parchment, and the daintiest waxen tablets. Egypt
grew the best reeds, though they were also found in Armenia,
Persia, and Italy. The modern Turks and Moors prize the Persian
reeds above all others, splitting the points in the same manner as
our grandfathers prepared their goose-quills. The oldest account
known respecting quills is found in a work of St. Isidore's, who
died in 636. Alcuinus, who lived in England, speaks of his pen, so
the familiar article must have been in use almost as long as the
art of writing was known in the country. Perhaps steel pens would
have been more popular when first introduced if all had known that
the quills were pulled from the living geese!

Dr. Warner told his stationer that with one quill pen, old when he
took it up, he wrote an "ecclesiastical history," two volumes
folio, and a "dissertation on the Book of Common Prayer," both
first and final draughts. Byron wrote the "Bride of Abydos" in one
night, without once mending his quill, while Andrew Borde,
physician to Henry VIII., and the original "Merry Andrew," wrote a
book of nearly three hundred pages, 12mo., in the same manner.
Camden wrote of the quill with which he composed the Britannia,

"With one sole pen I wrote this book,
Made of a gray goose quill;
A pen it was when I it took,
And a pen I leave it still."

LAUNCELOT CLAYMORE.

* * * * *

What Shakespeare Studied when at School.

Mr. William J. Rolfe, the Shakespearian student, has written most entertainingly of the Avon bard's school days. "The training in an English free day school in the time of Elizabeth," he writes, "depended much on the attainments of the master, and these varied greatly, bad teachers being the rule and good ones the exception. In many towns the office of schoolmaster was conferred on 'an ancient citizen of no great learning.' Sometimes a quack conjuring doctor had the position, like Pinch in the _Comedy of Errors_." What did William study in the grammar-school? Not much except arithmetic and Latin, with perhaps a little Greek and a mere smattering of other branches.

The Latin grammar used was certainly Lily's, the standard manual of the time, as long before and after. In _The Taming of the Shrew_ (I., 1, 167) a passage from Terence is quoted in the modified form in which it appears in this grammar.

This fact, slight as it is, seems to have its bearing on the Baconian controversy. "Can we imagine," asks Mr. Rolfe, "the sage of St. Albans, familiar as he was with classical literature, going to his old Latin grammar for a quotation from Terence, and not to the original works of that famous playwright?"

We often hear people speak of "good old times," as if present times were worse. But good old school times of the sort described here were certainly not better than present times.

* * * * *

Asked to Cease Soaring a Moment.

Mrs. Phelps-Ward has just related an amusing story of John Greenleaf Whittier and Lucy Larcom. They were driving together one day, and discussing the Bible, the future life, and kindred topics. The poet was a spare man, as of course you know, while the author, whose stories and poems you so well remember, was portly, and had withal an easy-going temperament, which led her to take things as they came, disturbed by nothing. She was, when interested in a subject, generally quite oblivious to all else around her. Driving along, they came to a rather steep hill that had a bad gully in it. The horse was none too easy to manage, and the carriage swayed uncomfortably toward the heavy side--that borne well down by the portly woman. Mr. Whittier was trying his best to control the horse and keep his seat, but his companion talked on.

"Lucy," said the poet, sternly, and with not too much composure, "if thee doesn't stop talking long enough for me to control this horse, thee'll find thyself in heaven before thee wants to."

* * * * *

Kinks.

No. 30.--AN OBLONG STAR.

If the cross-words are rightly guessed the central letters of the right-hand hour-glass, reading downward, will spell the name of the Grecian painter from whose untiring industry is derived the proverb, _Nulla dies sine linea_ ("No day without a line"). The central letters of the left-hand hour-glass will spell the name of a renowned Greek sculptor who was born about the time of the battle of Marathon.

1. _Upper Diamond._--1. In drawling. 2. A Japanese coin worth about four-fifths of a cent. 3. A word occurring frequently in the Psalms. 4. A deceiver. 5. The inferior pole of the horizon. 6. A form of a personal pronoun. 7. In drawling.

2. _Lower Diamond._--1. In drawling. 2. Mournful. 3. The pyramidal roof of a tower. 4. Insulting. 5. Scorched. 6. To finish. 7. In drawling.

3. _Left-hand Hour-glass._--1. Spotted. 2. Fences sunk below the ground. 3. A mite. 4. In drawling. 5. The dado. 6. A map. 7. Calcined gypsum.

4. _Right-Hand Hour-glass._--1. Revolves. 2. Writing material. 3. A couch. 4. In drawling. 5. A beverage. 6. To step. 7. To sparkle.

VINCENT V. M. BEEDE, R.T.F.

* * * * *

No. 31.--A HETEROGENEOUS PIE.

A maniac in a Canadian asylum once requested his keeper to bring him a pie composed of the following ingredients:

One object^1 which once bore the words, "For the fairest," won by Venus; one cup of one^2 who rides the main; three cups of an appropriate name^3 for a hard-headed animal; a morsel of a rod^4 little used in billiards; a nickname^5 applied to a New England State; one pound of the fish^6 that struggles; a goodly quantity of the fruit^7 from which a mechanic in one of Shakespeare's comedies derives his name; a dash of the _nom de plume_^8 of James W. Morris; forty incites^9; a heaping measure of the substance^{10} indicated by the blank.

"Not a ----
But shows some touch in freckle, streak, or stain,
Of his unrivall'd pencil."--Cowper.

XENTRIQUE.

* * * * *

No. 32--BEHEADING.

1. Behead a fruit, and leave a fruit; behead once more, and leave our ancestors; behead again, and leave a part of our ancestors.

2. Behead a tree, and leave past; behead again, and leave to depart.

3. Behead a fruit, and leave a vegetable; behead again, and leave to adorn.

4. Behead a plant, and leave slack; behead again, and leave that wherewith the plant might have been cut.

* * * * *

Answers to Kinks.

No. 28.--A MUSICAL MÉLANGE.

1. Beethoven. 2. Chopin. 3. Handel. 4. Bull (_Taurus_). 5. Rossini. 6. Thomas. 7. Albani. 8. Crotch. 9. Lasso. 10. Mason. 11. Potter. 12. Purcell. 13. Fiddle. 14. Spinet. 15. Flute. 16. Bugle. 17. Trumpet. 18. Bagpipes. 19. Kettle-drums. 20. Fife. 21. Horn. 22. Lyre. 23. Harpsichord.

* * * * *

No. 29.

1. Burns. 2. Scott. 3. Herbert. 4. Willis. 5. Spenser. 6. White. 7. Dryden. 8. Hemans. 9. Pope. 10. Goldsmith. 11. Cowper. 12. Southey.

* * * * *

Not Good Form.

Care for what one says ought always to be exercised, without regard to whether or not it may be heard by those for whom it is not intended. Here is a story that emphasizes this lesson:

An officer of the Law Division of the New York Custom-house walked into the Collector's office a few days ago, while the Collector was talking with a tall man, whose back was turned toward the door.

"What is it?" asked the Collector. "Anything important?"

"Oh no," returned the officer. "Only another blunder in the long list of blunders committed by that Secretary of the Treasury of ours." The tall man laughed.

"Mr. Blank," said the Collector, "let me introduce you to Mr. Carlisle, Secretary of the Treasury."

The Secretary turned, still laughing, and shook the hand of the law officer, who, red in the face, stammered a half-heard apology--and got out as quickly as possible.

* * * * *

A Good Amateur Newspaper.

The _Scribbler_ has completed its first year, and it makes quite an unnecessary apology for its past shortcomings. This latter is really the poorest thing about its past--this apology. Many a public speaker, after giving a good address, mars it by apologizing for it. The _Scribbler_ has done well, and of course will do better. Its address is: Easton, Pa., and its manager, Norman E. Hart. You should see a copy. It is neat and Interesting.

* * * * *

Questions and Answers.

John C. Cone, 519 South Seventh Street, Hamilton, O., wants to receive sample copies of amateur newspapers. The Table has not published a description of the badge, dear Sir Sidney Mulhall, and has now none in stock. Evelyn T. Jones: Yes, the Table is glad to receive descriptions of places, industries, outings, etc., and asks correspondents to try to see how excellent they can make such morsels--correct grammar and spelling, avoidance of unnecessary words, and careful selection of descriptive adjectives. Letters from foreign places, if filled with information of general interest, are published when space permits. Good "Kinks" will be published, but new ideas are wanted, not merely new material in old forms.

Arthur J. Johnston, Box 136, Dartmouth, N. S., says, "I am much interested in politics, and would like to correspond with members of the Table, especially those living in Canada, on that subject." Cyrus Williston, Vernon, N. Y., wants to hear from members of the Order, any subject, and Louis O. Brosie, 3405 Butler Street, Pittsburg. Pa., has some quite old numbers of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE which he does not want. He mentions the fact upon seeing inquiries in this column for these old copies, no longer in the publishers' stock. Aaron Spong asks where he can find a collection of college songs. There are several to be had. Ask for _Carmina Princetonia_; _Columbia College Song-Book_; _Harvard College Song-Book_. Go to your bookseller or to a music-store. Any dealer can get collections for you upon order, but Chicago dealers will have them in stock without doubt.

Henry F. French asks for information concerning the earliest national books. The Pentateuch is the oldest of books. In Greece the most ancient writings are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, date about 900 B.C. In Latin, Plautus wrote his comedies 200 B.C. The first British author was Gildas, 500 A.D., who wrote a _Conquest of Britain_. At the same date Venan Fortunatus, in France, wrote the first work of that country--a book of Latin poetry. The Koran is the earliest work of any Arabian, Persian, or Turk. It was written A.D. 600. The first of Germany's literature was Walafred Strabo's book of poems and theology, 841 A.D. In Russia, Yaroslaff in the year 1000 A.D., compiled a code of laws, while Monez (1100 A.D.) is the first Portuguese author. The other countries are represented as follows: Italy, Accursius, writer of jurisprudence, 1182-1260 A.D.; Sweden, Eric Olai, author of _A History of the Goths and Swedes_, 1400 A.D.; Poland, Vinc Kadlubek, writer of a history of Poland, 1226 A.D. Arvine names Benjamin Thompson our "pioneer in letters." He was called "ye renowned poet of New England, learned schoolmaster and physician."

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.

Specialization has led to the cataloguing of innumerable minute varieties in perforations, water-marks, papers, shades, and impressions from more or less worn or retouched plates, to say nothing of "freaks." The result has been the immense catalogues with which we are all so familiar, and albums containing a multitude of spaces for stamps which not one collector in a thousand can ever expect to fill. This has led to a reaction, and the average collector will hereafter not be puzzled by minute varieties of no interest to any one except the small group of rich men in each country to whom they are due. These advanced collectors do not use printed albums, and special catalogues can easily be made for them. All the large dealers hereafter will make albums and catalogues which the average collector will have a chance of filling up at reasonable rates.

Unique or very rare stamps in such albums will probably be represented by photographs of the costly originals.

W. MACFARLANE.--The 2c. U.S. Revenues are extremely common, hence
have no value.

S. MANNING.--The old U.S. Special Delivery stamps are worth 15c.
each, used. The yellow one will probably prove to be the scarcest.

H. M. CROSSMAN.--The 1892 Columbian half-dollar can be bought for
75c. The 1893 one is in common use. The Columbian quarter is worth
$1.75.

H. H. C.--The ordinary U.S. quarter for 1853 with rays on the
reverse can be bought for 35c. The rare variety of the same date
for $3.50.

F. M., JUN.--The 50c. Mortgage U.S. Revenue is worth 5c.; the 50c.
Entry of Goods and Conveyance, 1c. each: the $1 Inland Exchange,
1c. These prices are for perforated stamps; if unperforated they
are worth $1 each upward.

WILL KELSEY.--All sheets of the current issue have one outside row
of stamps unperforated on one side, and all the 1c., 2c., etc.,
have two rows of stamps unperforated on one side. Such partly
perforated stamps have no special value. The 1875 reprint of the
1869 3c. stamp is worth $15 unused. This reprint can be known by
the snow-white paper on which it is printed. Many of the 1869
stamps show no signs of grilling, owing to a very light pressure of
the grills. Such stamps have no greater value than the grilled
ones.

NYACK.--I do not know what the stamped paper made for use in the
American colonies is worth. I know of one copy which was bought by
the holder for $50. There were no adhesive stamps made for the 1765
stamp act.

T. A. WESSMAN.--It is impossible to pass any opinion on rare
Chinese coins without seeing a rubbing. They are considered as
simple curios here, and can be bought very cheap if the dealer has
any.

A. F. BERLIN.--Apply to any of the larger dealers for price.

A. B. C.--My remarks applied to Spanish stamps only. The West
Australian cancelled stamps with punched holes were those issued by
the colonial authorities to the imperial (_i.e._, Great Britain)
authorities for official use. Most of these imperial officials were
in charge of the convict camps in West Australia, and doubtless
some of the stamps were given by them to prisoners in their charge,
as it seems fairly well established that some letters from
prisoners were pre-paid by punched stamps.

C. S. SMITH.--Dealers offer U.S. dollars of 1800 for $2;
half-dollar 1811, 1812, 1818, seventy-five cents each.

C. RAWSON, 3421 North Nineteenth Street, Philadelphia, Pa., wishes
to exchange stamps.

H. D. GRAHAM.--"Local" stamps are those used by postmasters and by
private firms who carried letters in competition with the U.S.
mails. They have all been suppressed by the U.S. government. The
_early_ Boyd's Express, Blood & Co.'s, Honour City Post, etc., are
very scarce. Hussey's Post and the later Boyd's Express are very
common. Many have been reprinted, and others have been
counterfeited.

N. P. COPPEDGE.--The English penny is quite a common coin. It has
no value in this country, and in England can be bought for
threepence.

PHILATUS.

"Health is the vital principle of bliss, and exercise, of health."

No health--there is no hope of bliss,
No exercise--and health soon flies,
No bath with Ivory Soap--you miss
The best results of exercise.

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

GOLD RINGS FREE!