―――――◀▶―――――

AN EASY PROOF FOR SUMS IN MULTIPLICATION.

As boys are always interested in short cuts in arithmetical processes,

it may be well to insert for the benefit of those who are studying

multiplication, a method of proving their examples which I learned a

short time ago from an old banker of New York. This rule is simply to

add the digits of both multiplicand and multiplier, divide both answers

by 9, and multiply the remainders; divide this product by 9 and the

remainder will be, if the example is correct, the same as that obtained

by adding the digits of the product and dividing that answer by 9. For

instance, suppose after multiplying 4359 by 2786 we have 12144174 for

the answer; now instead of performing this operation over a second time

to make sure our answer is correct, we simply add the digits in 4359 and

divide the sum 21 by 9, we find we have 3 left. As it is the only

remainder we have to deal with, we need not keep the other figures. By

adding the digits in the multiplier we obtain 23, which divided by 9

gives 2 and 5 remainder. Now, multiplying the first remainder by the

second we have 15: this product divided by 9 gives 1 and 6 remainder. If

the product 12144174 is correct, the sum of its digits divided by 9 will

leave 6 for a remainder. Performing the operation, we find the sum of

its digits is 24, divided by 9 equals 2 and 6 remainder. As both the

remainders correspond, the answer was correct. After a little practice

you will find you can prove your examples very quickly by this method,

and where a number of sums are given without the answers it will be of

invaluable assistance, besides saving you a great amount of labor.

―――――◀▶―――――

THE SELF-RECTIFYING DART.

[Illustration]

The dart, and its larger brother the javelin, were among the earliest

weapons used in warfare, and were very skilfully thrown, not only by the

Roman soldiers, but by the Goths and other savage tribes who lived in

the regions north of them.

These javelins were large affairs, measuring some six or seven feet in

length; the handle, a tough piece of wood, was generally four and

one-half feet in length, and an inch in diameter, while the rest of the

length was taken up by the barbed triangular-shaped head.

Ever since those days children of all nations and climes have made toy

implements, resembling those in general appearance, but varying much in

size and materials used.

[Illustration: Fig. 1]

[Illustration: Fig. 2]

The little dart described below is perhaps the tiniest and least

formidable of them all; but even this should not be carelessly tossed

about the room in which others are playing; when, however, thrown in the

open air, and away from others who might be hurt, there is considerable

amusement derived from the airy bit of flying wood, which always comes

down with such unerring certainty upon its spear-like head. To make this

dart, take half a sheet of note-paper, double it diagonally across, so

that its top edge may fall evenly upon that of one side (see Fig. 1),

and cut off the surplus piece of paper which remains uncovered at the

bottom of the page. Open your square, and fold it again in the other

diagonal line _c_, _d_ (the first is represented on Fig. 2, as _a_,

_b_). Now, opening again, fold upon the line _e_, _f_, then, after

opening, upon _g_, _h_. Crease all the folds as you make them. Now,

having prepared your handle, which consists of a piece of wood about 8

inches long and the size of a lead pencil, cut across one end at right

angles, with slits nearly or quite an inch in depth; take your paper and

open it flat once more. Fold the diagonals so that the four points, _a_,

_b_, _c_, _d_, shall all meet together above _x_, and the lines _ax_,

_bx_, _cx_, and _dx_ shall meet at the central line of the figure, and

the four shorter lines, _ex_, _fx_, etc., form the outside edges of the

figure. Insert a tiny wedge or knife-blade at the bottom of the slits,

and press the paper down in the opening, bringing the folded edges

through each of the four slits; remove the wedge, and the paper will be

firmly held in its place. Insert a needle or headless pin in the other

end of the wood, and the dart is ready for use.

―――――◀▶―――――

THE BALANCING PIN.

This amusing feat I first saw performed in our little district

school-house, many years ago.

[Illustration]

One morning, while the teacher was busy with his class at the

blackboard, one of the boys drew an old clay pipe-stem from his pocket,

and producing a small green gooseberry and a pin from some other part of

his clothing, gave us boys to understand that he was about to perform

some wonderful trick with them. We were of course all attention, and as

the teacher’s back remained turned toward us, he proceeded to astonish

us with his remarkable feat. He first stuck the pin through the

gooseberry, and then let it fall, point downward, into one end of the

pipe-stem; then, placing the other end to his mouth, and holding his

head thrown well over backward, he blew into the opening, and the

gooseberry and pin arose quite clear of the tube, and began dancing and

balancing above it in a very funny way. How long it would have continued

its gyrations I cannot tell, probably until his breath gave out, but

just then a little boy in the front row made some exclamation, and

straightway the teacher’s head came around, the pipe-stem, pin, and

gooseberry went on a voyage of discovery out of the school-house window,

and the boy got a thrashing for his pains. But the feat was often

performed by us all after that, and some years later, when a second

generation of boys were having over again the tricks and sports their

older brothers had outgrown, I saw the same principle applied under more

favorable conditions. Instead of the straight pipe-stem, which

necessitated throwing the head over backward, to insure its

perpendicular position, a tube bent at a right angle near one end was

used, and the balancing of the pin could be much more easily watched by

the performer. Instead of the gooseberry, a currant, pea, or any light,

round fruit can be substituted, and a small glass tube may take the

place of the pipe-stem.

―――――◀▶―――――

A BOX-SLED FOR BABY.

Procure a deep, smooth soap-box, and decide how high you wish the back

and front to be; then take a piece of brown paper, the exact size of the

sides of the box, and mark on it a curve, which shall unite the high

back with the low front. After this has assumed a perfectly satisfactory

form, cut it out and tack it on one side of the box. Mark the outline

carefully on both side-pieces, and saw the boards as indicated by the

line; cut the front straight across, and rasp and sand-paper the edges

till they are very smooth and well rounded. Next paint the box inside

and out, excepting the bottom, which is to be fastened to the sled, with

a thick coat of burnt umber, and give it a good drying. Then with

light-blue paint, make a narrow band, one-fourth of an inch wide,

entirely around each side, the back, and the front, about half an inch

from the edge. Stencil a pretty design on the back, and the name of the

little owner on each side; let this thoroughly dry, and finish with two

coats of varnish. A little seat can be fitted in the back part if

desired, but a pillow answers the purpose much better.

―――――◀▶―――――

A SET OF CARS.

Procure a stick of wood of any length, and an inch and a half square at

the ends. Saw it into pieces six inches in length, being careful to cut

it evenly, that the blocks may be rectangular in form. Round off the

tops slightly at the edges and paint them brown, then give the sides and

ends a good coating of yellow.

[Illustration]

If you have no oil paints, it would be a good investment to get a few

tubes, as they are not expensive, and are of invaluable assistance in

adding beauty and naturalness to many things a boy can make. For the

cars, a tube of chrome yellow, one of Indian-red, and one of black would

be needed, but as those are not over seven or eight cents apiece the

whole cost would be small. The windows can perhaps be most conveniently

put on by “stencilling.” To do this, cut a piece of stout paper or thin

cardboard the exact size of the side of the car, and mark the windows on

it in their proper places (see Fig. 2). Then cut out the windows thus

drawn with the point of a sharp penknife. Catch the card firmly upon the

surface by driving two or three fine pins through it into the wood.

Finally, with your brush moderately filled with the black paint, cover

all the yellow surface exposed through the openings; then remove the

card very carefully and one side of your car will be complete. After

painting the whole set, another long time will be needed for drying.

During the meantime obtain a few screw-eyes and hooks, and, when

perfectly dry, screw a hook into the left and an eye into the right end

of each car, join them into a train, and you will find you have a strong

set of cars with which your little brother can play to his satisfaction,

without a fear of breaking. The locomotive is more difficult to make,

but with a little care any boy of ten can be quite certain of success.

―――――◀▶―――――

THE TOY LOCOMOTIVE.

[Illustration: Fig. 1]

The thin ends of a common soap-box afford very good material for the

base of this locomotive, while the end of a curtain-roller makes a

capital boiler. The cab can be cut from a cigar-box, and a button-mold

will do for the boiler-head. First cut from the thicker wood a base in

shape like Fig. 1, and seven inches long by one and a half wide; with a

jackknife bevel it on either side of the pointed end to correspond to

the shape of the pilot, as shown in the cut. Saw the roller even at

either end just four inches in length. Next cut from a solid block of

wood a smoke-stack three inches high and an inch in diameter across the

top. The cab is cut from the cigar-box wood, and consists of a front

like _a_, two side-pieces like _b_, and a top like that seen in Fig. 1;

round off the edges of the top to give it a slightly convex surface like

the tops of the cars. Now, with brads, fasten these three parts

together. Then with a long, slender brass screw fasten the button-mold

and smoke-stack on front of the boiler. The screw should have as large a

head as it is possible to find, and should be long enough to extend half

an inch or more into the round section of wood or boiler. Cover the

whole, excepting the cab, with two thick coats of black paint, being

careful that the first is perfectly dry before the second is put on.

After the blackened surface is thoroughly dry and hard, put the red

stripes on the pilot, as seen in the cut: and for the brass bands around

the boiler use chrome yellow. The cab is painted Indian-red, and after

this is perfectly dry, the windows are painted on with black, as in the

cars.

[Illustration: 1]

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The little ornamental lines on the cab are made with the yellow paint. A

large round-headed brass screw driven through a low flat spool (such as

is used for button-hole twist), into the top of the boiler in front of

the cab, makes a good steam-chest and whistle, and adds the finishing

touch to this indestructible little toy. If you anticipate making this

train of cars for a Christmas present, begin it in time, as paint dries

much more slowly in winter than in summer, and it is absolutely

necessary that each coat be perfectly dry before the next is applied.

Varnishing greatly improves the durability and appearance of the painted

surface. Shellac dissolved in alcohol makes the best varnish for this

kind of work. It should be made moderately thick, and if intended for

light-colored work, white shellac should be used, as the dark leaves a

slight stain upon the surface. I forgot to add in its proper place that

a brass button, caught in on top by a stiff wire, is made to represent a

bell. The wire should be first bent into the shape seen in the

illustration; the button then hung in position, and the wire finally

driven into the holes made to receive it.

The tender consists of a piece of wood the same width but only half the

length of one of the cars, and one inch high. This is painted black with

a narrow band of yellow running around the sides near the top, and is

fastened to the locomotive and car by means of the screw-eye and hook.

―――――◀▶―――――

A FREIGHT TRAIN.

The locomotive for this train can be made like the one already

described, and the cars are cut from a rectangular stick, in the same

manner as the passenger cars. These should receive a thick coat of

Indian-red paint, and if this does not cover well, that is, if any of

the wood shows through, another coat should be given. After the paint is

perfectly dry, put on one edge of the side, near the top, a number in

white, and two or three letters in the same color, to represent the

sides of the freight cars on different lines. If desired, the cars can

be painted different colors, and the side decorations copied from the

car you mean to represent. Give the whole a good varnishing with the

shellac dissolved in alcohol, and allow plenty of time to elapse before

the toy is used, for it to become perfectly dry and hard.

―――――◀▶―――――

A LOT OF PAPER WINDMILLS.

[Illustration]

Take a thin stick of wood a foot and a half or two feet long, and nail

to it four cross-pieces, graduated in length and six or seven inches

apart. The shorter, at the top, should measure about six inches. Cut out

of stiff, colored paper (the greater the variety the prettier the

effect) fifteen pieces, each three inches square, and slit each piece as

indicated by the diagonal lines in the figure. Out of pretty

tissue-paper cut three round pieces for each mill, about the size of a

silver dollar, and with a dull knife scrape their edges, that they may

slightly curl like the petals of a rose; crinkle them at the center if

intended for a rose, or from the edge toward the center if for asters or

marigolds, and thrust a large, strong pin through the middle of each

disk, drawing the flower well down over the head; then, bending the

opposite corners of each square of paper so that they shall all rest

over the central dot marked on each (Fig. 1), force the pin with the

flower on its head, down through the five thicknesses of paper, driving

it well into the wood of the frame. In doing this care should be taken

to avoid creasing the curved edges of the windmills. They are placed

upon the frame-work as indicated in the cut.

[Illustration]

Very pretty windmills are often made of only two shades, common

note-paper being used for the wheels, and a bright, rosy pink

tissue-paper for the flowers. Indeed, those made of common brown

wrapping-paper without any flowers at all give more satisfaction in a

light wind than the more elaborate ones described above.

―――――◀▶―――――

A WINTER GARDEN.

Most boys love flowers; and many families, especially in the country,

would keep more through the winter than they do, if they had the space

and time to devote to them, necessary for their preservation. A number

of pots, sufficiently large to hold good-sized plants, take up

considerable room; and no little time is required each day, to keep the

pots clean and the plants well watered. Now, boys, I have a suggestion

to make, which I intend for your ears alone. Why can’t you make a winter

garden, and, if necessary, take care of it through the season? It will

amply repay you for your labor, and do much toward brightening the home

life through the long dreary months, when everything without is covered

with ice and snow.

First procure a soap-box, the best and tightest you can find: if any

cracks are too wide to be easily closed with putty, nail laths over them

on the inside, line their edges, and, in fact, stop every seam and

crevice with good thick layers of putty. Next paint over the entire

inside with any colored pigment you may have, as it does not show when

the box is filled with earth, but simply aids in making it water-tight.

Now take four strong pieces of wood, about two and a half feet long;

smooth them well and sand-paper; be sure both ends are cut off evenly,

and that each leg is the same length as the other three, and, finally,

nail them firmly to the four corners of the box, letting the tops come

in line with its upper edge, and give the whole thing two good coats of

Indian-red. A very pretty stand is made by substituting the straight

trunks of young forest trees with their bark left on in place of the

smooth, painted legs; bore holes in the bottom of the legs and insert

casters, and finish by giving the entire outer surface a thick coating

of varnish. Then get a good wheelbarrow-load of fine leaf-mold, about

half that quantity of sand, and some common garden soil. Stir these well

together, and fill the box half full with the mixture, first covering

the bottom with pebbles, to secure drainage. Before this, however, bore

a hole with a good-sized gimlet in the bottom of the box, and fit a soft

pine peg to close it from the under side. When the plants are watered

this peg can be removed, and a dish placed beneath the opening to catch

the surplus water.

You are now ready for the plants. I find almost any garden plants thrive

well in this box, so any favorites you may have will soon make

themselves at home in these new quarters. It is well to put vines around

the edge, as they fall over, and their glossy green leaves and stems

form an agreeable contrast to the dark-red background of the box itself.

In my present winter garden I have German and Cenilworth ivy,

partridge-berry, and the common inch-plant for vines. In the center is a

large salvia, taken up so carefully that the great ball of dirt was not

shaken from its roots. On one side is a calla lily, and on the other a

feverfew of the large double variety. At the ends are fuchsias and

heliotrope, and scattered over the other available spots are verbenas

and petunias, sweet peas and lobelia; one or two fish-geraniums of

bright colors also found a place, and a little wood-violet nestled in

one corner has bloomed since early spring. A beautiful large purple

pansy, too, has been blooming all winter in another corner of the box.

Over this garden are two hanging-pots, one filled with pink oxalis, and

the other with a Chinese pink; both have contributed their full share of

blossoms during the entire season, and neither seems to tire of

well-doing. I must now tell you how to care for these beautiful pets,

for they must receive some attention, which, however, is very small when

compared with that required by their sisters in pots. First, always

water them with warm water (almost as hot as you can bear your hand in),

pour this around the roots in sufficient quantities to thoroughly

moisten the soil. A good rule to be observed in watering your plants is

to pour on the water until it begins to run out of the hole in the

bottom of the box. With such thorough wetting down they will not need

water oftener than twice a week, except when the sun is very hot, and

the moisture evaporates quickly. A little carbonate of ammonia added to

the water greatly improves their growth, and half-a-dozen grains of

permanganate of potash added once a fortnight to the warm bath turns

their foliage a rich dark green. With a whisk broom, sprinkle them once

or twice a week with water which is also warm, but not as hot as that

used on their roots; this operation takes but little time, scarcely five

minutes, and as the stand is on casters it can be easily moved to the

middle of the room, and each side can then receive its full share of the

washing. It is safe to predict that if any boy would make the stand, and

supply it with rich soil, his mother or some one of his sisters would

only be too happy to plant and care for the flowers it might hold.

―――――◀▶―――――

THE BOOT PUZZLE.

First take a piece of paper, double it, and cut from it a pair of boots,

the fold in the paper coming at the top of the boots, and consequently

joining them together. Then take another piece, fold it and cut it in

the form of Fig. 2, _a_ being the folded end. Fold still another piece

and cut it like Fig. 3, _b_ representing the folding side. Now open the

smaller piece, as in Fig. 4, and push the point _a_ through the opening

in its center (Fig. 5). Then put one boot through the loop of the long

arm, _c_, between _a_ and the smaller piece, which has been pushed

forward as far as it will go (Fig. 6). Now pull the smaller piece down

over _a_, and open the largest piece, and the boots are fastened on to

the larger paper in such a way that it is rather hard for the

uninitiated to extricate them.

[Illustration: Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

After they are fastened in place, with your finger-nail smooth out the

creases made at _a_, Fig. 5, as their appearance might furnish a clue

toward solving the mystery. It is best when cutting Fig. 2 to avoid the

creasing if possible.

[Illustration: Fig. 7]

When you pass them to your friends to take off, explain that they are

not to bend the boots. It is an excellent plan to make the last-named

articles of cardboard, while the other parts are simply of note-paper.

―――――◀▶―――――

HOW TO TAKE PORTRAITS.

[Illustration]

The person whose portrait is to be taken must sit so that his shadow is

thrown upon a sheet of cardboard or thick white paper placed against the

wall. To obtain a sharp outline there should be a fixed distance between

the lamp, wall, and sitter, which can easily be found by experiment. The

sitter must keep perfectly still while the outline of the shadow is

quickly traced upon the paper. A tumbler or roll of paper may be placed

between the head of the sitter and the wall, to aid in holding the head

quiet. The tracing is then cut out with a pair of scissors or a sharp

penknife, and placed upon a dark cloth or paper. This is a very pleasing

amusement for a cold winter’s evening, and the results are often profile

likenesses not only very striking but often wonderfully accurate.

―――――◀▶―――――

HOW TO BREAK A STRING.

[Illustration]

No boy feels himself perfectly at home if he has not one pocket at least

full of strings, and a good sharp jackknife at his command. Although the

jackknife often gets lost, the string is usually at hand, and most boys

will probably be glad to learn how a good strong cord can be broken

without injury to the hands. Take the cord and pass it around the left

hand, as shown in Fig. A, so as to form a cross or double loop over the

palm. One end is then wound round the fingers, and the other seized in

the right hand. Then, by closing both hands, and giving a very sharp,

quick pull, the string will be broken at the cross in the left hand.

[Illustration]

For those boys living in the country who have a musical turn, but have

never seen this little instrument, I write the following description of

―――――◀▶―――――

A CORN-STALK FIDDLE.

[Illustration]

Find a good straight corn-stalk, and with your jackknife cut four slits

from joint to joint, as seen in the upper figure. Then from a bit of

wood cut a bridge, as shown just below. With the point of the knife lift

the three strings and insert the bridge. Then carefully raise the bridge

to its upright position, spread the strings until they rest in the

grooves cut in the bridge for that purpose, and put a similar bridge at

the other end. Make the bow in the same manner, of a smaller section of

a stalk, and the instrument is complete. I have never heard a very

decided tune played on this fiddle, but perhaps some of my readers may

be able to get music from this simple little instrument.

[Illustration]

―――――◀▶―――――

THE XYLOPHONE.

The xylophone is an instrument of great antiquity, having been used in a

slightly different form by both Greeks and Hebrews. It is now sometimes

used in connection with other instruments in our larger orchestras, in

which case, however, the bars are usually made of metal. Its

construction is very simple, and any boy having a good ear for music can

readily make one.