promptness and correctness with which the questions were answered by the
scholars, suspected that the children were only given such questions as
the teacher was sure of their knowing. So requesting the privilege of
asking a few himself, the gentleman addressed a small child thus, "Where
is Turkey, my dear?"
The little girl was greatly confused for a minute, then suddenly a
bright look came into her little face, and she piped forth, "In the back
yard with the poultry, sir!"
[Illustration: THE CAMERA CLUB]
Any questions in regard to photograph matters will be willingly
answered by the Editor of this column, and we should be glad to
hear from any of our club who can make helpful suggestions.
HINTS ON MAKING FIGURE STUDIES.
In photographic exhibits, as well as in exhibits of paintings, what are
called character studies always attract the most attention, and usually
receive higher marks than a simple portrait study.
There are many picturesque characters which make fine studies for the
amateur photographer, and our young amateurs are requested to bear them
in mind when in search of subjects for our coming contest. There is the
old veteran with his faded blue army coat, to which he clings as long as
it preserves a remnant of respectability; the shoemaker or cobbler at
work on his bench; a sailor who bears marks of his tussle with wind and
wave; a ruddy farmer engaged in some one of his many duties; a woman
weaving at a hand-loom or spinning on a flax or wool wheel; a sturdy
blacksmith at his forge; an old colored uncle or aunty, relics of the
sunny South--these and many other types or characters may be found by
the amateur photographer, and their likenesses preserved in gelatine.
One common fault with nine out of ten of the amateur character studies
is that the subject looks as if he were sitting for his picture. This is
the one thing to be avoided, for the charm of this style of picture is
the natural and easy position of the subject, who must look as if such a
thing as a camera had never come within his observation.
Suppose one wished to make a picture of a cobbler on his bench. If you
went to him with your camera and told him you wished to take his
picture, while you were getting your camera ready he would probably
begin to tuck away the bits of litter on his bench, straighten his
tools, close the half-open drawers, put away his last, and then taking
out his pocket-comb, smooth his hair so that not a lock should be out of
place. This done, he would sit up and announce that he was ready. If you
should take his picture thus, you would have a subject with every
natural line crossed out, leaving simply a stiff uncomfortable victim
sitting for his picture.
The proper way to do is to tell the cobbler that you wish to make a
picture of him at his work, and that you would like to have him go on
working the same as if you were not there, and that when you are all
ready you will tell him. Arrange your camera, focus sharply, take out
the slide, and set the shutter ready to open. Watch for a favorable
attitude, ask the man to hold still for a moment, and expose the plate.
Make three or four studies, for it is better to do this than to take but
one and, in case it should not be good, be obliged to go again. Do not
let the subject look toward the camera, but insist on his looking at the
piece of work on which he is engaged. If he is tapping a shoe, take the
picture when he has the hammer raised to drive a peg, if he is sewing a
seam, take it when he is either putting in the threads or has them
partly drawn out. A cobbler hammering a piece of leather on a lapstone
is an easy position to catch, and another is where he is examining a
ragged shoe to see if it is past mending.
Whatever vocation you may choose to picture, bear this in mind, that the
subject must not be allowed to pose himself, and if, while you are
getting your camera in readiness for the picture, you talk with him on
some subject in which he is interested, you will stand a good chance of
getting an easy, natural picture of him. If you are not successful the
first time trying, remember the old couplet,
If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try again.
GEORGE H. says that he has a pocket kodak which makes very good
pictures, but in nearly all the negatives there is a black cloud in
the one corner, and asks the reason; how to make the title of the
picture on the print in white letters; and if the "Quad" and "Vive"
cameras are reliable; and how to join the Camera Club. The black
cloud on the negative is due to the fact that there is undoubtedly
a tiny pin-hole either in the bellows or lens-holder which admits
light to the film and fogs it. Take the camera to the place where
it was purchased, and have the defect remedied. Letter the title on
the negative on the film side with India-ink, going over the
letters carefully in order that they may be uniform in density, and
when the print is made from the negative the letters will appear
white, as the ink is nonactinic, and shields the paper from the
light. The title must be reversed when printed on the negative.
Both the "Quad" and the "Vive" are made by reliable firms, and
either will give satisfactory returns for the money invested. Sir
George says that he discovered in a back number of the ROUND TABLE
the use of blue paper, and encloses prints made on the first paper
which he experimented with. Sir George must have followed the
directions closely, for the paper is very evenly coated, and the
blues clear and brilliant.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
Postage Stamps, &c.
[Illustration]
THE neatest and most attractive Stamp Album ever published is =The
Favorite Album for U. S. Stamps=. Price 25c. (post free 30c.).
Catalogue of U. S. Stamps free for the postage, 2c. Complete Catalogue
of all Stamps ever issued, 10c. Our Specialty: =Fine Approval Sheets= at
low prices and 50% commission.
R. F. ALBRECHT & CO.,
90 Nassau Street, New York.
Do you wish a set of stamps free? If so, send to us for a selection of
stamps on approval at 50 per cent. commission and full particulars.
H. STONEBRAKER & CO.,
1921 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, Md.
[Illustration: STAMPS]
100, all dif., & fine =STAMP ALBUM=, only 10c.; 200, all dif., Hayti,
Hawaii, etc., only 50c. Agents wanted at 50 per cent. com; List FREE!
=C. A. Stegmann=, 5941 Cote Brilliant Ave., St. Louis, Mo.
$250
worth of stamps given away to approval sheet agents. Send for circular
describing all details. Fine sheets 50% com. Reference required, 102
varieties, Venezuela, Cuba, etc., 10c.
W. P. TODD, Morristown, N. J.
[Illustration: STARR STAMP CO.]
Coldwater, Mich. 80 var., 5c.; 160 var., 20c.; 21 var. U. S. Revenue,
25c. Agents wanted. 50% com.
=STAMPS,= FREE, 100 mixed, perf. gauge, 8 blank app. sheets, hinges, cat.
Send 10c. for large juvenile paper (with stamp dept.) 3 mos. to get
above. Bullard & Co., Pembroke St., Boston, Mass.
U.S.
25 diff U.S. stamps 10c., 100 diff. foreign 10c. Agts w'td @ 50%. List
free! L. B. Dover & Co. 5958 Theodosia, St. Louis, Mo.
=STAMPS.= Send for approval sheets, 50% commission.
G. D. HOLT & CO., 155 Pulaski St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
U. S.
Postage and Rev. Fine approval sheets. Agts. wanted.
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BABYLAND and LITTLE MEN AND WOMEN.
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and help to an extent that is beyond expression in making them
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them delightful entertainment."--_Herald and News._
BABYLAND
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SOME OF THE FEATURES FOR '97:
=BUZ-BUZ.= A tiny Serial Story. By CHAS. STUART PRATT. The "twelve
adventures of a housefly." Something really new in nursery literature;
as simple as it is novel.
=GUESSING STORIES.= By MARGARET JOHNSON. Small pictures take the place of
words. =Very easy=, =entertaining=, and =educational=.
=A PINT OF PEAS.= Work for Little Fingers. The construction of various
objects, using soaked peas and wood toothpicks. =Endless amusement.=
JINGLES. LITTLE STORIES. PICTURES.
* * * * *
LITTLE MEN AND WOMEN
The only Magazine
edited especially for
CHILDREN from 7 to 11
$1.00 A YEAR. Specimen Free.
THREE SPLENDID SERIALS:
=JOHNNY, JACK, AND JOHN.= By MARGARET COMPTON.
=JO AND BETTY; or, Out in the World.= By SOPHIE SWETT.
=GOING WITH THE BIG BOYS.= By KATE UPSON CLARK.
=BOY HEROES OF THE WAR.= By Mrs. A. R. WATSON. Pathetic, humorous,
thrilling. A dozen stories of young heroes of our Civil War--six of the
South, six of the North.
=THE TALKING BIRDS.= By M. C. CROWLEY. A series of amusing and marvellous
parrot stories--_true_ stories.
Notable Articles,
Short Stories, Poems,
Beautiful Pictures,
Children's Songs.
* * * * *
ALPHA PUBLISHING CO., Boston.
Quite Different.
The importance of correct pronunciation is nowhere more imperative than
in a religious service. A soloist in a Philadelphia surpliced boy choir
was heard on a recent Sunday morning in a certain well-known anthem.
After the service another boy, a member of the choir, excitedly caught
hold of the skirt of the choir-master's vestment, and asked, "Will you
tell me, sir, what Jack Mahaffy [the boy soloist] meant by 'a
consecrated cross-eyed bear'?"
"A what?" demanded the astonished leader.
The lad, badly frightened, repeated the question.
The soloist was called, and when he spoke the words, instead of singing
them, the boy got the correct version, "a consecrated cross I'd bear."
* * * * *
Second Largest Church in America.
Will some reader of the ROUND TABLE please give me a description of
the Church of Notre Dame, Montreal, Canada? I will be very thankful
for information on this subject.
RUPERT FORBES.
MONTOWESE, CONN.
We quote the following from an article on "Montreal," in HARPER'S
MAGAZINE for June, 1889:
"Here"--in Montreal--"among a Roman Catholic population, noted chiefly
for their lack of wealth, is building a cathedral one-third the size of
St. Peter's at Rome, and of the same shape, excepting that this one has
a pointed roof to shed snow. Montreal has already the great Notre Dame
de Lourdes, the largest in America, excepting the Cathedral of Mexico.
It seats 10,000, and will hold 15,000 people. The official poster at the
door asserts that the bell is the largest in the world. It is the eighth
in size, weighing 24,780 pounds. In the interior, vast but harsh and
gaudy, you may see an ornate spiral pulpit and a bronze statue of St.
Peter, of which the toes are well polished.
"In Montreal you can continue to visit churches all day. They reveal a
religious life of the Middle Ages kept up with marvellous force in this
nineteenth century. One of the pleasantest scenes of this religious life
may be witnessed in the city of the dead. In the cemetery on the
mountain, along the streets of tombs, are erected little grottos, each
having in colored tableau the stations of the cross. A priest leads
slowly the flock from station to station, and explains to the kneeling
people the dogmatic value of the sufferings portrayed. The trees, birds,
plants, sunshine, and the murmuring winds, all combine to make the
ceremony touching. The route ends on a knoll where three huge crosses
and figures represent most realistically the final agony. When I visited
the place, on a fine June day, a company of convent girls and nuns were
holding a merry picnic at this spot. After their picnic they knelt for
prayer and went away rejoicing. On many of the graves are evidences of
tender regard to the departed--plaster figures of saints, photographs of
the deceased, and little altars with candles and crucifixes, set up in
glass-covered boxes that look like toy chapels."
Some Montreal reader may give us a short description of the exterior of
Notre Dame.
* * * * *
Kinks.
No. 55.--A RIDDLE.
I'm not employed by Uncle Sam,
And yet I carry mail.
I'm swift as many a telegram;
I'm seldom known to fail.
Around and 'round, then straight I go;
The shortest route I always know.
* * * * *
No. 56.--HISTORICAL QUESTIONS.
1. What battle was fought October 13, 1812?
2. How did Du Plessis Mauduit help America?
3. Who was Sir Guy Carleton?
4. Who put this clause into his will: "I enjoin and require that no
ecclesiastic, missionary, or minister of any sect whatever, shall be
admitted for any purpose whatever, or as visitor, within the premises
appropriated for said ----." And of what did he speak?
* * * * *
No. 57.--RHYMING CHARADE.
My first moon, in her regal car,
In thronely pomp rides past;
She trips a silver serenade
Round my secluded last.
My last has borne the pelting blasts
Two hundred years twice told;
Its loop-holed battlements to-day
Rear grandly as of old.
Our first laid schemes we plumb and build
In sorrow, be it known;
Like fabled last high-poised in air
Are quickly levelled down.
My dual parts will rightly sketch,
If roughly scribbled down,
A city in an English shire
And in a Delaware town.
J. E. BENNETT.
NEW YORK.
* * * * *
No. 58.--WORD SQUARE.
1. To blight so as to destroy.
2. A machine for turning.
3. A collection of maps.
4. Anything long and straight.
5. Easily irritated or fretful.
A. E. T.
CHICAGO.
* * * * *
Answers to Kinks.
No. 50.--DIAGONAL ACROSTIC.
March--April, thus:
M O D E L
O A S I S
F A R C E
E P O C H
A S A P H
* * * * *
No. 51.--DOUBLE PROGRESSIVE MAGIC SQUARE.
128 x 1 x 32 = 4096
x
4 x 16 x 64 = 4096
x
8 x 256 x 2 = 4096
And the same with the perpendiculars and diagonals.
* * * * *
No. 52.--A SENTENCE HUNT.
St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, iv, 27.
* * * * *
No. 53.--PHONETIC CHARADE.
Ant--elope. Antelope.
* * * * *
No. 54.--A GEOGRAPHY LESSON.
1. Skaara. 2. Kars. 3. Don--the Spanish equivalent of Lord. 4. Bhore. 5.
Kabul--Atlantic cable. 6. Save--because, if true to its name, it would
rescue you. 7. Koping.
* * * * *
Young Newspaper-Makers.
Janey Crow, 13 Birch Crescent, Rochester, N. Y., publishes, with a
friend to help, _The Acorn_, a monthly of twenty-eight pages. It is not
printed from types, but written, and sent round for reading. These young
editors and publishers desire to receive sample copies of other amateur
papers, either written or printed ones. So also do Frank G. Davis,
Vermillion, S. D., and Edward F. Daas, 1717 Cherry St., Milwaukee, Wis.
The last-named desires also to form a corresponding Chapter, whose
members may live in any part of the world, exchange specimens of shells,
minerals, ferns, and bugs, and prepare round-robin descriptive letters.
* * * * *
Questions and Answers.
Polly Pemberton Morris.--You are quite right in your contention, and
your friend is wrong. Queen Elizabeth did not live as well as does the
average family of to-day whom we call poor. Comparatively she lived
well--and walked on a cloak. But she suffered many discomforts which the
gallantry of all the Raleighs of her reign but badly recompensed.
Indeed, her household was so poor that few of the laboring-people of
to-day would endure one like it. For instance, her table service was
what we would call scarcely fit for animals. Huge joints of meat were
brought to the table on the roasting-spits. There were no dishes such as
we have. Earthenware with a china finish was unknown. The meat-carvers
held the meat with one hand while they cut it with the other, and the
guests helped themselves with their fingers. Cats and dogs were allowed
around and under the table--and to them were thrown the bones. Fancy the
condition of the floor--there was not always a floor--after the meal.
There were no forks and no plates. Fingers served for the former and
huge slices of bread for the latter.
Irving Kenyon asks: "Is there on exhibition in some city in each State
the articles patented in that State? If so, in what city of Connecticut
can I see them? Are authors privileged to use the plan of another
author, which has appeared in a pamphlet some time previous, without
permission? If permission is necessary, to whom do I apply?" There is no
such exhibition. In the Patent Office at Washington may be seen a vast
number of models, but they come from every State. Even these models are
no longer required by law. Authors' privileges are not easily defined.
Do you mean "plan" or "plot"? We should say that the least one could do
who wished to use the plot of another would be to ask permission. If
permission cannot be obtained from any cause, get another plan or plot
or else forego writing.
[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.
Although all German and foreign catalogues list the varieties of the
1870 20c. blue of France in three types, still few are seen in
collections, probably on account of the difficulty heretofore felt in
explaining the differences.
The cuts I., II., and III. illustrate exactly the differences of the
Greek ornaments at the lower light side of the frame (compare with
Figure IV.).
[Illustration: Fig. 4.]
Even in the very poorly printed specimens these varieties in the lines
of the Greek ornaments are prominent, and in the very heavy impressions
where the shadings of the main lines are invisible, the distinguishing
points are still plain.
[Illustration: TYPE I.]
[Illustration: TYPE II.]
[Illustration: TYPE III.]
It will be simple for everybody to now distinguish these types with the
aid of the illustrations. In addition the main points will be easy to
memorize.
Type I. has, as we know, only points at the neck and eyes for shading
purposes; the circle of pearls is very irregular.
Type II. The shading at the neck consists of fine lines, and under the
eyes are long drawn points. A fine white line runs around the entire top
of the head.
In Type III. the white line at the top of the head is almost invisible;
under the eye are points similar to Type II., but in larger numbers. At
the neck there are only lines. The points between the inscriptions, both
at top and bottom, are hardly to be seen and often disappear altogether.
A Type IV. is also listed in few catalogues, but its existence has been
clearly established. The peculiar break in the Greek ornaments, as is
the case in the other types, is not found, but in other respects it
resembles Type III., except in the inscription.
It is probable that after the plate of the third type was worn out the
inscription was repaired, and for the third time enlarged, which is
sufficient evidence to accept as a fourth type. As to the grade of
rarity of these different types the following is probably correct (the
lowest number being the commonest).
Used. Unused.
Type I. Seventh. Fifth.
Type II. Fourth. Second.
Type III. Third. First.
Type IV. Eighth. Sixth.
Early impressions of these four plates are very desirable.
A. E. DRAKE, 198 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn wishes to exchange stamps.
The last Peru issue are very common. Any dealer can supply at a
fair price.
F. RICH.--The 90c. 1851 issue, unperforated, is probably a proof.
The 24c. same issue is well authenticated.
J. B. BRYAN.--To restore colors of stamps which have oxidized, or
changed color, owing to chemical or atmospheric changes, to their
original color, apply peroxide of hydrogen to the stamp with a
small camel's-hair brush. After repeating several times soak the
stamp in water and dry between blotters.
A. A. HALL.--In purchasing hinges, be careful to secure those
having a gum known to be harmless. Some hinges have a gum that will
eventually injure the stamp to which they are affixed, changing the
color or causing the paper to turn yellow. For fifteen cents a
thousand you can get the best hinges from any responsible dealer.
You will probably not use over a million during your career as a
collector, and the amount you save in purchasing an inferior grade
is insignificant, while the proper preservation of your stamps will
be materially aided in using those you know are reliable.
E. L. SMITH, 64 Sparks Street, Cambridge, Mass., wishes to exchange
stamps.
C. RAWSON.--The 3c. Proprietary is worth 10c. perforated, several
dollars if unperforated, with wide margins.
F. D. W. LANELAND.--Your Chile stamp is probably a Revenue stamp.
You do not give all the lettering, and I am therefore unable to say
positively.
PHILATUS.
A Record of a Good Deed.
You ask me to tell the Table about the fair which we had this
autumn, which netted $25 for the Good Will School Fund. We sold
home-made candy, fancy-work which we made through the summer, cake,
and ice-cream. All who took part in the fair were members of
Harper's Round Table Order. They were Helen Layton, Katie Atwood,
Mary Roof, Mable Roof, Edna Roof, Mollie Morford, Eleanor Hayward,
Emma Hayward, Louis Layton, Waldemar Hayward, Clarence Hayward, and
Thomas Woodruff. Mrs. John Roof, who assisted us, is a Patron of
Harper's Round Table. We hoped to, and doubtless would, have made
more had the evening not been a very stormy one. Last year we sent
thirty-one dollars. We hoped at least to send fifty this year.
HELEN J. LAYTON.
NEWTON, N. J.
We thank you most heartily. The money has been placed in the Fund.
[Illustration: IVORY SOAP]
The frequent use of a good soap like the Ivory will purify the
complexion as no cosmetic can.
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE CO., CIN'TI.
[Illustration]
Highest
Award
WORLD'S
FAIR.
SKATES
CATALOGUE FREE.
BARNEY & BERRY, Springfield, Mass.
BE AN ARTIST
Copy accurately and beautifully the glories of nature by means of the
Curtis Sketching Camera
Every one can draw and sketch with it. A simple device, consisting of a
mirror and photographic lens, so arranged that you can draw with pencil
and paper exactly what is before you. An educator to the youthful mind.
Sent on receipt of =$1.00=. Circulars free.
CURTIS & SCHUMANN, 96 Blue Island Ave., Chicago.
EARN A BICYCLE!
[Illustration]
We wish to introduce our Teas, Spices, and Baking Powder. Sell 75 lbs.
to earn a BICYCLE; 50 lbs. for a WALTHAM GOLD WATCH AND CHAIN; 25 lbs.
for a SOLID SILVER WATCH AND CHAIN; 10 lbs. for a beautiful GOLD RING;
50 lbs. for a DECORATED DINNER SET. Express prepaid if cash is sent with
order. Send your full address on postal for Catalogue and Order Blank to
Dept. I
W. G. BAKER, Springfield, Mass.
YOU CAN GET
BABYLAND
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* * * * *
Boys! Girls! earn
$5 to $25
before Christmas.
Particulars =free=.
Alpha Publishing Co., Boston.
JOSEPH GILLOTT'S
STEEL PENS
Nos. 303, 404, 170, 604 E.F., 601 E.F.
And other styles to suit all hands.
THE MOST PERFECT OF PENS.
POPULAR FOOTBALL BOOKS
* * * * *
A PRIMER OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
By W. H. LEWIS. Illustrated from Instantaneous Photographs and with
Diagrams. 16mo, Paper, 75 cents.
There is probably no other man in America who has had as much
football experience or who knows more about the game than Mr.
Lewis.... Of value not only to beginners, but to any one who wishes
to learn more about football.... We heartily recommend it as the
best practical guide to football we have yet discovered.--_Harvard
Crimson_, Cambridge.
Written by a man who has a most thorough knowledge of the game, and
is in language any novice may understand.--_U. of M. Daily_,
University of Michigan.
Will be read with enthusiasm by countless thousands of boys who
have found previous works on the subject too advanced and too
technical for beginners.--_Evangelist_, N. Y.
Beginners will be very grateful for the gift, for no better book
than this of Mr. Lewis's could be placed in their hands.--_Saturday
Evening Gazette_, Boston.
_NEW EDITION OF_
CAMP'S AMERICAN FOOTBALL
By WALTER CAMP. New and Enlarged Edition. 16mo, Cloth, $1.25.
The progress of the sport of football in this country, and a
corresponding growth of inquiry as to the methods adopted by
experienced teams, have prompted the publication of an enlarged
edition of this book. Should any of the suggestions herein
contained conduce to the further popularity of the game, the object
of the writer will be attained.--_Author's Preface._
_BY THE SAME AUTHOR:_
=FOOTBALL FACTS AND FIGURES.= Post 8vo, Paper, 75 cents.
* * * * *
HARPER & BROTHERS, Publishers, New York
[Illustration: THE KING ATTACHES HIS ROYAL SEAL TO A DOCUMENT.]
* * * * *
REST YOUR PEN.