Two Piers,
or abutments, of matches, by placing a couple of sticks on each side of
the water for the foundations--the two sticks to be parallel with each
other--and two more across the ends of these, log-cabin fashion, until
the piers are about two inches high, facing each other from opposite
sides of the looking-glass, you may set your arch across, from pier to
pier.
Two Approaches to the Bridge
must now be built, in the same manner as the arch, so that the arch can
be reached from the shore (Fig. 176), and you will then have a pretty
little structure, spanning a calm and dainty sheet of water.
If you are still not satisfied with the results of your skill, you may
Add a Roof
to each of your bridge piers, by erecting sides made on the pattern of
Fig. 170, and either capping them with a paper roof or log-cabin built
pyramids, composed of pieces of matches of different lengths, growing
smaller toward the top.
A Paper Flag,
upon the end of a broom-straw, will add dignity and effect to your
bridge; erect it by thrusting the lower end of the flag-staff through
the roof and pier.
Tiring of bridges and puzzles, you can lay out
A Pioneer Settlement,
and with toothpicks and matches build log-cabins, such as those in
which our ancestors lived when this land was covered with vast forests
of trees and populated with painted Indians and wild beasts. Roof your
houses with cards bent in the shape of a roof, and build your chimneys
at one end of the house.
The Chimneys
in all log-cabins are built outside and against one end of the house,
and are usually made of sticks and mud, or stones and mud; but as the
rooms in an ordinary dwelling or flat furnish neither stones nor clay,
you must do as our ancestors did: use the material at hand; which, in
your case, will probably be spools from your mother’s work-basket. Set
the spools, one on top of another, against the end of your match-stick
house and your work is done.
Not only is your work done, but, if you have followed all these
directions, probably the day is also done, and you are ready for bed
and to dream of living in safety-match houses near the shores of a
looking-glass lake; and as you listen you will hear the glass waves
breaking on the shore, and the howl of the toothpick timber-wolves as
they steal among the rocky crags, made of spelling-books, arithmetics
and dictionaries; or you may be startled from your sleep by the crack
of a match-gun and the answering boom of a spool-cannon; but these
things will only make your sleep the more peaceful and refreshing.
[Illustration: FIGS. 175 and 176.--The Toothpick Bridge.]
CHAPTER XVIII.
FUN WITH SCISSORS AND PASTEBOARD AND PAPER.
In winter there are always some blustering, windy days, when the raw
winds from off the ocean howl through our streets, making the lives of
pedestrians miserable; or days when slush and sleet cause us to wish
that we could stay in the house until winter was packed away in last
year’s almanac.
During such weather there is no fun to be had outdoors, and we must
look for our amusement inside the four walls of our homes.
It is not every city boy who has an old-fashioned attic to romp in
during bad weather, nor even a basement where he can seek to amuse
himself building sleds or other outdoor appliances, for use when the
weather will permit.
Many lads are confined in the narrow rooms of flats, and must needs
fret and worry when the bad weather imprisons them in their narrow
home-quarters.
But if such boys will stop quarrelling among themselves, and cease for
a moment teasing the cat, or in other ways adding to the worries of
their dear mamma, they may, by following the directions given here,
find amusement and fun--not only for this particular bad day, but for
all the stormy weather of the winter.
How to Make the Sleigh.
Fold a card or a piece of card-board in the middle, and with a pair of
shears cut a curved piece off one end, as in Fig. 177.
[Illustration: FIGS. 177-181.--The Card Sleigh.]
Now take a sharp penknife and cut along the black lines of Fig. 178.
When you spread out the card you will have Fig. 179, and if you bend
up all the flaps and bend down the runners, giving the latter a pinch
where they meet in the centre, you will have as dainty a little sleigh
as old Santa Claus ever owned (Fig. 180).
The seats to the sleigh are simply made, being two strips of card-board
with the corners bent down (Fig. 181).
How to Make the Horses.
The horses are more difficult to make, especially for boys who do
not know how to draw a horse; but if such youngsters will read the
preceding chapter it will tell them how to make a tracing, and they
may make an exact reproduction of this horse by reversing the tracing
and placing a clean piece of card-board underneath it, and then,
with a lead-pencil, drawing over all the lines as they are in the
illustration. When the card-board is removed they will find a faint
outline of the horse upon the card-board.
[Illustration: FIG. 182.]
To Cut Out the Horse,
commence at A (Fig. 182), and cut down to B; then fold the card-board
carefully along the line of the back of the horse, BC.
BC will now be the top fold and ED will be down to the feet of the
horse, while AB will stand up above the back, because AB has not been
folded.
The rest is not hard work, for any child can follow the outline with
the scissors, and the result will be a paper horse with four legs, upon
which it can stand (Fig. 183).
[Illustration: FIG. 183.--The Paper Horse.]
Figs. 184, 185, and 186 can be traced in the same manner as the horse,
and afterward cut out, leaving a pointed piece of card-board hanging
down, which we stick through slits cut in the seats (Fig. 181), and in
this manner make the driver and the passengers sit firmly in the sleigh.
[Illustration: FIGS. 184-189.]
The Tongue, or Pole.
A small, smooth stick will answer for the pole to the sleigh, and it
may be fastened with a piece of thread to the centre of a wooden
toothpick which has been previously thrust through the front runners of
the sleigh, as in Fig. 191. The harness and reins are simply strings
tied to wooden whiffletrees and run through holes punched in the horses
at the proper places.
[Illustration: FIG. 190.]
A broom-straw, pushed through a hole in the driver’s hand, will do
service for a whip, and you may now have a grand spiked team of five
horses, if you choose to make that number, or a simple two-horse or
even one-horse sleigh, as you may choose to make it: the number of
horses being limited only by the industry of their creators.
[Illustration: FIG. 191.]
The Pasteboard Soldiers.
For a bold soldier man, make the horse just as you made the sleigh
horse, but a cavalryman needs a saddle, and if you cut out the
protruding front of the saddle first and then fold it as you did with
the horse, you may make a saddle similar to Fig. 188. The girth and
stirrups are put on after the saddle is cut out, the girth being a band
of ribbon run through slits in the saddle and fastened around the
paper horse.
The Stirrups
are cut out of card-board, and fastened to the saddle with short
strings. The saddle-cloth, Fig. 189, is a piece of paper, folded as
shown in the diagram.
Trace the soldier, Fig. 187, in the manner already described, then cut
him out and set him upon his saddled charger.
[Illustration: FIGS. 192-194.]
Make reins of string and run the string through a hole punched in the
horse’s mouth--where the bit should be--and through a hole punched
in the soldier’s hand. Put the cavalryman’s feet in the paste-board
stirrups and you have Fig. 190--a bold soldier man, ready for a parade,
or to fight with the English or against them. In fact, so perfect a
soldier and
Such an Ideal Soldier
is this pasteboard man, that he will never question your orders, but
fight on any side you choose to put him, and when he is worn out in the
service he will utter no complaint if he is buried in the waste-paper
basket, or even used for the purpose of kindling the kitchen fire.
Make an Army.
If you are successful in making one soldier, with industry you may make
a whole regiment of them, and then stand them in battle array and shoot
them down with a pea-shooter.
[Illustration: FIGS. 195-199.]
Your conscience need not bother you in the least, if you slay a whole
regiment, for the poor fellows won’t care a cent, and they will leave
no widows and orphans behind to mourn for them. In fact, you can bring
them all to life again, the next time you want a battle, by simply
setting them upright upon their horses once more.
It sometimes happens that boys tire of soldiers and their murderous
weapons, although both the soldier and his arms be but harmless paper.
At such a time the reader can put away his paper warriors and proclaim
to his playmates that he is a wizard, and can
Walk through the Centre of a Visiting Card.
He may prove that this is no vain boast by folding the card, Fig. 192,
across its centre (Fig. 193), and with scissors cutting slits where the
lines are drawn on Fig. 193.
When the card is unfolded it will be found to resemble Fig. 194, and
may be stretched carefully until it can be passed over the head, down
over the body to the feet; then as the self-proclaimed wizard steps out
of the card he may truthfully say that he has walked through a visiting
card.
After this he may entertain his playmates by making a
Grandmother’s Reticule
of a square piece of paper (Fig. 195), which he folds at the dotted
centre line (Fig. 196), and folds again across its centre (Fig. 197).
The next fold is a diagonal one, from corner to corner (Fig. 198).
With the scissors he cuts Fig. 198, as shown by the ruled lines on Fig.
199.
[Illustration: FIG. 200.]
Carefully unfolding the paper he puts a marble or some other weight in
the centre, which stretches the paper to the form of a paper reticule,
Fig. 200.
Speaking of grandmothers reminds us of old times, when above the open
grate fireplace the mantel and panelling was painted a sombre black.
The boys then used to amuse themselves by folding pieces of paper in
the form of Fig. 198, and then cutting
“Any Old Thing”
out with the scissors--the result being that when the paper was
unfolded the meaningless “thing” resolved itself into a beautiful
geometrical pattern, which showed to great advantage when stuck upon
the black woodwork of the mantel.
[Illustration: FIGS. 201-210.--Two Ways to Cut a Five-pointed Star.]
Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, and Thomas Lynch, Jr., were
appointed a committee by the Continental Congress to design a national
flag for the baby United States, and you all know that in the little
old house, 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Betsey Ross made the
First American Flag.
You have also probably read the legend so frequently published, which
tells us that the stars in the original design were six-pointed, and
were only changed because some one showed how
To Cut a Five-pointed Star with One Clip of the Scissors,
by folding Fig. 201 in the form of Fig. 202, and folding the latter in
the form of Fig. 204, again folding in the shape of Fig. 205, and then
making a cross-cut at the dotted line. When the paper was unfolded it
appeared in the form of Fig. 210, a five-pointed star.
Another Way to Cut a Five-pointed Star,
is to fold a circular disk of paper (Fig. 206) across its diameter
(Fig. 207), and fold this in the form of a fan (Fig. 209), which when
pressed down flat will be Fig. 208. One cut, where the dotted line is
shown on Fig. 208, will produce the five-pointed star (Fig. 210). If,
as according to the legend, it was because of the simplicity of this
one clip of the scissors that the five-pointed star was adopted, the
old legend needs revision, for
A Six-pointed Star can be made with One Cut,
with no more trouble than it takes to make the five-point.
Fold the paper as in Figs. 195, 196, and 197 (see Reticule). Fold the
form (Fig. 197) fan-wise, at the dotted lines on Fig. 211, making the
divisions equal (Fig. 212). Press the folds down until they are flat
(Fig. 213), and make the cut at the place indicated by the dotted line.
When the paper is unfolded you will have the six-pointed star, Fig.
214.
[Illustration: FIGS. 211-214.--A Six-pointed Star, with One Cut.]
This is the star of the East, which guided the wise men to the lowly
manger--the Star of Bethlehem, a grander and better symbol than the
irregular five-pointed star. The six-pointed star stands for Peace on
Earth, Good Will to Men. The magicians of old called the six-pointed
star the “pentacle” of Solomon.
[Illustration: FIGS. 215 and 216.]
One of the oldest and most venerated symbols is
The Cross,
and if you make one of the proportions of five squares, each of the
three arms of equal size, and equal to the square space in the middle,
you may, by
Two Cuts, make the Cross into a Square.
This will, at first glance, look like an impossibility, but if you
find the middle of the top end of the cross (Fig. 215), and lay a
straight-edge from the middle point E, touching the corner F, and rule
the line E F G, then rule a line from H to F, and cut where the lines
are ruled, you will have four irregular pieces, A, B, C, and D, which
you may fit together in the form of a square (Fig. 216).
This is amusement enough for one rainy day, and for the next one you
may try something more artistic, and consequently more difficult and
interesting.
CHAPTER XIX.
HOW TO PREPARE AND GIVE A BOYS’ CHALK-TALK.
A natural taste or talent for art is almost universal. If any of my
readers doubt this statement let them supply all the youngsters in
their neighborhood with colored chalks and note the result.
My word for it, there will not be a paving-flag, wall or fence in the
ward, which offers an opportunity for a picture, which will not be
profusely decorated with brilliantly colored, grotesque figures.
We are all Born Artists.
The truth is that the ability and desire to draw, come just as natural
to a child as its ability and desire to talk.
[Illustration: FIGS. 217 and 218.--The Drawing-board.]
That almost all children learn to talk with more or less fluency,
while few learn to draw with any approach to skill, is because talking
is encouraged and systematically taught from earliest infancy,
while drawing is discouraged, and has been ever since the days of
old Sakya-Muni, 400 years before the Christian era. Sakya, the
narrow-minded old heathen, thought it detrimental to progress in virtue
to waste one’s time with pencil or brush. And to-day, in the gray
light of the dawn of the twentieth century, boys are often forbidden
to draw and few are encouraged in the practice, so that, in fear of
punishment, the youngsters give vent to their artistic feelings by
slyly decorating the flags, walls, and fences.
[Illustration: FIG. 219.--A Chalk-Talker.]
Art will never reach the proper standard until these little
“chalk-talkers” are encouraged, and taught to handle their chalk with
the same skill with which they are taught to use their tongues.
The Name Chalk-Talk
was invented by Frank Beard, D.D., the veteran cartoonist, lecturer,
and college professor, and it is the title of his first public lecture,
but since then it has grown to be a popular name, so that whenever a
speaker illustrates what he has to say by pictures, drawn before the
audience, the entertainment is called a chalk-talk.
[Illustration: FIGS. 220-226.--The Character of Lines.]
Besides the ability to stand before an audience and talk, it is
absolutely necessary to have some little knowledge of drawing, before
one can hope to make a success in this field.
However, any lad, with ordinary ability, can
Learn by Practise
to draw well enough to give an interesting show, suitable for the
school-room, Sunday-school, or for a drawing-room entertainment.
[Illustration: FIGS. 227-234.--Motion.]
For this a good blackboard and a few colored chalks are all the
material necessary. The blackboard is a most excellent thing upon
which to practise, but it is much better to use large sheets of
yellowish-brown paper. This paper is known as chalk-talk paper, and has
“tooth” enough to retain the chalk, and make every stroke tell.
Figs. 217 and 218 show how to make a
Drawing-Board,
upon which to fasten the paper. Fig. 217 shows the front view. Fig. 218
the rear view. The drawing-board can be made of any size to suit the
artist, but should always be large enough to give full sweep to the
arm.
Size of Board.
To get these proportions take a piece of charcoal in your hand and
stand at arm’s length from the wall, with your right side toward it,
and without changing your position, or leaning forward, make a mark as
high upon the wall as you can reach. In the same manner make a mark as
low as you can reach, without stooping. Swing your arm from left to
right, make two marks midway between and upon each side of the first
marks. This will give you the full extent of your reach. It is well to
allow a foot more, each way, for a margin. This will give the proper
proportion for the drawing-board.
The board must be made of soft, smooth pine boards, so matched that
there will be no cracks to annoy you while drawing.
The Height of the Easel
can be obtained by measuring from the floor to the top mark on the
wall, and allowing a foot more for the margin.
The easel is made by screwing two leg-boards on the back of the
drawing-board (Fig. 217), and then, with a hinge in the middle of the
top edge of the drawing-board, attaching the third or hind leg (Fig.
218).
Tack the Paper
securely, at the top and bottom, to the drawing-board, spread your
colored chalks out on the table, and group the colors so that they will
be handy, and when you want any color you will waste no time seeking
that particular lump of chalk (Fig. 219).
Keep a Sharp Knife
handy, on the table, so that as soon as the audience has seen one
picture you can run the point of the knife along the bottom of the
paper, just above the tacks, free the lower edge of the drawing, throw
it up and over the top of the easel, without taking time to detach it
at the top. You are then ready to begin upon a new drawing.
[Illustration: Figs. 235-239.]
The Drawings Themselves
must be simple, but with practice some very effective designs can be
made with a few rapid strokes, which at a distance will look like
finished paintings. You may
Begin Your Talk
by drawing a vertical line AB (Fig. 220). As soon as this is done you
must _step aside, so that all the audience may see_ what you have
drawn, and while they are looking at the line tell them that you are
going to give them a talk upon the character of lines, and what the
lines represent.
[Illustration: FIGS. 240-242]
AB conveys the idea of
A Stationary Object
--a telegraph pole, a tree, a church steeple, etc. If there is one idea
which it does not suggest, that idea is motion.
Draw two lines diagonally down from A to the base line (Fig. 221), and
point out that this represents a pyramid, which when resting upon its
base is the
Emblem of Stability.
Upon another sheet of paper draw two AB lines, and joining them at the
top (Fig. 222), show that these lines still represent a stationary
object--a house.
[Illustration: FIG. 243.]
At this point you may work in any comic story of houses in a Western
tornado, which, under a stress of weather are not stationary, but seem
inclined to change their base and even to fly, etc. Fig. 243 shows how
a man becomes a stationary object when the line AB divides him in the
centre.
Motion.
But when you slant the AB lines they suggest motion (Figs. 224, 225,
and 226).
[Illustration: FIG. 244.]
Although the pyramid is the emblem of stability, when resting upon its
base--with the AB line dividing it in the centre--if you take the same
form and point the apex in any other direction it immediately suggests
motion, as in Figs. 227, 228, and 229.
[Illustration: FIG. 245.]
Not only does it suggest motion, but it tells the direction of the
movement suggested. Any child can tell in which direction the arrow and
the ducks are flying.
There is
Another Meaning
to this figure. It is a wedge, and means cleaving--entering
into--(Figs. 230, 231, 232, and 233). But when one views it from the
opposite direction the meaning is just the opposite to a wedge. It now
means reception (Fig. 234). The mouse is entering and the alligator is
receiving.
Draw All Your Figures as Large as the Paper Will Permit
you to make them; otherwise the audience, or some persons in the back
part of the audience, will miss part of your talk, and that will spoil
their enjoyment and diminish your applause.
Upon a new sheet of paper draw a horizontal line (Fig. 235), and
explain that
This Line Means Repose.
It is the position a person assumes in sleep; it is the surface of the
ocean during a calm (Fig. 236).
Here we again have the upright line AB (of Fig. 220), in the mast of
the becalmed and immovable ship of Fig. 236. When a squall comes up not
only does AB change to a diagonal line (Fig. 237), but the horizontal
line, indicating repose, is broken into a series of irregular points,
showing noise, movement, and commotion. Figs. 238 and 239 show the same
effect of lines.
Something Which Needs Practice,
is the ape; but when you draw it carefully a few times and then
practise on it, as you would upon a difficult feat in skating, or any
other sport, you can learn to draw the thing in less than a minute. The
Evolution of the Ape
is its growth from a few simple lines. First draw Fig. 240, then add
a curved line to the top of the first figure and some wiggles to the
bottom (Fig. 241).
[Illustration: FIGS. 246-251.--Evolution of the Face.]
A few more strokes of the chalk and we have the comical short legs,
long toes, and big thumbs (Fig. 242). Prolong the curve which you drew
upon top of the legs until you have an irregular circle (Fig. 243),
and on top of the circle fit Fig. 244, the arms of the ape. Make the
knuckles rest upon the ground, each side of the feet. From Fig. 246 to
Fig. 251, inclusive, is the evolution of the face; but
For Quick Work
most all of the wrinkles shown in Figs. 248 and 251 may be left out.
Simply draw the nose and eyes upon Fig. 247 and add the ears, hair,
and whiskers (Fig. 250), and it will look ape-like enough to bring
applause. When this is finished you have the late lamented Mr. Crowley,
of Central Park Zoo (Fig. 252), which will gain sufficient applause to
fully repay you for all the time spent in practising on the evolution
of the ape.
This will be enough for one talk, and if interlarded with amusing
stories and narrations, will not only hold and amuse your audience, but
will teach them some real truths in the sign language of drawing, and
give them the beginner’s lesson in the meaning of lines.
[Illustration: FIG. 252.--Mr. Crowley.]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XX.
A CHRISTMAS NOVELTY FOR BOYS.
How to Build and Decorate a Fireplace for Santa Claus.
To Mr. Clement C. Moore we are indebted for the creation of that jolly
little gnome, the Americanized Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, or Saint
Nicholas. When “The Night Before Christmas” was written our homes
all possessed ample chimneys and spacious fireplaces, affording a
most convenient entrance for the merry little saint; but now he is
without doubt sorely puzzled by our modern houses, and experiences
great discomfort and difficulty in entering the hot-air chamber of the
furnaces, and squeezing his corpulent little body and his pack of gifts
through the registers.
A deep sense of gratitude for many favors received, induces me to offer
a few suggestions which will help the friend of my boyhood to come, as
of old, through the chimney.
Fig. 253 shows
The First Start
for the framework, which is made of smooth or rough pine strips, 1/2
inch thick by 2 inches in width. Make the frame about 5 feet 4 inches
high by 4 feet 6 inches wide; the top and lower pieces 4 feet 5 inches
(A, B, and C, D, Fig. 253) long, thus allowing 1/2 inch at each end,
to fit the ends of the side-pieces (R and S, Fig. 256). The diagonals,
X and Y (Fig. 253), are temporary braces, to keep the frame in shape,
and are nailed at each end in such a manner that the nails may be
easily withdrawn when it is necessary. The illustration is so clear
that there should be no difficulty in following its lines.
[Illustration: FIG. 253.--Beginning the Framework.]
The frame, A, E, F, B (Fig. 254), is the
Back of the Chimney,
and should reach to the ceiling of the room in which the fireplace is
to be built. Set the frame, A, B, C, D (Fig. 253), against the wall;
then take Z (Fig. 254) and raise it up until it touches the ceiling,
and drive a nail at the intersection of X and Y into Z, and another
exactly in the centre of A, B; drive them far enough to hold Z in an
upright position, but leave enough of the nail-heads protruding to
make it easy to redraw them and remove the temporary braces, X, Y, and
Z (Fig. 254), when the whole frame will be finished and ready to use.
[Illustration: FIG. 254.--The Back of the Chimney.]
Take a stick half the length of A, B (E, F, Fig. 254), and nail the end
of Z exactly to the centre of E, F. By pushing up one end or the other
you may put E, F exactly at right angles, or “square” with Z. When the
stick, E, F, is found to be square, cut two more sticks, A, E and F,
B, each a trifle longer than the distance from A to E; cut the ends of
these sticks to fit on the top of A, B, and “toe-nail” them in place,
as is shown in the small diagram in the upper right-hand corner of Fig.
254. Allow the upper ends of A, E, and F, B to slip under the ends of
the stick, E, F, as in the illustration, and nail them securely in
place; then saw off the protruding ends even with E, F, and the back of
your frame is finished.
The Front Frame
(Fig. 255) is of the same width as A, B, Fig. 253, but it is the width
of the strips R and S, Fig. 256 (two inches), shorter than the back.
The side-pieces, G, N, and H, Q (Fig. 255), are set with their edges
facing the front, and the top-piece, G, H (Fig. 255), is fitted in with
its broad surface facing the front and flush with the tops and front
edges of the side-pieces, G, N, and H, Q; it is held in place by nails
driven through the side-pieces in the ends of G, H.
The piece J, K, is exactly the same length as G, H, and forms the top
of the fireplace, but unlike G, H, the piece J, K, has its thin edge
flush with the front. It is held in place by nails which are driven
through from the outside of the two uprights, G, N, and H, Q. All these
pieces must be cut and fitted with exactness, or the framework will be
of no use.
Fig. 256 shows how
The Remaining Pieces,
LO, MP, NO, and PQ, are placed, and the figure of the young workman
gives an idea of their proportions which cannot be given in figures,
for the reason that the opening for the fireplace must be made to suit
the size of the boy who is to be Santa Claus.
[Illustration: FIG. 255.--The Front Frame.]
To finish the framework is now
A Simple Task.
Make two bottom side-bars (C, N, and D, Q, Fig. 256), each about two
and one-half feet long, and nail them in place, “toe-nailing” at the
front. The two top-bars (R and S, Fig. 256) must extend out a foot in
front, as a support for the mantel-piece. After these are securely
nailed in place the roof-sticks, =a= and =d=, may be fitted in place,
and notched to fit over the mantel supports, as shown in Fig. 256. You
now have a strong but light frame, which must be neatly covered with
gray-colored paper muslin, Manila paper, or building paper.
[Illustration: FIG. 256.--The Finished Frame.]
The Covering
must be stretched, and securely tacked to the framework, so that no
wrinkles shall betray its frail nature.
Some black paper muslin is now needed
To Line the Inside of the Fireplace.
Tack the ends of two pieces of the black stuff on the uprights, LO,
and MP, and extend one piece back to B, D, and the other to A, C, and
tack them to the back frame; also stretch a piece of black muslin from
A, C, to B, D. This will make the interior of the fireplace dark and
mysterious.
Next take a pot of white paint and a small brush, and rule white
horizontal lines all around the fireplace and chimney; then paint
upright lines, as shown in the illustration (Fig. 257). This will give
the effect of stonework with white plaster between.
Place a smooth board upon the projecting supports, R and S, for the
mantel, and the work will be done. If you can secure some old-fashioned
brass candlesticks and an antique clock, for your mantel, they will add
greatly to the effect. A pair of andirons, with some charred sticks of
wood, will give a realistic touch which will win applause (Fig. 257).
Our American St. Nicholas
is a jovial little fellow, with a very red nose, white hair, white
beard, short pipe, fur-trimmed clothes, and a little round belly--which
shakes when he laughs, like a bowl full of jelly. Every youngster also
knows that he comes in a little sleigh, drawn by eight tiny reindeer;
but in spite of this universal knowledge among the children of America
of Santa Claus’ personal characteristics, the long-legged saint of
Europe still fills our illustrated papers, each year as heretofore, and
badly upholstered giants are made to stand for the saint in all the
shop-windows, and frighten the children out of their seven senses. It
is a fact that many of the little ones take these big ungainly giants
for the ones which Jack the Giant-killer is supposed to have slain.
[Illustration: FIG. 257.--Ready for Christmas.]
All American children love their little American Christmas saint, whose
individuality was born with the verses beginning
“It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,” etc.
Any boy who has a box of tools, and is at all clever at carpentry,
may make a framework similar to the one shown in the preceding
illustrations, but when it comes to preparing the
Costume for Jolly Old Santa Claus
he will more than likely find it convenient to call for some assistance
from his sisters, though, of course, he will enjoy the whole thing
better if he can make it a real surprise.
But it is not very difficult for the boys to make a good representation
of St. Nick themselves.
The Coat.
When making his costume secure a dark-colored sack coat which is much
too large for the proposed Santa Claus, and turn back the sleeves at
the cuffs until they are the proper length for Santa Claus’s arms.
Stitch the cuffs lightly to the sleeves, to keep them in place. Turn
up the bottom of the coat all around, making it the proper length for
the little man, and stitch the skirt in place; then, to represent fur,
use white cotton-batting and cover the turned-back cuffs and skirt
with this material, so as to conceal the alterations. Upon the white
trimmings sew little tags of black cotton.
Use a Fur Cap,
if you have one; if not, take any sort of a dark cloth one, and sew a
piece of white cotton around the edge. Cover the legs, below the knees,
with heavy woollen stockings and use big overshoes for the feet.
How to Put on the Clothes.
When the boy who is to represent the jolly old saint is ready to dress,
let him put on the knickerbockers first and stuff the bottom end of a
pillow in the front of the breeches; then put on the coat, and button
and belt the pillow inside. This will give him a jolly big paunch; next
put on the stockings and the overshoes. Then let some one gum a pair of
big white cotton eyebrows to his forehead, using common mucilage for
the purpose; also a long white cotton mustache and beard. Press these
appendages to the face until the mucilage is dry. The finishing touch
is made by painting the nose a bright red, and then the brave old saint
will be ready to hide in the spacious chimney, to descend and greet the
company when he receives the signal that the proper time has come for
his appearance.
If the false chimney and fireplace are set up against an open door,
Santa Claus may enter from the other room, and when he lets himself
down over the black cloth back of the fireplace it will appear to the
audience--at least, to all the little folks--as if he came down the
chimney.
In case no doorway is handy a strong board shelf, built in the false
chimney, will serve as a seat and a place of concealment for the saint
until the clock on the mantel strikes the hour of twelve, which should
be the signal for the immediate appearance of the little man.
The Clock,
of course, should be set ahead of time, so that it will strike at the
proper moment, when everything is in readiness, and the little folks
are trembling with impatience.
CHAPTER XXI.
HOW TO MAKE TWO BOYS INTO ONE SANTA CLAUS.
If your time for preparation is limited, and you still wish to have
a live Santa Claus, you may do so by dispensing with the artificial
fireplace altogether, and allowing the old saint to hold a reception in
the doorway between two rooms.
[Illustration: FIG. 258.--Legs.]
The accompanying illustrations show you how you can make another real
live Santa Claus, in your own home. Many of you are familiar with
the trick of the so-called German dwarf, and this Santa Claus is an
adaptation of that trick for a Christmas entertainment.
[Illustration: FIG. 259.--Legs with Coat.]
The first picture (Fig. 258) shows
How the Old Saint’s Legs are Made
by pulling a pair of golf stockings over the hands and arms, and then
slipping the hands into the slippers.
It is necessary to choose a short coat, for otherwise the tails would
hide the feet. With any old fur, or substitute which will look like
fur, trim the coat, making it appear as if it buttoned up in the middle
of the back.
Some one then puts the coat, “wrong-side fore,” on to the boy who acts
as legs (Fig. 259).
The Wig and Beard
are now put on Mr. Legs, and his nose is then painted a bright red,
after which a peaked cap, made of some bright material and trimmed with
something to represent fur, is placed upon his head.
[Illustration: FIG. 260.--The Little Saint. Side-View.]
“Mr. Legs” is now ready for “Mr. Arms,” and the illustration (Fig.
260) shows Mr. Arms after he has thrust his hands and arms through the
sleeves of the fur-trimmed coat.
The Curtains
are securely pinned behind Legs’ head in front of Arms’ face, and
brought down around the fur-trimmed coat, outside of Legs’ real legs,
and pinned under his arms, which are doing the part of the saint’s
legs, thus concealing all but the little saint. The last illustration
(Fig. 261) displays the jolly little saint distributing candy and small
presents to the young people.
The more care you take in arranging your show, the greater will be
the success of the entertainment. The eight little reindeer are not
necessary, even if they were obtainable, for the old saint may be
supposed to have unhitched his steeds for the time and stabled them on
the roof; but
The Sleigh
can be improvised from any ordinary coasting-sled. Select one which
looks something like a sleigh.
When fat little Santa Claus comes down the chimney, we all know that he
carries his
Good Things in a Bag,
so if you secure a bag, and stuff it full of any sort of material, it
will make a most appropriate load for the sleigh. A fur rug will add to
the effect, but is not necessary.
[Illustration: FIG. 261.--The Little Saint. Front View.]
If the sleigh and bag do not reach high enough for the saint to stand
on, a stage must be made of some old box, covered by a white sheet or
white canton-flannel cloth, to represent snow, and on this stage set
the sleigh and bag, as shown in the illustration on page 250.
A second bag should be procured, in which all the presents have been
placed; each present should be carefully covered with enough paper to
protect it from injury, as well as to conceal and make a mystery of the
contents of the package.
When All is Ready
have a curtain or screen set up before Santa Claus, turn down the
lights and invite the company into the room, then make them keep very
quiet and listen for Santa Claus.
In an adjoining room some one in the secret has a set of sleigh-bells,
which are jingled very softly at first, gradually growing louder and
louder, as if the sleigh was approaching nearer; when they stop a
stamping of feet is heard.
This last is
The Signal for Legs,
who cries out, in his deepest bass, “A pretty Christmas this! Company
here, and all hiding behind a screen. What, ho! are ye afraid of Santa
Claus?” At that the master of ceremonies removes the screen, and there
before the eyes of the delighted company is a real live Santa Claus,
who can move his legs and arms, and talk!
The entertainment is
Concluded
by the old saint fishing the presents out of the bag and handing them
to the master of ceremonies, who calls out the name found on each
bundle and presents it to the claimant.
During the time devoted to the distribution of presents Santa Claus
can make plenty of fun, for as the arms belong to one boy and the legs
and head to another, the legs and head never know exactly what the
arms are about to do next, and if the arms take a handkerchief out of
a pocket to wipe the face, there is always a mirth-provoking incident,
and the face does not look happy until the handkerchief is put away.
CHAPTER XXII.
A CIRCUS IN THE ATTIC.
How to Make the Horses and Other Animals, and How to Make the Costumes.
In all mimic circus performances the boys of a generation ago were
sadly handicapped by the want of horses; sometimes goats and dogs were
pressed into service, but these animals flatly refused to allow the
youthful circus riders to mount their backs, and as substitutes for
horses proved good for nothing but the creation of confusion.
When
The Goat
was supposed to canter around the ring, he had a way of standing on his
hind legs and coming down head-first, which utterly demoralized our
ring-master, and even caused the clown to do many “stunts” not down on
the programme. The dog would wag his tail and bark in a manner very
unlike a true circus horse.
It sometimes happened that one of the performers was the proud owner of
a real live pony. Alas! even a pony had its objectionable features, for
however willing the animal might be to climb the stairs, for reasons
unaccountable to us, our parents put forth such strong objections that
the pony had to be left out of the show.
Since the Writer’s Circus Days
the safety bicycle has made its appearance, and as a consequence every
boys’ show may now be supplied with circus horses which the boys can
ride, and which will neither butt nor bark; furthermore, parents will
not object to the presence in the attic of rubber-shod hoofs, which
make no noise.
The “Arab Steed”
is made by fastening a simple framework of sticks and hoops to an
ordinary wheel. The head may be made of the canvas cover of a ham,
stuffed with excelsior, or a piece of cloth sewed into the form of a
ham-cover, and stuffed lightly with excelsior.
[Illustration: FIGS. 262 and 263.--Showing Skeleton of Horse.]
A Feather-Duster May Do Service as a Tail.
Fig. 262 shows the wheel, with the backbone rod, A B, lashed to the top
tube of the frame and the feather-duster made fast to the tail-end of
the rod, A B.
The Neck-Bones
are the two rods, C D and E D. The rod C D is bound to the saddle-post,
below the point where the head and top tubes join under the handle-bar.
The lower neck-bone, E D, is lashed to the top of the bracket-tube at
E, just out of reach of the pedals, and to the upper neck-bone, at D.
[Illustration: FIG. 264.--Ready for the Cover.]
The Ribs
are made from ordinary wooden barrel-hoops. Fig. 263 shows front-view
of wheel, with one hoop in place. The first hoop is tied on the
neck-bone, in front of the handle-bars, and the next two hoops are
lashed to the backbone, behind the saddle-bar, as shown in Fig. 264.
The head is tied to the end of the neck-bones, at D, and eyes, mouth,
and nostrils, painted on the ham-cover head.
The Frame
now only needs to be covered with a cloth of some kind, to make a most
speedy “Arab steed.” The covering for the horse may be gaudily colored
paper muslin, with the addition, perhaps, of some quaint figures cut
out of gold, red, or black paper, and pasted in place, as shown by
the illustration. Two sheets may be made to do duty as a horse-cover;
or two old shawls, properly draped and fastened to the skeleton or
framework, will answer the purpose; but it is, on the whole, best to
buy the paper muslin, as this may be cut and sewed at pleasure. Cut
it so as to cover both head and neck, leaving eye-holes and holes for
mouth and nose, also a large opening where the fearless circus rider is
to sit and work the pedals.
[Illustration: FIGS. 265-267.--The Inside of the Bird.]
The Reins
may be made of ribbons and run from the mouth to the handle-bars. The
horse’s blanket should be stitched to the first hoop on the neck, and
not allowed to hang loose, as it would be certain to interfere with
the free movement of the front wheel and bring the Arab steed into
trouble not down on the programme, causing him to act more like a
bucking Western bronco than a gentle, well-trained circus horse.
The Moa is the Giant Bird from New Zealand,
and is simply made, as a glance at Figs. 265, 266, and 267 will prove.
Fig. 265 shows a cone made of card-board, the edges of which are
stitched or glued together, and the whole covered with white or yellow
paper. Fig. 266 is the neck-bone, a stick with a pad of rags or paper
tied over the upper end. A sheet, or other plain-colored cloth, is
stitched to the cone in such a manner that the drapery will fall down
and hide all but the feet and legs of the boy holding the neck-bone
(Fig. 267). Some black paint or ink can be used to mark the eyes and
mouth on the paper cone, and the only living example of the moa, the
giant bird of New Zealand, is ready to be led around the ring before
the eyes of the awestruck spectators. For an extra charge the strange
bird will even allow one of the smaller spectators to ride its back
(the boy’s shoulders) around the ring.
The Manicora
is an imaginary beast, once thought to inhabit America. From all I can
learn from old prints it was supposed to be a sort of lion, with a
human face. If any of your circus company own a French poodle, or any
sort of long-haired dog which can be shaved like a lion, he can make a
beautiful manicora by sewing a skirt, long enough to reach below the
dog’s collar, on to a cheap false-face. With a little patient work the
dog may be taught to walk around the ring with a false-face on. The
mask is held in place by tucking the cloth under the dog’s collar.
By using
A Little Ingenuity,
any number of fierce and strange animals can be made, to astonish and
please the audience; every boy knows how to make an elephant of two
boys covered with a gray shawl, and a giraffe can be made by adding
another boy to the moa, so as to give it four legs; but the limited
space at my disposal forbids my introducing more diagrams.
[Illustration: FIGS. 268-274.--Ring-master and His Costume.]
The Dignified and Self-sufficient Ring-master
must dress in black, and have high boots, or at least what appear to
be high boots. This appearance can be made with a few cents’ worth of
black paper muslin, sewed over two cylinders (Fig. 272) of pasteboard.
These, when finished, will look like top-boots (Figs. 273 and 274.)
Tight-fitting Knee-breeches,
black or some dark color, and a dark coat, will be all that is required
for lower parts; but the head must be adorned with a high hat, and
if an old silk hat of the proper size cannot be procured, you can
make one by fitting a muslin-covered pasteboard top on to an ordinary
black derby hat (see Figs. 268, 269, 270, 271, and 274.) A standing
collar and a flashy or plain white necktie will finish the costume.
Of course the ring-master must have a long whip, with which he makes
believe to whip the clown when the latter tries one of his jokes at the
ring-master’s expense.
A Jersey or a Tight-fitting Undershirt
will do duty for the circus rider’s upper garment, and if he can induce
some one to make him a pair of light-colored trunks he can appear in
his underclothes, and no one will know but that he has on the regular
showman’s tights.
A Girl’s Old Turban Hat,
set jauntily on his head, will add to the effect, especially if this
head-gear be decorated with a long, curling feather.
[Illustration: FIGS. 275-278.--The Clown.]
If the reader is not fortunate in the possession of some accommodating
female relative who will help him out by kindly making the trunks, he
may take an old pair of loose-fitting
Knickerbockers,
and cut the legs off, just below the thigh; then cut slits near the
bottom, through which he may run a piece of tape, as the pucker-string
is run in the top of a marble-bag.
To put on these trunks he must turn them
Wrong Side Out
and put them on upside down, then fasten the string as high up on his
leg as it will go, after which he can reach down and turn the breeches
up until they come to the proper place around his waist. It will then
be seen that they are not only right side out, but that the cloth folds
over and conceals the pucker-strings as neatly as if the trunks were
made by a tailor.
Take an Old Soft Felt Hat
(Fig. 275) and soak it well in warm or hot water, then put it over the
blunt end of a bedpost, or any similar object, and firmly but steadily
pull down the rim (Fig. 276), until the crown is given a conical form
(Fig. 277). If you pull too hard you will run the post through the hat;
but with a little care you may shape any old soft felt hat into the
typical head-gear of the clown (Figs. 277, 278).
Your father’s, big brother’s, or uncle’s
Pajamas,
will make an excellent suit of clothes for the clown. Hoist the
pantaloons up under your arms and fasten them there; then put garters
around the ankles. Belt in the upper garments at the waist, and put
elastic garters on your wrists. Persuade your sister, mother, or aunt,
to make a ruff for your neck, from a piece of stiff white muslin, and
you will have as good a clown’s suit as appears in the real circus,
(Fig. 278). When
Making-Up
for the ring, take some common flour and put it in a piece of
mosquito-netting; with this, powder your hair, face, and neck, until
all is as white as the driven snow, then wet a towel and mark out a
big, laughing mouth.
You are now ready to caper into the ring and throw your peaked hat at
the ring-master.
[Illustration: FIG. 279.--The Circus.]
[Illustration: A BOYS’ STAG-PARTY]
CHAPTER XXIII.
A BOYS’ STAG-PARTY
The only difference between the bald-headed, bearded boy and his
younger brother in knickerbockers is that the latter is fond of fun and
owns up to it, while the former is fond of fun and conceals the fact
behind a solemn countenance and a severe and dignified frown.
But when the
Old Boys
attend a stag-party the solemn faces and frowns are not there; they
leave them with their overcoats in the hall.
When sending
Invitations to a Boys’ Stag-Party,
it should be suggested that the guests come in their old clothes, and
not be late for the target-shooting. You must have some blow-guns and a
target ready for them to use when they arrive.
Make the Target
of a large sheet of Manila paper. Outline the rings by placing the
paper on the floor, driving a tack in the centre of the paper, and then
using a piece of string with a loop at one end and a very short pencil
at the other end, place the loop over the tack and fasten the pencil
to the string. In this way make a number of circles, and number them
from one to ten or fifteen, according to the number of guests you have
invited to your stag-party.
When the target is finished lay it aside, and busy yourselves making
darts for the blow-guns. Take a number of
Carpet Tacks
and some bright-colored worsted; tie the worsted string to the tack
until the latter is covered, all but its point, then push all the ends
of the strings back to the head of the tack and cut them off evenly,
leaving them about a quarter of an inch long.
When one of these darts is shot through the blow-gun it will stick into
anything it hits, unless the target be of stone or metal.
When the darts are all made lay them aside, with the blow-guns and the
target, and go to the market and secure a basketful of an assortment of
All the Large Vegetables
you can find--big turnips, the largest sweet potatoes, small squashes,
field-beets, and compact cabbages. Some of the vegetables in this list
may be out of season, but there will always be some that are in season.
[Illustration: FIGS. 280 AND 281.]
Cut the top of each turnip, beet, potato, and squash, leaving a
slanting or beveled edge to the lid (Fig. 280); then hollow out the
vegetable until you have space enough to hold a fair-sized paper of
candy. Put the candy in oiled paper, place it in the hollow vegetable
and fit the lid on the top, where it can be secured by using wooden
toothpicks as tacks (Fig. 281). If this work has been done with any
sort of care, no one, not in the secret, will suspect that it is not a
common vegetable.
The Cabbage Bonbon Box
is made in the same manner, only in this case you must carefully peel
off the first covering of leaves from the head of cabbage and then cut
a hole for the bonbons, as in Fig. 282. After the candy is in place
the leaves removed from the cabbage must be carefully replaced, and
fastened on with toothpicks, which are concealed by the surrounding
leaves (Fig. 283).
[Illustration: FIGS. 282 and 283.]
When you have made one of these novel bonbon boxes for each guest, you
can begin to make
The Big Pie or Pudding
which is to grace the centre of the table. Buy a number of cheap toys,
such as little china dolls (both black and white), whistles, rattles,
etc., and to each one you attach a card with some comic verse or
sentence written on it; then you roll the toy up in a number of pieces
of soft paper until the bundle assumes a ball-like form. The outside
wrapper of each bundle should be of the brightest-colored tissue-paper
which can be found. After securely binding the bundles with twine
attach a bright piece of tape or silk ribbon to each, as in Fig. 284.
[Illustration: FIG. 284.--Attach a Bright Piece of Ribbon.]
When all the
Knick-knacks and Jokes
are bundled up, and the ribbons attached, place them in a large earthen
dish or wooden bread-bowl, and arrange them so that the ribbon to each
parcel hangs outside. Then fill the bowl with bran and pat into a
rounded surface, as shown in Fig. 285.
The Ribbons Must be Loosely Knotted
at the sides, to keep them from harm, after which the surface of the
“fake” cake is covered with a layer of wheat flour, to represent
frosting, and the flour is ornamented with raisins, as in the
illustration, while the top is decorated with a few sprigs of green or
the ornaments from the top of a real cake, and the “fake” cake is then
ready to serve.
Don’t Disappoint the Boys.
While both the boys in knickerbockers and the boys in long-tailed coats
like fun, neither the old nor the young boys enjoy being disappointed.
You must, therefore, have some real pie, cake, and good things to
serve, besides the make-believe cake, so as to keep all the guests
good-humored.
The Shooting.
When all the lads have assembled and the target is in place, give one
prepared tack and the blow-gun to one boy, and let him have a shot at
the target, and keep account of the number he comes nearest to with the
dart.
When all the boys have had their turn at firing a shot, and
The Numbers are All Recorded,
show them a list, with a penalty opposite each number; for instance,
number one must wear two feathers in his hair; number two must have his
face decorated with black circles; number three, face decorated with
black stripes; number four, hair powdered white, with flour; number
five, half face black, etc. Then tell them the list was made out by the
Mad March Hare.
When All the Boys are Properly Decorated,
with blackened or whitened faces, coats wrong side out, etc., let them
march to the table in the order of their numbers, and take the numbered
seat which corresponds with the number they struck on the target. When
the boys are seated the maid should bring in
Great Trays, Heaped with Raw Garden-Stuff.
This will cause a shout of surprise and disappointment; but after some
lad has laboriously cut a great turnip in half, and discovered the
concealed sweets, the fun will begin anew.
After this first course of vegetables
The Regular Spread May Be Served,
and when all have finished you must rise and say that you hope that
your guests have still kept a little of their appetites for a piece of
March Hare pie. Then you don a big white apron, thrust a table-knife in
your belt, so as to look like a cook, and bring in
The Great “Fake” Cake
(Fig. 285). Place the cake in the centre of the table, with the ribbons
carefully undone and one end stretched to each plate.
[Illustration: FIG. 285.--Bring in the Cake.]
At a Given Signal
each guest gives a sharp pull upon his line, and out pop all the
brightly-colored parcels, while the bran and flour fly, as if an
explosion had occurred.
[Illustration: Feast of the Mad March Hare.]
The success of this last act depends entirely upon the host. He must
caution each boy not to gather in any of the slack of his ribbon, but
only take a firm hold of the end and wait until the word is given to
pull.
After the excitement and fun of demolishing the “fake” cake, then comes
the fun of unrolling the bundles and reading the jokes attached to each
trinket.
CHAPTER XXIV.
A WILD WEST SHOW IN THE HOUSE.
There are many boys to-day who have never seen an Indian, and while
it is impossible for us all to view the real Wild West, it is not
difficult for us to get up a little Wild West show of our own, at home.
Patterns Are Here Given,
which any intelligent boy can copy. The fields of the patterns given
are divided into small squares, and the dividing lines are numbered and
lettered along two sides of the pattern.
It is not hard to understand that, since every square, be it big or
little, is exactly the same shape, by making the same number of larger
squares you will have an enlarged field, similar to the one shown.
How to Reproduce the Patterns.
Place a clean piece of card-board on the table, and, with the aid of
a straight-edged piece of board, rule a line close to the edge of the
card-board and parallel to it.
[Illustration: FIG. 286.--The Parts of Mounted Cowboy and Indian.]
By means of a two-foot measure, or tape-line, mark off with your pencil
a point at each half-inch, to correspond with the numbered lines on the
field (Fig. 286). Number the lines from one to thirty-three, as they
are numbered in Fig. 286. Replace the straight-edged board along the
line, take a large flat book (your geography will do), see that the
edge of the board is exactly parallel to the pencil line, and just far
enough back of it to show the pencil dots, hold the board firmly in
place, and slide the book along the edge of the board, until the edge
of the book is exactly at the first pencil dot.
Rule the First Line
along the edge of the book, then move the book to the next dot and rule
the line No. 1, then No. 2, and so on, until No. 33 is ruled.
[Illustration: FIG. 287.--Mounted Indian.]
Again Take Your Two-foot
rule or tape measure, and mark off by pencil dots the points for the
lines at A, B, C, D, etc.; do the same on the line No. 33, and with
your board ruler connect with lines the two sets of dots, and you will
have a field of squares exactly similar to the one in Fig. 286, only
much larger.
Next Trace Out the Cowboy,
horse, and Indian, by drawing a line upon your enlarged field from
point to point, as it is seen to cross the squares in the small
pattern. In the pattern the Indian has but one leg and one arm, and the
horse but one fore leg and one hind leg, but after these are cut out it
is a simple matter to trace around them on card-board with a pencil,
and thus supply all of the missing limbs.
After the Puppets Are Cut
out, punch holes with a darning-needle at the points marked A; these
are the joints, and the spots where the parts are joined by a piece of
string.
Make a Round Knot
in the end of a piece of string, so large that it will not pull through
the needle-holes. Take the hind leg of the horse and thread the string
through A, then through A upon the horse’s hip, then through the hole
in the other hind leg. Pull the string taut and, placing the puppet
flat, tie a knot close to the leg (Fig. 289).
How it is Done.
To do this make a loose knot first, and with the forefinger of the left
hand press the loop against the puppet while you slowly pull the free
end taut (see Fig. 289). Tie it three or four times, until the knot is
too large to pull through the needle-hole; then cut off the end of the
string.
Join all the limbs in the same manner, and the two parts of the horse’s
body. The result will be a horse with a body which will bend and legs
which will move in a most natural manner.
As the Audience
can see only the shadows, the joints will not be perceptible, and
the horse and rider can be made to take the most natural poses. The
silhouettes on the next page were traced from a puppet made from this
pattern.
[Illustration: FIGS. 288 and 289.--The Wild Buffalo.]
For a Bridle
fasten a loop of string in the bit and the rider’s hand. To make the
horse buck, fasten a piece of fine thread to his tail and another
piece to his head; then, by alternately pulling taut and allowing the
thread to slacken, the horse will be found to jump, pitch, and buck,
in a life-like and most approved Wild West manner. Fig. 290 (the page
illustration) shows a photograph made from the puppet here described,
and Figs. 291, 292, 293, and 294 are positions assumed by that puppet,
and traced directly from the paper horse and rider.
[Illustration: FIG. 290.--A Bronco Buster.]
The Indian Horseman
(Fig. 287) shows how the body is joined; the dotted line indicates
where the portion of the fore part of the body laps under the hind
part. In Fig. 287 the legs are not jointed as in Fig. 286. In drawing
your pattern for this puppet make two fields of squares: one for the
fore part and one for the hind part of the Indian and horse; and in
Fig. 288 make three fields of squares, one for the hind legs, one for
the body and one for the head. Both of the last diagrams are drawn on
one field to save space; but you can easily understand how to reproduce
them. For instance, in Fig. 287 make a field of squares from 0 to 18
for the fore part; make another field of squares from 12 to 34 for the
hind quarters.
[Illustration: FIGS. 291-294.]
Make five or six duplicates of the Indian horseman; make as many
duplicates of the dancing Indians as may be required for your
war-dance; do the same with
The Buffalo,
until you have a herd of them. Paste the flat end of a stick to the
buffalo’s leg and fasten a thread to the neck and hind legs, as shown
by Fig. 288. With the stick you move the bison along, and with the
string you make him throw up his head and hind legs in a most amusing
and comical manner.
[Illustration: FIG. 295.]
A Piece of White Muslin,
stretched taut, with no wrinkles, will make your stage, and a light
behind it will throw the shadows of your puppets on the cloth.
The stage should be surrounded with heavy curtains, to prevent the
operators from being seen, and the light behind the stage from
illuminating the room in front. A bicycle lamp or an ordinary candle
will answer for the light. A sheet of smooth Manila paper makes a
better stage than the white cloth; it may be tacked upon a frame,
or the bottom edge be tacked to a kitchen table and the top to a
rod, suspended from the ceiling. The table should be on the audience
side of the screen, so that the showmen may have room to move their
puppet-sticks along the inside edge of the table, and keep the puppets
close to the screen of paper. By changing the cowboy’s hat to a
soldier’s cap or helmet, and putting a sword or gun in his hand, you
can make as many cavalrymen from this pattern as you desire to have in
the show.
CHAPTER XXV.
HOW TO HAVE A PANORAMA SHOW.
After you have had a rollicking-circus in the attic, and a roaring
Wild West show in the basement, you can explain to your parents that
a panorama is a show of a “highly moral” and most genteel character,
and you may persuade them to allow you to have a panorama party in the
dining-room.
A Good Panorama
is always a thing worth looking at, yet I promise you that there is
more real enjoyment in making a panorama and exhibiting it, than there
is in looking at twenty professional exhibitions.
The Subject
of the pictures must be your first thought. In their selection you have
the widest possible range of choice, from the “Yankee in King Arthur’s
Court” to Roosevelt with the Rough Riders in Cuba, or from “The
Pilgrim’s Progress” to “Jack the Giant-killer,” or “Mother Goose.”
To those who have acquired the happy art of expressing their ideas with
pencil and brush, the painting of an original panorama need not be
explained; but the great majority of boys are unable to make pictures,
either with pencil or with brush, and for them there remains still
another method, which for beginners is equally, if not more effective.
With Paste-pot and Shears,
any boy, of ordinary ability, may make pictures galore by cutting the
figures and even the backgrounds from illustrated papers, grouping and
arranging them to suit himself, and pasting them neatly upon a long,
strong strip or ribbon of paper, suited to winding and unrolling by
means of two cylinders or rollers, as shown in Fig. 296.
[Illustration: FIG. 296.--The Panorama.]
Select Your Topic
first, then write out the number of illustrations you wish to make to
tell the story; then hunt for a background here, a foreground there,
and houses and people wherever they may be found. Paste the background
on your strip of paper first, then the foreground, and next add the
necessary number of people, vehicles, animals, and other objects.
[Illustration: FIG. 297.]
Colored Figures,
upon a white background, will be found to be most effective. Giants may
be made by taking large-sized prints of men, clipping off their heads
and replacing the latter with heads of smaller men. Dwarfs may be made
by using the small prints of men, and substituting big heads for the
ones originally belonging to the figures.
Fig. 296 shows
The Works of the Panorama,
naked and unadorned. But the machinery should be concealed, and for
this purpose make a box, similar to the one shown in Fig. 297, which is
called the stage. It is simply a narrow box, as shown in Fig. 298, with
drapery arranged from the outer edges to a small frame at the rear.
Fig. 297 is the front of the finished stage; Fig. 298 is the rear of
same, denuded of its drapery.
[Illustration: FIG. 298.]
Hiding in the cellar, basement, attic, or woodshed, of almost every
house, are a lot of packing-cases, but if from any cause these boxes
should be absent from their accustomed places, you must go to your
grocer for the material for your stage.
Build a Narrow Box,
of about the proportions of Fig. 298, and make a frame of four sticks
for the back of the box; notch the cross-sticks (Fig. 299) so that they
will fit flush, or even, with the inside surface of the two long pieces
(Fig. 300).
Cut Some Dark Red Canton Flannel
into four pieces, to fit the four sides of your stage frame; plait the
ends, and tack each plait as the drapery is tacked to the frame, as
shown in Fig. 300.
After all four pieces of drapery are plaited and tacked fast, nail the
frame to the back of the stage, as it is shown in Fig. 298; then, one
piece at a time, spread the edges of the cloth over the front edges of
the box of the stage and tack them there, as in Fig. 297. This will
give you a dark-colored stage frame with a small opening at the back
end for the panorama to slide by, as the crank of the roller is turned
by the showman behind the curtain.
[Illustration: FIGS. 299 and 300.]
Curtains must be arranged to hang down on each side of the stage and be
pinned together above and below it.
The Stage
should rest upon a table, and be lighted by a row of small
Christmas-tree candles, or common candles cut off and made short.
Whatever lights are used, care should be taken to place them so that
there will be no danger from fire.
Of course it is not absolutely necessary to use candles for
Footlights.
Any sort of light which will illuminate the panorama without
obstructing the view of the audience, will answer the purpose; but it
is absolutely necessary to have no other lights burning in the room
while the panorama is being exhibited. All the light must be centred
upon the pictures.
Fig. 301 shows
How the Panorama Box
is built. There are two holes bored through the top board and through
the upper bottom board, but not through the lower bottom board. A
glance at the diagram will show you that there are two bottom boards,
fitting closely together.
[Illustration: FIG. 301.--The Panorama Box.]
Before putting the panorama box together bore holes in the top board,
at equal distances from the ends, and as near the front edge as you
can conveniently bore them without danger of splitting the board.
These holes are for the rollers, and should be of sufficient size to
allow the rollers to revolve with little friction. In case you have
no bit or auger which will make large holes, Fig. 302 shows how the
difficulty may be overcome with a small bit, gimlet, or red-hot poker,
by boring a number of small holes in a circle and then breaking out the
centre-piece of wood; smoothing the inside with a sharp knife. In order
that the holes in the bottom board shall be directly under those in
the top, nail the bottom board to the top board with three wire nails,
driving them in only just far enough to hold the boards together while
the holes are being bored, as shown in Fig. 303. Since the
Top Board
fits over the side-pieces, and the bottom boards fit between the
side-pieces, it is evident that the bottom boards are shorter than the
top board by just the width of the two side-pieces. Be careful to allow
for this width at the ends, when you nail the boards together, as shown
in Fig. 303.
[Illustration: FIGS. 302 and 303.]
After the holes are bored through the two boards, nail the top board
and bottom boards in place, as shown in Fig. 301.
You must, of course, put the bottom board with the holes in it, on top
of the bottom board without the holes. This will give two sockets, in
which to rest and turn the ends of the rollers.
Make the Rollers of Broomsticks,
if you can secure nothing better, but if you can find some old
window-shade rollers they will probably be an improvement on the
broomsticks, as they have metal sockets in which they will turn with
much less friction than in the wooden ones described above.
The rollers should both be of sufficient length to allow a convenient
amount of stick to protrude from the top of the box, as is shown in
Fig. 296.
A Crank or Windlass
handle, of some kind, is necessary to turn the rollers, and Figs. 304
to 311 show how such handles may be made.
If you wish a comic panorama you have at your disposal a vast amount
of material. The gorgeously-colored comic prints of to-day lend
themselves readily to the process of picture-making with paste-pot and
shears, and all sorts of funny combinations can be produced, which will
delight the audience, and, best of all, furnish indoor amusement and
work for the reader when the weather is so boisterous, wet, and sloppy
that there is no chance of fun out-of-doors, and there are many such
days, between January and May, each year.
[Illustration: FIGS. 304-311.]
When all is done, paint some
Big Show-Bills,
to hang in the hallway, to be read and admired by the guests. Set the
frame stage upon a small table, with the panorama box close against it;
over the frame a small piece of dark cloth may be thrown, to be removed
when the show begins.
[Illustration: FIG. 312.]
The candles may be set upon a narrow strip of board, in front of the
stage, and if you drive nails in groups of three, along the board, you
will discover that the nails will hold the candles secure, as shown in
the arrangement of the footlights in Fig. 312.
In front of each candle set
A Square Piece of Tin
bent to a curve, and with the concave side next to the candle, to act
as a reflector, and the convex side next to the audience. The outsides
should be painted dark red, to match the frame and conceal the light.
At the appointed time
Turn Out All the Lights
in the room, light the footlights, and remove the cloth from the box,
displaying the first scene.
One boy should stand in front, as lecturer, and explain the different
pictures, and another boy stand behind the curtain, winding up the
paper as directed by the lecturer. The audience will have a good time,
in proportion to the fun the lecturer puts in his talk, and all will
enjoy the show to
THE END.
* * * * *
INDEX
* * * * *
INDEX
A
Ancient mariners, 5
Animals, kindness to, 33, 34
Ape, evolution of, 234
“Arab steed,” how to make an, 254
Army, to make a pasteboard, 217
Artificial water, 206
Aviary, how to make a back-yard, 63
Axe, tree-top club-house built with, 10
Axles, car-wheel, 172
B
Bantam coops, 55
Beard, Frank, 224
Beard, Santa Claus’s, 249
Bed, Daniel Boone cabin, 123;
Lincoln, 124
Binders, to make water club-house foundation, 101
Birds, 63
Bonbon box, the cabbage, 265
Buffalo, to make a herd of, 276
Bugles, wooden, 141
Building material, house-boat, 150
Bumpers, house-boat, 155
Bunks, house-boat, 164
Burgoo, Kentucky, 107;
ingredients of a, 109;
how to cook a, 109
Burgoo master, 108, 109
Bridge of matches, 206
Bridle, to make a, 274
C
Cabin, how to build and furnish a Daniel Boone, 116;
lumber for, 118;
ground plan of 6 × 10, 119
Cabin, house-boat, 157;
street-car used as, 168
Cage, to make a galvanized-wire netting, 39;
receiving, 46
Cake, the “Fake,” 266, 268
Camera, hunting with the, 20
Camp dress, women’s, 133
Camping out. See Daniel Boone cabin, 116
Carp, 52
Carpet tacks as blow-gun darts, 264
Cars, back-yard switchback, 170
Catfish, 52
Centre-piece, house-boat, 151
Chalk talk, how to give a, 222
Chestnut wood for foundation posts, 75
Chickens, coops for, 54;
need of shelter for, 54;
material for coop, 56
Chimney, Daniel Boone cabin, 130;
stick, 131;
Santa Claus’s, 238
Chipmonks, 19;
how to trap, 26;
food for, 26;
wire cage for, 37
Circus, a home-made, 191;
in the attic, 253
Clam-bake, the Rhode Island, 107
Clams, fresh-water, in confinement, 53
Club-house, water, 97
Club-house, underground, 89
Club-house, a tree-top, 3;
underground, 4;
grape-vine approach to, 7;
a two-tree, 9;
selection of trees for, 10;
how to build, 10;
foundation of, 14;
the vine-tree, 16;
three- and four-tree foundation, 18
Coat, Santa Claus, 245
Cobblestones for bracing water club-house cribs, 102
“Collar,” back-yard workshop, 80
Collins, Captain Bob, 141, 142
Cowboy, to make a, 273
Crank, panorama, 284
Crawfish, 52
Creepers, nests for, 65
Cribs, water club-house foundation, 100, 102
Crusoe clubs, 97
Crusoe raft, 150
D
Dace, 52
Daniel Boone cabin, how to build and furnish a, 116;
lumber for, 118
Darts, carpet-tacks as blow-gun, 264
Deck, house-boat, 160
Door, back-yard workshop, 82;
underground club-house, 89, 95;
back-yard zoo, 4;
pigeon and bantam coop, 58;
Daniel Boone cabin, 121, 125, 129
Drawing-board, chalk-talk, 225
Drinking-troughs for pigeons and bantams, 61
E
Enihan. See Lawn hab-enihan, 114
F
Feather-duster as a tail, 254
Fireplace, Daniel Boone cabin, 122, 128, 130;
Santa Claus, 237, 243
First Gentleman. See Pitch-peg-pin pitching, 112
First Lady. See Pitch-peg-pin pitching, 112
Fish, food for, 53
Fish-pond, a back-yard, 48;
how to stock, 52
Flat-boatman’s horn, 139
Flooring, house-boat, 160
Floor-joists, Daniel Boone cabin, 120
Floor-supports, Daniel Boone cabin, 120
Flower-pots, bird-nests in, 68
Flying-cage for pigeons, 62
Flying-squirrel, trapping, 21, 23
Footlights, panorama stage, 282
Foundation, tree-top club-house, 9, 14, 18;
back-yard workshop, 76;
water club-house, 97, 99, 101;
Daniel Boone cabin, 120
Foxes, wire cage for, 37;
anecdote of, 38
Frame, tree-top club-house, 14;
underground club-house, 92
Frogs, house for, 41;
varieties of, 42;
market for, 44;
the Anderson, 45
G
Games with toothpicks and matches, 201
Gnawers, 21;
cages for, 37
Goldfish, 52
Gourds, martin nests in, 66
Grape basket, wren nests in, 66
Grandmother’s reticule, 218
H
Hab. See Lawn hab-enihan, 114
Hanging-bars, 194
Hatch, house-boat, 160
Horn, flat-boatman’s, 139;
Captain Bob Collins’s, 142;
Wabash, 143;
how to make a Wabash, 143;
to make a Captain Bob Collins’s, 142
House, how to make a pasteboard, 212
House-boat, canvas-cabined, 166
House-boat, how to build the American boy’s, 146;
cost of, 167 168
I
Indian, to make an, 273
Island, artificial, 104
J
Jack-fagots, 110
“Joggling board,” 105
Johnson, Colonel Richard, 141
K
Kentucky burgoo, 107
L
Lamps for Daniel Boone cabin, 127
Lawn hab-enihan, 114
Lean-to, how to make a, 136
Level, a home-made, 74
Lizards, house for, 41, 46
Lockers, house-boat, 158, 164
Log house, how to build a, 116
Log-rolling, 121
Lumber for underground club-house, 92;
for Daniel Boone cabin, 118
M
Machine shop, 83, 85
Making up, 262
Manicora, how to make the, 257
Matches, good games with, 201;
a bridge of, 206
Mice, learning, 25;
habits of, 27;
white-footed, 24;
as pets, 25;
food for, 26
Mink, habits of, 31;
how to trap, 31;
author’s anecdote of, 32
Moa, how to make the, 257
Motion, how to suggest, 230
Musk-rats, Captain John Smith’s description of, 30;
how to trap, 31;
in captivity, 31;
cage for, 37
Mussels, 53
N
Nails, frame of tree-top club-house fastened with, 12
Nests, pigeon and bantam, 60;
birds’-nests in Washington’s coat, 63;
the speaking-horn, 63;
woodpecker, 64;
martin, 66;
wren, 66;
tin-can, 68
O
Oilcloth for underground club-house roof, 94
Oiled paper for glass, Daniel Boone cabin windows, 127
Oil-stove, 73
Old Dan Tucker, 110, 111, 112
P
Paddles, how to make, 193
Panorama box, how to make, 283
Panorama show, a, 218
Passageway, underground club-house, 93
Pattern, how to reproduce, for Wild West show, 270
Peepers, how to capture, 45
Pennsylvania pond stew, 107
Pheasants, cage for, 37
Picnic, how to have fun at a, 105
Picnic box, 106
Pigeons, lofts for, 54;
material needed in making, 56;
nests for, 60;
drinking-troughs for, 61
Pitch-peg-pin pitching, 112
Plumb, a home-made, 75
Prairie chickens, cage for, 37
Purlins, back-yard workshop, 80
Q
Quail, wire cage for, 37
R
Rabbits, cage for, 37
Rafters of tree-top club-house, 14;
back-yard workshop, 79;
underground club-house, 94;
house-boat, 160
Rat, 21;
short-tailed meadow, 23, 26;
wire cage for, 37
Receiving-cage, 21
Receiving-tank, bath-tub as, 191
Reins, Arab steed, 256
Reptiles, house for, 41
Ribs, house-boat, 156, 157;
Arab steed, 255
Ridge-plank, how to make a, 79
Ring-master, dress of, 259
River people, 147
River-rats, 5
Robinson Crusoe, 4
Rock bass, 52
Rodents, 21;
cages for, 37
Rollers, panorama, 284
Roof, tree-top club-house, 14;
underground club-house, 92, 94;
Daniel Boone cabin, 123;
house-boat, 162
Roost, pigeon and bantam, 60
Rowlocks, house-boat, 163
Rudder, house-boat, 162
Ruffed grouse, cage for, 37
Runway, doors for, 41
S
Santa Claus, costume for, 245;
how to make two boys into one, 248
Santa Claus fireplace, how to make a, 237
Sap-suckers, nests for, 65
Settlement, a pioneer, 208
Shack, how to make a, 135
Shanty, cost of a, 136
Show, a Wild West, 270;
a panorama, 278
Show-bills, panorama, 286
Shutters for pigeon and bantam coops, 59
Sleigh, how to make a pasteboard, 211
Sleigh, Santa Claus’s, 250
Slipperies, 182;
war-time, 182
Smudge, capturing flying-squirrels with a, 22
Snakes, house for, 41;
poisonous, 42;
varieties of, 42;
superstitions about, 43
Soldiers, to make pasteboard, 215
Speaking-horn, birds’-nests in, 63
Squirrel, cage for, 37
Stairs, water club-house, 103
Stability, emblem of, 229
Stage, panorama, 282
Stag-party, a boys’, 263
Stars, to cut five- and six-pointed stars with one clip, 220
Starting platform, switchback railway, 173
Stool, cabin, 131
Street-car cabin, house-boat with, 168
Struts in tree-top club-house, 18
Sunfish, 52
Supplies, camp, 133
St. Nicholas, our American, 243
Swallows, 70, 71
Swiss Family Robinson, 4
Switchback, a back-yard, 170
T
Table, log cabin, 131;
supplies for, 137
Tank, back-yard fish-pond, 48, 49
Tar used on underground club-house roof, 94
Tents, cost of, 136
Ticket-chopper’s box, 180
Toads, house for, 41;
superstitions about, 43, 44
Toboggan room, 186
Toboggan slide, how to build a, 182;
tropical, 184
Tools for building tree-top club house, 10;
for making back-yard zoo, 35;
for making back-yard fish-pond, 49;
for back-yard workshop, 73;
for making water club-house, 98;
care of, 86
Tool-rack, 86, 88
Toothpicks, good games with, 201
Track, switchback railway, 178
Trap, mouse, 24, 25;
the wooden box, 28;
the tin-can, 29;
a figure-4, 30
Trapping, 19
Tree-top club-house, 3
Turnpike zoo, 106
Turtles, house for, 41
U
Underground club-house, 89
V
Ventilation, underground club-house, 95, 96
Virginia soup, 107
W
Wabash horn, 143
Walls, tree-top club-house, 14
Washington, birds’-nests in coat of, 63
Water-wheel, how to make a, 192
Wheels, switchback car, 170
Whittling, prevalence of, 139
Wig, Santa Claus’s, 249
Wild West show, 270
Windlass, panorama, 284
Window, back-yard workshop, 82;
Daniel Boone cabin, 121
Wire cloth, 36
Wire, galvanized iron, for back-yard zoo, 36;
for pigeon loft and bantam coop, 58
Wire netting, 36
Woodchucks, 19;
as pets, 27;
how to trap, 27;
habits of, 30;
cage for, 37
Woodpeckers, nests for, 65
Workshop, a boy’s back-yard, 72;
how to build, 77
Wren, nest for, 66
Z
Zoo, a back-yard, 33
* * * * *
_A NEW BOOK FOR INVENTIVE BOYS_
=By DANIEL C. BEARD=
=The Jack of All Trades=
=OR, NEW IDEAS FOR AMERICAN BOYS=
=Profusely Illustrated. Square 8vo, $2.00=
No writer for boys has a larger or more enthusiastic following than
Mr. Dan. Beard, and the announcement of a new book by him should be
welcome news to his many young friends. “The Jack of All Trades” has
been written in response to a direct demand from boys from all over
the United States and many parts of the British Provinces. From their
letters the author discovered that there was a great demand for more
material along the lines of the “American Boy’s Handy Book” and “The
Outdoor Handy Book.” “The Jack of All Trades” presents a vast number
of new ideas which any boy can put into execution, and which will be a
source of endless delight.
=CONTENTS=
=Part I. Fair Weather Ideas=
Tree-Top Club-Houses--How to Capture and Trap Small Live Animals--The
Back-Yard Zoo--A Back-Yard Fish-Pond--Pigeon and Bantam Coops--How
to Make a Back-Yard Aviary--A Boy’s Back-Yard Workshop--How to Build
an Underground Club-House--A Boys’ Club-House on the Water--How to
Have Fun on a Picnic--How to Build and How to Furnish a Daniel Boone
Cabin--Flat Boatman’s House--The American Boy’s House Boat--Back-Yard
Switchback--How to Build a Toboggan Slide in the Back-Yard.
=Part II. Rainy Weather Ideas=
A Home-Made Circus--Good Games with Toothpicks and Matches--Fun with
Scissors and Pasteboard and Paper--How to Prepare and Give a Boys’
Chalk Talk--A Christmas Novelty for Boys--How to Make Two Boys into One
Santa Claus--A Circus in the Attic--A Boys’ Stag Party--A Wild West
Show in the House--How to Have a Panorama Show.
=CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, Publishers=
=153-157 Fifth Avenue, New York=
* * * * *
_THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE_
=The Outdoor Handy Book=
=FOR PLAYGROUND, FIELD AND FOREST=
=By DANIEL C. BEARD=
=With more than 300 Illustrations by the Author. Square 8vo, $2.00=
“It tells how to play all sorts of games with marbles, how to make
and spin more kinds of tops than most boys ever heard of, how to make
the latest things in plain and fancy kites, where to dig bait and
how to fish, all about boats and sailing, and a host of other things
which can be done outdoors. The volume is profusely illustrated and
will be an unmixed delight to any boy.”--New York _Tribune_.
[Illustration]
=SUMMARY OF CONTENTS=
Marbles--Tops--Latest Things in Kites--Aerial Fish and Dragons--Hoops
and Wheels--How to Make the Sucker--Up in the Air on Stilts--Bait,
Live and Dead--Fishing--Aquatic Sports--Rigs of All Kinds for Small
Boats--Shells and Canoes--Hints for Collectors--Honey-Bee Messengers--A
“Zoo”--Choosing Up and “It”--Counting Out Rhymes--Swimming--Games
of Tag--I Spy--Leap Frog--Various Sports for Hot Days--Tip
Cat--Games of Ball--Mumbly Peg, Hop-Scotch, and Jack Stones--Hints
for Bicyclists--Camping Out--Boy’s Ballista--“Tally-ho!” and
Other Cries--Indian Games for Boys--Football--Golf, Hockey, and
Shinny--Turtle Hunting--Skating--Stunning Muskrats and Fish--Snowball
Battle and Snow Tag--Sleds.
From CHARLES DANA GIBSON: “It makes a man of a boy and a boy of a
man.”
“This book is praiseworthy from end to end, and will find favor even
with those who have long since passed to man’s estate.”--_The Nation._
“It is one of the completest things of the kind ever written, and
with it one can hardly conceive how a boy could be without pleasant
and profitable amusement at any time. It treats of directions for
every season of the year, in and out of doors, and on land and water.
One of the best things about it is that it furnishes employment for a
boy’s ingenuity and mechanical skill. It seems as if this book must
be destined to an immense popularity.”--_The Advance._
* * * * *
=THE AMERICAN BOY’S HANDY BOOK=
=Or, What To Do and How To Do It=
=By DANIEL C. BEARD=
=One volume, 8vo, fully Illustrated by the Author, $2.00=
Mr. Beard’s book tells the active, inventive, and practical American
boy the things he really wants to know; the thousand things he wants to
do, and the ten thousand ways in which he can do them, with the helps
and ingenious contrivances which every boy can either procure or make.
The author divides the book among the sports of the four seasons; and
he has made an almost exhaustive collection of the cleverest modern
devices, besides himself inventing an immense number of capital and
practical ideas.
[Illustration]
=SUMMARY OF CONTENTS=
Kite Time--War Kites--Novel Modes of Fishing--Home-made Fishing
Tackle--How to Stock, Make, and Keep a Fresh-water Aquarium--How to
Stock and Keep a Marine Aquarium--Knots, Bends, and Hitches--Dredge,
Tangle, and Trawl Fishing--Home-made Boats--How to Rig and Sail
Small Boats--How to Camp Out Without a Tent--How to Rear Wild
Birds--Home-made Hunting Apparatus--Traps and Trapping--Dogs--Practical
Taxidermy for Boys--Snow Houses and Statuary--Winged Skaters--Winter
Fishing--Indoor Amusements--How to Make a Magic Lantern--Puppet
Shows--Home-made Masquerade and Theatrical Costumes--With many other
subjects of a kindred nature.
“It is an excellent publication, and is heartily recommended to
parents.”--_The Brooklyn Eagle._
“The book has this great advantage over its predecessors, that most
of the games, tricks, and other amusements described in it are
new. It treats of sports adapted to all seasons of the year; it is
practical, and it is well illustrated.”--_The New York Tribune._
“It tells boys how to make all kinds of things--boats, traps, toys,
puzzles, aquariums, fishing tackle; how to tie knots, splice ropes,
to make bird calls, sleds, blow guns, balloons; how to rear wild
birds, to train dogs, and do the thousand and one things that boys
take delight in. The book is illustrated in such a way that no
mistake can be made; and the boy who gets a copy of this book will
consider himself set up in business.”--_The Indianapolis Journal._
* * * * *
=THE AMERICAN GIRL’S HANDY BOOK=
=HOW TO AMUSE YOURSELF AND OTHERS=
=By LINA and ADELIA B. BEARD=
=With nearly 500 Illustrations by the Authors. One volume, square 8vo,
$2.00=
Eight new chapters have been added to the forty-two which have carried
this famous book to the hearts of all the young people since its first
appearance, and everything that the girls of to-day want to know about
their sports, games, and winter afternoon and evening work, is told
clearly and simply in this helpful and entertaining volume. The volume
is fully and handsomely illustrated from drawings by the authors, whose
designs are in the best sense illustrative of the text.
[Illustration]
=SUMMARY OF CONTENTS=
First of April--Wild Flowers and Their Preservation--The Walking
Club--Easter-Egg Games--How to Make a Lawn Tennis Net--May-Day
Sports--Midsummer-Eve Games and Sports--Sea-side Cottage Decoration--A
Girl’s Fourth of July--An Impression Album--Picnics, Burgoos,
and Corn-Roasts--Botany as Applied to Art--Quiet Games for Hot
Weather--How to Make a Hammock--Corn-Husk and Flower Dolls--How
to Make Fans--All Hallow Eve--Nature’s Fall Decorations and How
to Use Them--Nutting Parties--How to Draw, Paint in Oil-colors,
and Model in Clay and Wax--China Painting--Christmas Festivities,
and Home-made Christmas Gifts--Amusements and Games for the
Holidays--Golf--Bicycling--Swimming--Physical Culture--Girls’ Clubs--A
New Seashore Game--Apple Target Shooting--Water Fairies.
LOUISA M. ALCOTT wrote: “I have put it in my list of good and useful
books for young people, as I have many requests for advice from my
little friends and their anxious mothers. I am most happy to commend
your very ingenious and entertaining book.”
GRACE GREENWOOD wrote: “It is a treasure which, once possessed, no
practical girl would willingly part with. It is an invaluable aid in
making a home attractive, comfortable, artistic, and refined. The
book preaches the gospel of cheerfulness, industry, economy, and
comfort.”
=CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS, Publishers, 153-157 Fifth Ave., New York=
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
The author, Daniel Carter Beard, founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in
1905 (later renamed the Boy Pioneers of America), which was merged into
the Boy Scouts of America when that organization was founded in 1910.
Another similarly title book by the same author contains a subset of
the material in this book: D. C. Beard, _The Jack of All Trades: Fair
Weather Ideas_, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1904.
Footnotes have been moved to the end of each chapter and relabeled
consecutively through the document.
Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are
mentioned.
Punctuation and figure captions have been made consistent.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in
the original publication, except that obvious typos have been corrected.