that he had the Wilson tariff bill in his pocket. He said Mr. Wilson
gave it to him to take to Ted's father, who is also from West Virginia,
you know, to read, and say what he thought of it."
My son's tone had in it both incredulity and interest, and so I replied:
"I thought you had lived long enough in Washington not to be surprised
at anything. Did not Senator Maybee read his speech to us the other
evening, before he had delivered it in the Senate? And did we not, in
the corridor of the State Department, recently meet the original
Constitution of the United States coming down the granite staircase
three steps at a bound? You and I helped pick up the bits of glass from
the broken frame, which our friend Cochrane had dropped, greatly to his
alarm, in carrying it from a closet to the library.
"It would be quite possible for Ted Nichols, or any other lad, to have
the Wilson tariff bill in his pocket, provided he took it at the right
time. If Mr. Wilson should give it to you to carry to your father for
examination, while your father's opinion was wanted regarding a proposed
change, you could readily carry it in your empty lunch-basket. But if he
waited until his bill became a law, you would need to be pretty big and
pretty strong to carry it far.
"The Wilson, McKinley, and all tariff bills, the silver bill, on the
authority of which the silver dollar in your pocket was coined, the
anti-Chinese, and all similar laws of the United States, have, in their
early stages, half a dozen different forms, but when engrossed and
signed they have one unchangeable form that has obtained ever since the
first law was passed by the First Congress.
"I remember having seen in one of your Round Table puzzles a question
about the 'Father of the Greenback.' The first draught of the law, which
gave Mr. Chase this nickname, was written by Congressman Spalding, of
the Buffalo, New York, district, on both sides of four sheets of common
legal cap paper. Mr. Chase then made some changes in it, using red ink.
President Lincoln suggested some additional changes, making his notes on
a slip of paper, which he pinned to one of the sheets.
"But that was before the day of type-writing machines. Nowadays first
draughts of most bills are prepared on type-writers. In this form a bill
is introduced into Congress, read by the clerk by title, a number is
given to it, and it is referred to the committee having in charge the
business to which it relates. Once in committee, it is ordered printed,
and the first draught, often bearing the compositor's marks, may be
returned to the author of the measure as a souvenir. At least the first
draught of the legal-tender act, bearing Mr. Chase's and Mr. Lincoln's
suggestions about changes, was returned to Mr. Spalding, and by him
kindly shown to me.
"Great measures, such as the Wilson, the McKinley, and the seigniorage
bills, are changed many times before they are passed by Congress, and
each change means new printed copies. Some of these copies are printed
on paper about the size of a HARPER'S ROUND TABLE leaf. The type is very
large, and the lines are very wide apart and numbered. Other printed
copies are in the form of a pamphlet, in order that they may be mailed
to friends of the member whose measure it is, and to men whose business
is likely to be affected.
"Only a very small fraction of the bills that reach the pamphlet stage
are ever finally passed and become laws. But even this small fraction is
large enough to fill many shelves in the State Department, where
originals of all laws are kept. The originals are engrossed on parchment
that is fourteen by nineteen inches in size, and bound into book form.
The penmanship is coarse, but very regular, and all of the signatures
are originals, not copies, because this form of the law is the one that
all copies must conform to--the one that the President of the United
States is sworn to execute."
[Illustration: THE "SHERMAN" SILVER LAW--TITLE PAGE.]
"But let me tell you just how the Sherman silver-purchase law looks. You
remember this law. Or at least you recollect how Congress sat in extra
session for several months of 1893 in order to repeal one clause of it.
At the top of the large parchment sheet there is a printed heading:
"'FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,
"AT ITS FIRST SESSION,
"Begun and Held in the City of Washington,' etc.
"In the middle of the line are these words,
"AN ACT.
"Immediately thereafter follows the writing, which extends in a single
line across the entire page. It describes the bill thus, 'Directing the
purchase of silver bullion, and the issue of Treasury notes thereon, and
for other purposes.' There is a space, and then follows the enacting
clause, 'Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives,' etc.
The text of the law, written in this large hand, fills two and a half
pages, the right-hand page containing the text, and the left-hand page
being blank. Around the edge of both written and unwritten pages is a
pale red line or border rule.
"At the head of the first sheet, and written over the printed title,
appears the name 'Kennedy,' carelessly written with a blue pencil, and
the initials 'C. B. F.' scrawled across the top in red. These are the
attests of the Representative and Senator, respectively, who examined
this engrossed copy of the law before it had been sent to the President
for his signature, to make certain that the engrossing clerk had
committed no errors, and that this original was the same as the form
that passed Congress."
[Illustration: THE "SHERMAN" SILVER LAW--LAST PAGE WITH SIGNATURES.]
"At about the middle of the third page are the signatures of the
presiding officers of the Senate and House. Vice-President Morton did
not sign the original Sherman silver-purchase law on behalf of the
Senate, but Speaker Reed did on behalf of the House. Senator Ingalls, as
President _pro. tem._ of the Senate, signed on behalf of that body, and
when he had affixed his name he thoughtfully noted in the margin the
hour of the day--'12.37 P.M.' The signature of President Harrison comes
last, and is at the lower left-hand side of the paper."
[Illustration: THE "McKINLEY" TARIFF LAW--TITLE PAGE]
"The original McKinley tariff law is written on parchment similar to
that of the Sherman law, and like it, it is bound into a big book that
contains the original documents of many other laws. It fills sixty-three
of these large parchment sheets, and the engrossing of it was done by
three different clerks. The title of the bill is, 'An Act to Reduce the
Revenues and to Equalize Duties.' It is attested in the same manner as
the Sherman law, and signed by Speaker Reed, Vice-President Morton, and
President Harrison. The Wilson bill, which supplants the McKinley bill,
fills about as many pages of the heavy unruled parchment, which,
by-the-way, we send to England to buy. The Wilson bill mentions almost
every article of commerce that one can think of, grouping similar things
into paragraphs, and naming the duties that shall be paid upon each.
There is a long list of articles on which there is no duty."
[Illustration: THE "McKINLEY" TARIFF LAW--LAST PAGE WITH SIGNATURES.]
"Proclamations by the President of the United States have maintained one
form since the foundation of the government. The original Emancipation
Proclamation issued by President Lincoln is written upon very heavy
white unruled paper that is folded once. The fold is at the left, like a
sheet of four-paged letter-paper, and each page is ten by fourteen
inches in size. It begins, as do all Presidential proclamations, 'By the
President of the United States of America--A Proclamation.'
"The first line is written with a pen in a bold hand, and the words, 'A
Proclamation,' form a line of themselves--printing characters, although
executed with a pen. It proclaims that on a certain date, and under
certain conditions, a race is free from bondage, but it nowhere calls
itself an 'Emancipation Proclamation.' That is a popular name given to
this, one of the most famous of state papers. The text is in the
hand-writing of Secretary Seward--a hand that was strikingly like that
of Mr. Lincoln.
"Thanksgiving proclamations, which you see reprinted in the newspapers,
are prepared in the same form. The one issued by President Cleveland
last autumn fills only two pages.
"Our reciprocity treaty with the Brazil Republic is similar to other
treaties, with original and exchange copies, and is written in English
and Spanish. The document proclaiming it begins by quoting from the
McKinley law, by which it is authorized, and recites that we, having
agreed to let in free of duty sugar, coffee, molasses, and hides from
Brazil, are entitled to send to Brazil, and have admitted to that
country free of duty, a long line of products of the United States.
"At the bottom of the third page--proclamations, unlike laws, are
written on both sides of the paper--is the Great Seal of the United
States, and near this seal is the signature of President Harrison,
preceded by the words, 'By the President.' At the left, and just beneath
the great seal, is the signature of the Secretary of State, James G.
Blaine.
"Mr. Blaine's writing, like Mr. Cleveland's, was small, regular, and
easily mistaken for a feminine one. His signature to this reciprocity
proclamation is so small and effeminate that it does not seem to stand
for the stalwart man who wrote it. Even less does President Cleveland's
womanlike signature hint the giant in stature that he is."
[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.
[Illustration: Perforation sizes are determined by the number of holes
contained in the space between the two vertical white lines.]
Last week we printed an illustration of the different kinds of
perforations. This week we illustrate the scale of regular perforations.
If you will look at your U. S. stamps of the 1857 issue you will see
that the scale is "perforated 15." The Baden stamps of 1864 are
"perforated 10." To find the scale take the stamp and lay it face
downward on the scale, and when the perforations on the stamp correspond
exactly to those on the scale you have the required scale of
perforations. Take the common 2c. of the current U. S. issue, lay it on
the line of dots marked 12 on the scale, and you will find it just fits.
By moving the stamp just one-half the distance between two dots, and
placing the stamp just a little below the row of white dots, you will
get a series of black circles, the top of which is made by the row of
white dots on the scale, and the bottom by the row of perforations on
the stamp. This is a very important matter, as a stamp perforated 12-1/2
may be very common and cost little, while the same stamp perforated 15
may be a very rare and a very valuable stamp. All U.S. stamps since 1861
are perforated. One of the chief merits of stamp-collecting is that it
strengthens the powers of observation in so many different directions.
Copies of the "Bismarck celebration postal-card" are now on sale with
the dealers. There are a number of varieties, some printed in tint,
others in three or four colors. It has not been established whether
these cards were good for postage without any stamp being affixed or
not.
The orange special delivery stamp will probably be the most valuable of
this class, as it was in circulation a short time only. Some of the
previous issues can still be had at the smaller post-offices.
It is rumored that the $1 black of the current issue will soon be
printed in another color. Collectors should secure it now.
The eight-cent current issue it is said will soon be issued with the
"white line" triangles.
MELBOURNE S. MAYER.--The stamp you have is probably one of the
first lot printed under the present contract. Most collectors
consider it a distinct variety.
AMY LINCOLN.--You probably have the 3c. rose of 1861. The pink is
very rare, and of a peculiar shade on a bluish ground.
HENRY L. WATSON.--The Tuscany stamps are worth 30c. for the one
crazie, 12c. for the two crazie, 15c. for the six crazie. The San
Marino stamps are worth 25c. and 50c. respectively. If used on the
original envelope probably twice as much.
GARDNER B. WEEKS.--Postal-cards are collected entire only. Cut
copes have no value.
E. G.--I have never seen the 3c. embossed stamp mentioned by you.
Probably it is blurred in printing. The German stamp is a local,
the Italian a revenue.
J. S. GREEN.--There are two kinds of 10c. Confederate blue which
are very common. Stamp dealers sell them at 10c. and 25c.
respectively.
A. GRANT.--As the date cannot be seen on the coin it has no value
for collection purposes.
J. G. W.--There is no 25c. Columbian. The stamp you mention is
twenty-five centavos Venezuela, which looks just like the
Columbian issues.
LAWRENCE.--Blood's Despatch, gold, is worth from $2 to $3 if on
the original letter. Bouton's Rough and Ready is quoted from $5 to
$25 if on original envelope. Boyd's have been reprinted and
affixed to old letters so much that genuine copies have suffered
in value.
D. MCKILLOP.--The 10c. green U. S. 1861 is worth 6c., the 6c.
Lincoln 2c., the one shilling English 15c., the threepenny English
1c.
PHILATUS.
THE OLD STAGE-COACH.
Dingy and old and worn,
Battered and scratched and torn,
Flapping in every sudden gust
Doors that creaked with their ancient rust,
So it stood in the Burbank shed--
One hundred and ten years old, they said--
When I was a lad, and used to play
"Driving stage," at the close of day.
Never an inch did the old wheels stir;
Rusted fast at the hubs they were.
Yet how strong were my steeds, and fleet,
Streaming out 'neath the driver's seat!
Over what hills and plains I sped,
Rocking there in the Burbank shed!
_Crack!_ and the leaders sprang away;
Satin-sheened in their coats of bay,
Six broad backs at the driver's feet,
Surging into the village street.
Oh, it was grand! What a race we led!
Though the stage stood still in the Burbank shed.
Ah! the fright of a certain day,
Just at dusk, in the month of May,
When I climbed to the creaking door--
Bolder, surely, than e'er before--
Crying, "Out here, you ghosts--be quick!"
And struck the seat with resounding stick.
Ha! with a din that would wake the dead
Straight there sprang at my shrinking head
Something winged and as white as snow!
Down I sank in a heap below,
While with cackle of loud reproach
Flew a _hen_ from the old stage-coach,
Leaving there on the tattered seat
Something fit for a king to eat!
Long ago to the junkman's store
Last of the old stage-coach they bore;
Bolt and axle and rusty tire
All were mixed in the forge's fire.
But I can see it in tattered state
Waiting yet for its ghostly freight:
Powdered sirs with their shovel-hats,
Stately dames with their cloaks and mats;
While to the box, with a shivering joy,
Climbs a rosy-faced country boy!
Oh, the charm of the Long Ago,
Youth's Valhalla, and Fancy's glow
Lighting many a dim old page
With such a relic as Burbank's stage!
Just for a glimpse of its chrome and red,
Fading there in the ruined shed!
Just for an hour of the rare old play,
"Driving stage" at the close of day!
What are all one may say or do
To what he _dreams_ when his life is new?
JAMES BUCKHAM.
THE PROPER USE OF A SHOT-GUN.
Though shooting, like many other sports, can be a very dangerous
amusement for boys--and men, too, for that matter--there is no reason
why boys as well as men should not learn how to use a gun, and get much
amusement and benefit out of hunting. It is all a question of learning
what the dangers of gunning are, and learning how to avoid them. Fire is
a dangerous thing in its way, and yet we all have fires. Gunning is no
more dangerous, if carefully taken up, and a boy of fifteen or sixteen
is quite old enough to learn what the dangers of a shot-gun are, to
respect them and avoid them. Naturally any parent, especially one who
knows nothing about rifles or shot-guns himself, is very chary about
letting his son go off alone with one on his shoulder, and it is quite
as natural for his mother to think she has seen the last of her boy as
he disappears in the woods on his first sporting expedition. But there
is really no other reason for this than that boys are naturally
careless, and guns can be dangerous and deadly if treated in a careless
manner.
The whole secret of shooting and the use of fire-arms can be stated in a
few words: _Never, under any circumstances, point a gun at any one,
whether loaded or not, whither in pieces or ready for use._ If it is
never pointed at any one, it cannot very well kill or wound any one. In
like manner you can never succeed in shooting yourself unless you have
already pointed the muzzle at yourself. I have seen many a crack shot
and old-time sportsman shudder as he saw a green hand hold up the
detached barrel of a shot-gun while cleaning it, and point it at some
one. Of course the two steel barrels could not possibly "go off" by
themselves, with no butt and no cartridges, and the sportsman shudders
only because he dreads the greenhorn who, even under such circumstances,
allows himself to get into the habit of putting up the muzzles in such a
position. If he does it at home while cleaning the barrels, he may do it
out in the woods some day when the barrel is attached to the stock, and
perhaps loaded with cartridges, and then there may really be danger for
any one who is near by.
The only accidents that can occur if the muzzle is never pointed at any
one are, first, the bursting of the gun itself, which is unlikely,
unless the piece is badly made, cheap, or very old; and secondly, the
presence of some one in the woods who is not within the cognizance of
the sportsman. As I say, the first is uncommon nowadays with the
carefully made breech-loading guns. The second never occurs if the
sportsman invariably keeps his muzzle pointed toward the earth, about
five feet or less in advance of him, and if, when he does fire, he makes
sure what he is firing at and where his shot is likely to go after
firing.
A good sportsman is familiar with his piece, and brave enough to be
afraid of it. From the time he takes it out of the case the muzzle of
the barrels is on his mind until he has taken it to pieces, cleaned it,
and put it away in his case. When he starts out in the morning, he takes
out the barrels, and pointing them towards the earth as he holds them in
his left hand, he springs the stock into its place with his right. Then
having fixed on the little piece of wood which clinches the two parts
together, he passes his right arm around the barrels, so that as he
carries it the stock points up and behind him at an angle of about
forty-five degrees, and the barrels point down toward the earth at a
similar angle in front of him. Around his waist or in his pockets he
carries cartridges. No charge goes into his gun until he has not only
left the house but actually arrived on the grounds where he expects to
find game. If he has to drive to the proper woods or the shooting-stands
or blinds, he places the piece in the bottom of the wagon, pointing out
towards the rear, never once allowing it to point towards himself or any
one else who may be standing by. If he is near enough to the woods or
shore to walk he carries the gun as described, unloaded, until he
reaches the proper place. When climbing over fences, whether with
cartridges in place or not, he places the gun under the fence flat on
the ground, climbs over or under, and then picks it up from the other
side. Resting a shooting-piece against a fence or wall in an upright
position shows the greenhorn or the careless and therefore poor
sportsman. The fence may be rickety, or the stones on the wall easily
detached. In either case it only takes a little jarring to cause the
shot-gun to slide one way or the other and fall to the ground, and in
doing so it may very easily go off. If it is unloaded this would, of
course, do no harm. But if it is never allowed to get into the position
where it may so slide, it certainly can never go off, loaded or
unloaded. In other words, form the habit of never giving a gun the
chance of sliding or going off, and then you can never have an accident.
This is not a sign of timidity, and you would soon realize it if you
could see how carefully some famous old sportsman who is a friend of
your father's handles his firing-piece.
On arriving finally at the particular woods you have planned to cover,
or the "blinds" which you are going to lie in, put in the charges, and
then all is ready for the sport.
Most of the danger after this stage of the proceedings has been reached
is again only through carelessness or excitement over the sport, which
is only another word for carelessness. For example, you are in the woods
and a bird flies out among the branches. In your excitement at the
sudden flush of the partridge you throw up your gun and "blaze away,"
forgetting that the other man with you is just ahead. That is rank
carelessness. For no two sportsmen ever lose track of each other. If
they happen to be out of sight of each other, and within range, they
keep up a constant conversation, or call to each other continually, so
that from moment to moment each knows where the other is. Again, when
two men are standing close beside each other and a covey jumps up under
their guns, there has to be a quick swing to right or left. Usually,
under these circumstances, the man on the right takes the right-hand
shot, and the one on the left takes the left-hand shot. If the
right-hand man swings to the left he may very easily bring his friend in
the line of his muzzle.
As regards the half and full cock of the hammers, there is one safe rule
to follow. When on the actual ground, and following dogs on the scent or
pointing, the gun must, of course, be at full cock. But whenever a fence
is to be climbed, or a bad bit of close underbrush broken through, the
hammers should be dropped carefully to half cock, or, if the gun is
hammerless, the half-cock trigger should be sprung.
In all this the important point is that every man or boy, while carrying
a shooting-piece, should have his mind on what he is doing, and should
never for a moment lose his head. It is far better to lose a shot than
to hit a friend or take the slightest chance of hitting him. On the
other hand, if a boy thinks the matter over and follows out these rules,
there is not the least danger in his owning and using a shot-gun, and
the amount of exercise to both brain and body which he can get out of it
is astonishing. When you begin you need your father's advice as to the
proper way of holding the gun, taking aim, and bringing down the game.
But after that nothing is necessary but your own coolness, presence of
mind, and care.
The butt should come up quickly and firmly to the shoulder, resting
against the shoulder itself rather than the biceps or top of the arm,
and you should acquire the habit, which can only come with practice, of
getting it up quickly, steadily, and firmly the first time in the right
place. Otherwise the "kicking" may be severe and painful. The aim should
be taken with both eyes open, though the right eye does the aiming. The
objection to sighting with the left eye closed is that the operation of
closing the left-eye always half closes the right, and hence makes your
sight a little less distinct and somewhat unnatural. This sighting with
both eyes open is a little bewildering at first, but it soon becomes
natural, and the whole operation then becomes a kind of second nature.
For quick wood shots, the left hand should hold the barrels some
distance out towards the muzzle, the left arm being almost extended to
its full length, while the right arm is bent up short, the right elbow
stuck out in a nearly horizontal position to the cheek hugging the
stock. At the same time stand firmly on the feet, and do not, as many
older and supposedly better sometimes do, bend the knees just as you
fire.
[Illustration: WHEN YOU FIRST BEGIN, YOU NEED YOUR FATHER'S ADVICE]
[Illustration: INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORT]