move along and hurry the sheets off into the hot-box, they turned to a
corner where a workman was busy over a series of vats and buckets mixing
the gum, which looked very clean and nice, and is made of dextrine, a
vegetable product. The guide now showed them how the gummed sheets are
pressed smooth for perforation, and then led them into a room where a
score or more of odd little machines were in swift operation. Each
machine is tended by two workwomen, most of whom wear fantastic caps of
paper to shade their eyes, as the sheets must be fed into the machines
with absolute accuracy in order that the perforations shall come in the
right place. Each sheet has register lines printed in the margin, which
must be adjusted exactly under a black thread fastened across the
feeding-table. A quick whir of the wheels puts a neat line of pin-holes
lengthwise between the stamps, cutting the sheet in half at the same
time. The next machine perforates the sheet crosswise, and again cuts it
in two, so that the sheets are now divided up into the regulation size
of one hundred stamps each.
The children thought the minute disks of paper punched out by the
perforators too insignificant to be considered, and were accordingly
much surprised to learn that the sheets again have to be smoothed out,
under great pressure, to reduce their bulk and remove the "burr" caused
by the perforation.
After inspecting the final process of making up the stamps into
packages, to be mailed to the postmasters all over the country, the
children were taken by their father to the office of the chief of the
bureau. Here they received a cordial welcome, and learned many
interesting and curious details about stamps and stamp-making. About
3,000,000,000 stamps are annually furnished the Post-office Department
by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, at the rate of five cents a
thousand. Ninety per cent. of these are the two-cent stamps, and
according to the last Post-office report the revenue from the sale of
stamps is a little over $6,000,000 a month.
"By-the-way," observed the chief, "you young people should be very much
interested in the Report of the Third Assistant Postmaster-General for
1893, which contains a carefully prepared and elaborately descriptive
list of every stamp and postal card issued by the United States
government. It must seem hard to you stamp collectors that the most
beautiful stamps issued--the newspaper and periodical stamps--are not
permitted to be sold to the public. One of the chief reasons for this is
that the values of these small squares of paper run up to such high
figures, viz., $24, $36, $48, and $60, that they would offer a great
field in counterfeiters if generally circulated. There are some queer
denominations among these stamps, notably the $1.92 stamp, which is
about to be discontinued, and some very pretty colors. That reminds
me--did they show you our ink-mills in your tour of inspection?"
Mr. Copeland explained that they had not seen the mills, so the children
had the pleasure of being escorted by the chief himself into the grimy
region which is seldom penetrated by the public. Here they saw the
colors ground and mixed in small mills, from which the workmen--smeared
from top to toe in a rainbow of colors--gathered the thick greasy ink by
the bucketful. About one hundred thousand pounds of dry color is used
annually for the two-cent stamps alone, the color being mixed with an
equal quantity of burnt linseed oil, making two hundred thousand pounds
of ink. Of course a large percentage of this color is lost in inking and
polishing the plate.
The tour was now ended, and leaving the oily little wheels to their
ceaseless grinding, the children, with a grateful good-by to their new
friend, went home with their young heads full of the interesting things
they had seen in Uncle Sam's stamp factory.
[Illustration: THE PUDDING STICK]
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.
Girls who are terrified by thunder and lightning lose a great deal of
enjoyment during the summer, when we have storms as well as sunshine. It
may not be quite possible for every one to help being afraid when the
sky is black with clouds and the lightning's flash, but it _is_ within
the power of most people to control the expression of fright. Once or
twice having resolutely refrained from showing your terror, you will be
surprised and pleased to find the terror itself lessening.
I know persons who go through life in a sort of bondage to fear of
various kinds. They tremble and turn pale, or grow hysterical and cry,
when the dark clouds gather and the thunders roll. There is a pretty
German hymn which begins,
"It thunders, but I tremble not,
My trust is firm in God,
His arm of strength I've ever sought
Through all the way I've trod."
I advise all of you who need the advice to remember that God rules in
the heavens, and His hand sends the storms. Trust in God when you are
afraid--really _trust_, and you will grow calm and be happy. Another
grain of comfort may be found in the fact that when you see the bright
zig-zagging flash and hear the rumbling thunder, the danger for you is
over. You will never see or hear the electric current which hurts or
kills. It is far too swift to wait and warn you in that way.
Many of us have some pet aversion, which goes far to make us cowards in
one direction, even if in other conditions and situations we are brave.
I have seen women almost faint at the sight of a poor little scurrying
mouse, and have heard others scream at a bat or a beetle. I confess to a
very great dislike on my own part to things with wings and with stings,
especially those which fly in at the window when the lamp is lighted,
and buzz and fizz and snap and pounce and bounce. But I would be ashamed
of myself if I could not keep from shrieking in the presence of these
innocent little marauders. Depend upon it, girls, we _can_ display a
cool front and wear a brave face if we choose to do so, let what happen.
It is all a question of will.
Numbers of travellers never get the full meed of pleasure when on a
journey because they carry too great a load of care. They fancy that
this or that will happen. They are distressed because of accidents which
may possibly occur. They make the friends with them uncomfortable
because they suggest dreadfully unpleasant catastrophes as just around
the corner. When you think of it, this behavior is both stupid and
silly. Trains and boats are in the hands, as a rule, of competent and
responsible persons, who wish to take their passengers and freight safe
to the journey's end. You, being neither captain, nor engineer, nor
conductor, are called upon to feel no concern in the matter.
I wish I could impress on every young girl the beauty and dignity of
simple, quiet courage. Not recklessness, nor indifference to danger, but
a gentle acceptance of every situation, and a rising above fear. Fear is
the feeling of a slave. It fetters one's mind, and makes one's body
clumsy and awkward. The Bible says, "Fear hath torment." It is usually
ignoble, not the appropriate sentiment for bright, capable,
kind-hearted, and winning girls like you. Resolve to put fear under your
feet, and walk through the world with hearts superior to it in its every
form and phase.
[Illustration: Signature]
[Illustration: STAMPS]
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.
One of the first requisites of any science is to know its terms.
Stamp-collecting is now not only a hobby, but an exact science as well.
[Illustration: Regular perforations: holes punched out.]
[Illustration: Rouletted: lines cut in.]
[Illustration: Pin perforated: pin-holes.]
[Illustration: Rouletted _en arc_: curved lines cut in.]
[Illustration: Rouletted _en scie_: saw-tooth lines cut in.]
[Illustration: Rouletted _en serpentine_: fancy lines cut in.]
[Illustration: Rouletted _en points_: diagonal lines cut in.]
[Illustration: Rouletted _en losange_: diagonal cuts not joined.]
[Illustration: Rouletted in half squares: lines cut in.]
Formerly little note was taken of the condition of stamps, but to-day
the smallest details are important. You have doubtless noticed that
almost all stamps issued during the past thirty years have "scalloped"
edges. These are perforations made to enable persons using stamps to
detach one or more without using scissors. Previous to 1856 all stamps
were printed on sheets of paper, and had to be cut off one by one with a
knife or scissors. These are known as "unperforated." Many experiments
were made to do away with the necessity of using scissors, and we
illustrate the different methods used. Gradually all nations have
adopted the "regular" perforations, which consist of a series of holes
punched out along all four edges of each stamp. Now this difference
between perforated and unperforated stamps makes not a little difference
in the prices asked. For instance, the 24c. U.S. of 1851 unperforated
would be cheap at $100, whereas the same stamp perforated is worth $2.50
only. The Victoria twopenny of 1867 is worth $1.50 perforated, while $25
is asked for the unperforated. So none of the ROUND TABLE collectors
should trim the edges of any stamps they may have. Next week we will
illustrate the scale of regular perforations.
The so-called _error_ of the 5c. red-brown U.S. 1890 issue in the color
of the 4c. dark brown has been demonstrated to be a _changeling_, by a
very simple chemical test. The dealer who offered these stamps for sale
at $30 each has notified the thirty-seven people who bought copies at
that price that their money will be returned on demand.
I would advise all collectors to keep all the different shades of the
U.S. stamps which they get at little or no expense, but to avoid paying
any extra for shades of current or late stamps.
A PENROSE SCULL.--The common stamps of the U.S. are worth about
$50 to $100 per million if in good condition. The 10c. brown is
quoted at 10c.
BUCKSKIN.--This is not the place to quote arguments in favor of
stamp-collecting. Most boys, and many men, find great pleasure in
this pursuit. Ask one of them to tell you of its pleasures.
H. W.--There are two varieties of Baltimore and Ohio Telegraph
stamps. One is worth $2 each, the regular perforated are worth
65c. per set.
ARTHUR L. EVANS.--The 10c. green is worth 6c. The 6c. and 8c.
Columbians can still be bought at face in many post-offices.
PHILATUS.
SCHOOL-BOY'S SONG OF THE SCHOOL WEEK.
On Monday black, at four o'clock,
The key is turned in the school-room lock,
And I've given old Time a terrible knock,
For the head of the Week is broken.
At four of a Tuesday afternoon,
The hour that cometh none too soon,
I strap my books to a merry tune,
For the neck of the Week is broken.
As the four glad strokes on Wednesday ring,
My cap in the air I gayly fling,
And homeward run as I loudly sing,
"The grip of the Week is broken."
Ah, welcome the sound of the Thursday's four,
And the joyous thought of "but one day more
That opens and shuts the school-room door,"
For the back of the Week is broken.
But sweeter than story in prose or rhyme
The musical notes of the Friday chime,
For the Week lies dead in the arms of Time,
And the school-boy's chains are broken.
L. H. BRUCE.
KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS.
II.--THE SWORD.
"Now while the lords and their followers were gathered in the great
church," the Story-teller said, as Jack and Mollie began to show some
curiosity as to what this miracle for which Merlin hoped might be,
"there was discovered in the church-yard near the altar a great black
stone, about four feet square, on the middle of which stood a steel
anvil a foot in height. Thrust into this, with its shining point
visible, was a beautiful sword, and about it, written in letters of
gold, were these words:
"'WHOSO PULLETH OUT THIS SWORD OF THIS STONE AND ANVIL IS RIGHTWISE KING
BORN OF ENGLAND.'"
"Who put it there?" asked Jack.
"I don't know," said the Story-teller. "It was there, and that is all I
know about it, and the people when they saw it were full of wonder, and
marvelled greatly to read the words written about it. I imagine,
however, that Merlin and the Archbishop had something to do with it, for
when the people went into the church, and told the Archbishop what they
had seen, he did not appear to be at all surprised, but commanded all
to remain within the church and not to touch the sword until the service
was over. The people and the gathered knights and all their followers
obeyed the Archbishop's command, for they did not dare do otherwise;
but, when the service was over, they all rushed out into the church-yard
to see the stone and the anvil, with the wonderful sword stuck into it.
And then, when the lords had read the golden inscription upon the stone,
each made an effort to pull the sword out of its anvil-sheath, but not
one of them could do it. They pulled and tugged and pulled and tugged,
but it was all in vain. They neither broke nor budged it, and the
Archbishop of Canterbury said it was evident that none of those present
could claim to be the rightful King. He added that he believed that the
right one would yet be discovered, and suggested that ten of the best
knights of the land should be made a guard of honor to watch over the
sword until New-Year's day, when any one who wished might come and in
the presence of all make the effort to pull it from the anvil. This was
agreed to, and it was decided to have a great tournament upon the coming
New-Year's day, after which the trial should be made. This kept the
knights and their followers in London, for it was important that all
should be present at the trial, success in which meant so much, not only
to the successful man, but to the whole kingdom as well."
"Didn't Merlin try to pull it out?" asked Mollie. "If he put it in, I
should think he could have pulled it out, and then he could have been
King himself."
"Possibly; but I imagine he didn't want to be King, for one thing, and,
for another, he had been too good a friend to Arthur, and to Uther, his
father, to wish to betray them. The Chronicles do not say whether he
tried it or not, but if he did, he failed; and so the week between
Christmas and New-Year's went by without any one's having moved the
sword; and the lords made their preparations for the tournament, and
many of them, I have no doubt, spent a great deal of their time getting
their muscle up in the hope of winning the crown.
"On the New-Year's day all again assembled in the church, and, after the
service, proceeded to the field where the tournament was to take place.
Sir Ector, followed by his son, Sir Kaye, who had himself been made a
knight, and Arthur, rode with them, when it was discovered that Sir Kaye
had left his sword behind him at his father's lodging. Summoning Arthur,
he requested him to return to the house and get it for him. This Arthur
readily consented to do, for he was fond of Kaye, whom, as we have
already seen, he supposed to be his own brother. Turning his horse
about, he rode full speed back to the lodgings; but when he arrived
there he found every one had gone to the tournament, and he could not
find his foster-brother's sword. For a moment he was perplexed. He knew
it would never do for Sir Kaye to be found at a tournament without his
sword, for the sword was the sign of his knighthood, and a knight who
had lost it would have been considered unworthy of the honor which had
been bestowed upon him. Suddenly Arthur bethought him of the sword in
the anvil, and without much hope that he should succeed where so many
others had failed, he resolved to make the effort to loosen it anyhow,
and in case of success to carry it to Sir Kaye.
"So he rode to the church-yard, and found it as deserted as Sir Ector's
lodgings had been. The ten knights who had been left to guard the sword,
like every one else in London, had gone to the tournament. Dismounting
from his horse, Arthur strode into the yard, and grasping the handle of
the sword as firmly as he could, pulled at it fiercely, when, to his
surprise and delight, it came out of the anvil. Without stopping to
think of all that this meant for him, he remounted his steed, and rode
hastily back to Sir Kaye, to whom he handed the weapon.
"The instant Sir Kaye looked at it he knew it to be the sword of the
stone, and putting his spurs to his horse, he dashed to where his father
stood, and, showing him the glittering blade, told him that it was the
sword of the stone, and said,
"'I must be King of this land!'
"But Sir Ector was cautious, so he questioned Kaye closely as to how he
had come by the weapon, and he made him go with him and Arthur back to
the church and swear to what he said; and Sir Kaye told him the whole
story--how he had left his own sword at home and had sent Arthur back
for it; how Arthur had gone there, and not finding any one, had
bethought him of the sword in the anvil, and had taken it, though no one
had witnessed the act."
[Illustration: THE RIGHTFUL KING OF ENGLAND.]
"Whereupon Sir Ector made Arthur return the sword to the anvil, and
himself tried to pull it out, but it would not come; and then he made
Sir Kaye try it, and still it would not come; and then bidding Arthur
make an effort, the boy did so, and it came out easily, at which both
Sir Kaye and his father knelt before Arthur, and hailed him as the man
who should be rightful King of England."
[Illustration: INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORT]
With the New England Interscholastic games next Saturday the season of
track and field athletics--as far as school leagues are concerned--will
practically come to a close. The season has been a most successful one.
Records have been broken on every hand, even in events where it was
supposed that many a year must go by before that performance could be
bettered. This excellent showing is the natural result of the hard
training and constant energy of the hundreds of runners and jumpers in
the schools; and the ever-increasing number of contestants all over the
country proves that track and field sports have secured a firm foothold,
and now deserve to be recognized as equal in importance to both football
and baseball. In the vicinity of New York, at least, there are fully
twice as many who indulge in track athletics as there are baseball and
football players. In other regions I think the proportions are more
nearly equal. The growth of these sports has been very rapid. In almost
every centre there is an Interscholastic Association or League, and the
daily newspapers, not only of the East but of the West, have been
printing reports of scholastic meets for the past two months. The work
of the school athletes has decidedly become a factor in amateur sport.
In some of the school leagues there are better men than the colleges can
boast of.
The annual meeting of the Inter-collegiate Athletic Association at the
Berkeley Oval, usually characterized as the "Mott Haven games," because
they were first held at Mott Haven, brings together the best college
athletic talent from all parts of this broad country. This year a team
from the University of California travelled three thousand miles
overland to contest for the championship on that day. Besides them, an
unknown runner with a rapid gait and a queer cap came out of the West,
and left the crack sprinters of the East straining and striving behind
him, while he, with a broad smile, pocketed two gold medals, and carried
them back to Iowa. I don't believe there was ever any better sport at
Olympia, and if the colleges can be so successful in these things, and
can draw men to compete at these games from every point of the compass,
why should not the schools follow their example, and form one great
Interscholastic Association, and have a big meeting once a year? There
is no reason why they should not. I can think of hardly a single
obstacle in the way of the formation of such a league. All that is
needed is that some energetic individual or individuals, or some
enthusiastic and sporting spirited Athletic Association take the matter
in hand and put it through. Once started, the routine of organization
would roll along as if on wheels.
It is not necessary that every school in the country should be asked to
join at the outset. On the contrary, I would suggest that the greater
Association under discussion be made up of the various I.S.A.A.'s now
existing, and that the big annual games be a contest among the winners
of the annual games of the individual associations. This scheme commends
itself, because only the best men from every locality could compete at
the meeting, and the number of entries could in that manner be limited.
We have all had experience with a superfluity of contestants, and we
know what interminable trial heats mean. If the movement to form a
general Interscholastic Association should be started in New York, there
would be no lack of leagues already in good standing to call upon for
membership. There are the New York and the Long Island I.S.A.A.'s right
here. Near by we have the New England I.S.A.A., the Western
Massachusetts I.S.A.A., the Maine I.S.A.A., the Connecticut I.S.A.A.,
the Pennsylvania Inter-academic A.A., the Dartmouth I.S.A.A., and the
New York State I.S.A.A. of Syracuse. In addition to these there are many
others that I need not mention here. A large and influential league in
the West is the Academic Athletic League of the Pacific Coast, of whose
prowess on track and field I have had occasion to speak of many times in
this Department.
Of course, one of the first questions that would arise upon the
organization of such an Interscholastic Association would be, Where
shall the annual meeting be held? The answer to that is simply, hold it
where it will be most convenient for the greatest number of schools
interested. It would not be advisable to hold the meeting in a different
city each year, for the Portland and Bangor athletes would not care to
journey to Philadelphia, neither would the Pennsylvanians care to travel
up into Maine. New York is a central location, but in many respects it
would be a poor place for a meeting of the kind under consideration. The
ideal spot, to my mind, would be New Haven. This for two reasons
principally. It is half-way between Boston and Philadelphia, which are
the centres of the New England and Pennsylvania districts; and it is
also about equally distant from New York and Hartford, which are the
homes of the N.Y. & L.I.I.S.A.A's, and the Connecticut I.S.A.A. The
second good reason is that Yale University is situated at New Haven, and
I have no doubt that the authorities of college athletics there would
only be too happy to offer the use of the Yale field, and to do
considerable work toward the management of the games.
Even if the college men felt that they could not devote their time to
the management of an Interscholastic meeting--which I greatly doubt, for
it would be to their interest to do so--there are three large schools in
New Haven, members of the Connecticut I.S.A.A., which would certainly
see that business committees were appointed, and competent men set to
work for the successful carrying out of the enterprise. But I believe
the athletic authorities of Yale would be so glad of the opportunity to
help and assist the school athletes that they would even go so far as to
offer a cup to be contested for.
But I have run a little ahead of my subject. What we are all most
interested in now is the first step; the rest can easily be arranged
afterward. It is too late to think of holding a general Interscholastic
meeting this spring, but it is none too early to begin to think of
holding one next year. Preparations for such an important event require
much time. If there is anything that HARPER'S ROUND TABLE can do to
further the success of the plan, or if there is any work that I can
perform in my small way toward the carrying out of any idea that may be
formulated, it shall be done. I hope these few words on the subject will
appeal to the athletes of the schools, and I shall be only too glad to
hear from them, and, if possible, to give space to their suggestions.
PENNSYLVANIA I.A.L. GAMES, FRANKLIN FIELD, PHILADELPHIA, JUNE 1, 1895.