wires it will give a brilliant light the moment we make the last
connection, and continue to burn until the current is broken, which may
be done by lifting the elements (as the zincs and carbons are called)
out of the fluid. After a while, if the current is kept on for some
time, the light will begin to diminish in brilliancy. This is due to
exhaustion of the liquid in the tumblers, and when the light gets dim
the solution should be renewed.
In connecting your lamp with the battery wires simply twist the lamp and
battery wires together firmly but gently. All of the connections are
shown very clearly in Fig. 2.
When the light is not desired it is best to remove the elements from the
tumblers, so as to save the zinc. The acid in the solution dissolves the
zinc.
An outfit of this sort costs about as follows: one Leclanche zinc (sawed
in two), 8 cents; two plain electric-light carbons, 20 cents; one pound
sulphuric acid (about one-half pint), 15 cents; one pound bichromate
potash, 25 cents; twenty-five feet No. 18 wire, 15 cents; one-half
candle-power lamp, $1; total cost, $1.83.
I have not included in this estimate the cost of the two tumblers or the
wooden holders, because tumblers can always be had around the house, and
no boy needs to be told where he can find wood. But to be on the safe
side we will assume that tumblers and all have to be bought; then $2
will cover the cost easily.
Such an outfit as this is very interesting and instructive to every
boy--and girl, too, for that matter--and what can be more fascinating
than to be able to produce a beautiful electric light so easily?
[Illustration: INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORT]
[Illustration: REGINALD FINCKE.
Interscholastic Tennis champion 1896.]
The sixth National Interscholastic Tennis Tournament was played last
week at Newport, and resulted in a victory for Reginald Fincke, of the
Hotchkiss School, winner of the Yale Interscholastic Tournament. His
victory was more or less of a foregone conclusion on the form he had
displayed in his early spring work; and the opponents he had to meet
were none of them very formidable, the strongest, Beggs of
Lawrenceville, not being present. This gave Walton of Colombia, the
weakest man of the lot, a chance to get into the semi-finals, where he
succumbed to the Harvard interscholastic representative in three
straight and uninteresting sets.
INTERSCHOLASTIC TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES.
Year. Played at. Winner. School.
1891. Cambridge. R. D. Wrenn. Cambridge Latin.
1892. Cambridge. M. G. Chace. Univ. Grammar, Prov.
1893. Newport. C. R. Budlong. High, Providence.
1894. Newport. W. G. Parker. Tutor, New York,
1895. Newport. L. E. Ware. Roxbury Latin.
1896. Newport. R. Fincke. Hotchkiss.
Fincke drew Turner of Chicago in the preliminaries, and defeated him,
6-4, 6-2, 6-8, 6-3. He then defeated Willing, the U. of P.
interscholastic champion, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. His hardest match was with
Edwards of English High-School. Edwards made a good brace in the third
set, taking it 6-2, but he was unable to maintain this form, and
although he did good work in the last set, he was unable to end better
than 4-6. This gave the championship for 1896 to Fincke, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6,
6-4. A full summary of the play will be found on the next page; and the
championship list now stands as shown in the table given above.
SIXTH ANNUAL NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, NEWPORT, AUGUST
20, 21, 22, 1896.
Preliminary Round. Semi-Final Round.
J. K. Willing (U. of Pa.),
R. Fincke (Yale), } Fincke, 6-4, 6-2, 6-8, 6-3.
L. H. Turner (Univ. of Chicago). }
C. W. Beggs (Princeton), }
J. McL. Walton (Columbia). } Walton, by default.
Y. M. Edwards (Harvard).
Final Round. Interscholastic Champion.
Fincke, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. } Fincke, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Edwards, 6-1, 6-0, 6-3. }
It is sincerely to be hoped that the unfortunate differences between
those stanch old rivals and worthy opponents, Exeter and Andover, will
be brought to a friendly close this year. Since 1893 these two schools,
who used to meet annually in football, baseball, and tennis, have not
had any athletic intercourse whatever with one another, and all because,
in their great rivalry and desire to beat one another, one of them
certainly (and possibly both) overstepped the bounds of athletic ethics,
and was guilty of practices which, by a little consideration and
forethought, might have been avoided.
It is improbable that any good can be accomplished by going over the
causes which brought about this rupture between the two schools, for
stirring up mud and opening old wounds are of small benefit. Those who
know what the causes were can do nothing better than to forget, and
those who do not know what the trouble was will certainly find that here
is a case where ignorance is bliss.
For the past year or more I have been in correspondence more or less
actively with Exeter and Andover men, graduates and students and members
of the two Faculties, and the general opinion among all seems to be that
it would be a good thing to have the games renewed; and while both sides
seem willing to meet again, neither side seems anxious to make the first
advances. Both schools have, or think they have, grievances; and each
thinks the other should lay aside its pride or stubbornness and make the
friendly advances.
This situation might remain for an indefinite period if some
strong-minded individual or individuals did not step in and say, "Let
bygones be bygones, and let us start in on a new basis, wiping out all
old scores, and henceforth sticking to the true spirit of amateur
sport!" The difficult problem is to find the individual or individuals
who may have enough influence in both camps to bring about this greatly
to be desired termination. This might possibly be accomplished through
the alumni associations of the two schools at Harvard and at Yale.
Andover and Exeter men, after they get to college, usually become great
friends, because they feel, as graduates of these large schools, a sort
of superiority over their less-fortunate classmates who did not get
their schooling in such great and well-known institutions. This gives
them a common ground to meet upon, and they soon forget the petty
differences they may have had before they became college-men, and their
reminiscences become bonds of friendship rather than sources of
disturbance. But if the alumni in the colleges are to do anything, they
must first find out definitely from the men in the two schools that the
body scholastic is willing to wipe away old scores and go into a new era
of interscholastic contest, otherwise the same unfortunate comedy will
be played that was enacted a year or so ago, when some graduates
arranged for a reunion of athletic interests.
These arrangements could not have been very well laid out, for, at the
school meetings held the same hour, the same day, at Exeter and Andover,
different votes were reached. One school voted to resume friendly
relations, and the other school, unfortunately, voted to maintain the
same attitude that had caused the unpleasantness for the past two or
three years. The school that held out the hand of friendship naturally
felt hurt at this, and also naturally vowed that it would never take any
steps toward making up again. But that time has passed, and let us hope
those who were at the meeting have forgotten how they felt, and let us
also hope that the other school has seen by this time that it is not
well to refuse to shake the hand that is held out in good-fellowship.
So much is to be gained by both Exeter and Andover from the contests as
they used to be ten or fifteen years ago that it would seem that both
schools must yearn for the old order of things. Andover now seeks
Lawrenceville as its rival, and although Lawrenceville is decidedly a
strong opponent, and Andover-Lawrenceville games should never be
discontinued, yet Lawrenceville is not Andover's natural rival. Exeter
has sought Worcester Academy, and tries to make itself believe that it
holds a great interest in the Exeter-Worcester games; but there is no
doubt that there is not half the enthusiasm in the school over a
Worcester victory as there used to be, and would be now, over an Andover
victory. The same might justly be said concerning Andover and
Lawrenceville.
It is for this reason that I so sincerely hope that the graduates will
take some steps this fall, and open the new era of friendship with a
football game. Let each school be willing to make concessions, and in
the end they will find that they have gained tenfold in self-respect and
self-satisfaction for each concession they made.
The seniors at these schools, and the men who graduated from them last
year and are now entering Freshman year at college, can combine in this
movement, and I feel sure that if they are careful and thoughtful in
their methods, they can heal this breach which has been a painful one
for every Exeter and Andover graduate, and an unexplainable one for
outsiders who have looked upon these two schools as strong exponents of
the healthy spirit of scholastic sport in America.
[Illustration: Beers. O'Rourke. Moore. Washburne. Hipple.
Bedford.
THE N.Y.I.S.A.A. TEAM AT THE NATIONAL GAMES.]
The new football rules for 1896 have at last appeared in book form. It
is pleasant to know that they are a great improvement on anything of the
kind we have ever had before in America. The thanks of all sportsmen are
due to the University Athletic Club's committee for the work they have
performed, and, as the season grows older, every football-player will
realize more and more how much the reform of the code was needed.
There probably never was a more critical period in the history of
football than last year, when there were three sets of rules, and when a
certain number of colleges were playing under one set, an equally large
number were playing under another set, and perhaps a larger number still
were using the rules of the year before or a compromise between the
factional codes.
The principal changes to be observed in the 1896 code are in the rules
governing the fair catch and the scrimmage. The committee have thought
it wise to bring back the fair catch to the old ruling, which requires
that a mark be made with the heel; the old penalty of fifteen yards for
holding has been retained. There were those in the committee on revision
who thought that there should be a penalty of twenty-five yards for
holding a man who had made a fair catch, but the general opinion seemed
to be that few umpires would have the courage to enforce this rule, and
a compromise on fifteen yards was consequently adopted. Therefore, in so
far as the fair catch is concerned, the situation is about the same as
it was three years ago, except that the player making the catch is well
protected by the severe penalty against interference or being thrown.
As to the scrimmage, the committee felt that there had been too great
concentration of men in recent years, and they have attempted to hold in
check the momentum plays. They have ruled that no player may take more
than a single step before the ball is put in play--except one man, who
may be in motion toward his own goal; this will bar out all forms of
momentum play, and is a step in the right direction.
There is also a rule forbidding five men to bunch inside of tackles;
this will serve to hold back mass plays, although, doubtless, the
inventive minds of college football-players will be able to make up
plays that can evade the spirit of this law. But the makers of the rules
have hoped that the good judgment of captains and coaches may be relied
upon to see that there is fully as much to be gained in open play as in
the recently developed concentrated push work.
Among the minor changes to be noticed, in a cursory glance through the
rules, is that on a fair catch the opponents must retire ten yards from
the mark made by the catcher; this is a good ruling, for it places some
value upon a fair catch. It is pleasant to note that the rule concerning
interference with the centre rushers' snapping back of the ball has been
made more stringent, and the officials must see that the ball is fairly
put in play, and they must, according to the rule, insist that the
opposing team do not interfere either with the ball or the man.
A number of years ago it used to be a favorite trick of the opposing
centre to do all he could, by kicking or toeing or fingering the ball,
to annoy the man who was snapping back. This was then put a stop to, and
the opposing centres and guards began to shove and jostle their
opponents, much to the delay of the game. These new rules concerning
interference with centre play will prevent all of this nonsense, and
will tend toward making scrimmage play more rapid and snappy.
On account of the development of quarter-back kicking, it has been found
necessary to establish some rule that would make clear what kind of a
kick must be made to give the opponents a fair chance at the ball. The
rule has it that the ball when kicked by the quarter-back must pass
beyond the line of the scrimmage.
One of the most complete and noticeable changes in the rules, however,
although it is one that does not affect the game itself, is the
common-sense arrangement of the paragraphs. The code begins by stating
that "the game shall be played upon a rectangular field," etc. The old
rules began with the statement that "a drop kick is made by letting the
ball fall from the hands, and kicking it at the very instant it rises
from the ground."
There is nothing in the old rules to show on what kind of a field the
game should be played, or what the game was, or what kind of a ball it
should be played with. There was nothing in the old rules forbidding a
man to play the game with a cocked hat or a rubber boot if he chose; and
if a team had come on a field with a baseball, and had insisted on
running with that, there was absolutely no provision in the old rules by
which the referee could forbid the playing of the game with a baseball.
Now, however, this absurd defect has been entirely done away with, and
the new regulations, after describing the field and the teams, state
that "the football used shall be of heavy leather, enclosing an inflated
rubber bladder, and the ball shall have the shape of a prolate
spheroid." Furthermore, no term is used in the new rules which has not
first been fully defined. The first part of the code, therefore, is made
up largely of definitions, and this is of great assistance, for it will
prevent many a discussion and dispute on the field.
A few more remarks in conclusion of what was said in the Department last
week concerning preliminary football work: Remember that by practice
alone can a team perfect itself; and consequently every manager should
try to arrange as many practice games as possible for the eleven under
his care. After the school season has fairly begun, and the neighboring
schools have their elevens somewhat organized, it is always possible to
arrange games with outsiders. Thus when the championship contests come
along the players will be accustomed to games with strangers. Too much
practice with a scrub team breeds slack play and indifference. If it is
possible to schedule practice games with other schools for Wednesdays
and Saturdays--playing some teams two or three times, perhaps, in one
season--the manager should make such arrangements. In or near large
cities this is almost always possible, and perhaps that is why the
football elevens of New York and Boston are usually so well trained and
developed.
The reason is very clear. When you play a team from a distance, you are
bound to learn something of that team's methods, and it usually has some
points which had not yet occurred to you. If you play that same team
again two or three weeks later, it has learned from others, and puts its
newly acquired knowledge in practice against you, and you again have the
advantage of the other fellows' work. Of course your opponents are
benefited in the same way through playing with you; but that is only
right, and is much to be desired.
If it is possible for a school team to have the services of a
coach--some graduate or some ex-football-player living in the
neighborhood--it should avail itself greedily of the privilege, for it
is too much to expect a young captain to handle his men well and do all
the coaching besides. And when an older player has been invited to
coach, his commands should be obeyed to the letter; for if the players
had enough confidence in him in the beginning to desire or accept his
services, they can do no less than carry out his instructions if he
gives up his time to coach them in their sport.
Furthermore, it should be remembered that the coach has had greater
experience than any of the players, and he can also--as an
outsider--tell much better what the proper course of action for a team
is than any member of that team, who may be influenced by a great many
conditions that do not affect the coach, and so do not weaken his
judgment.
"TRACK ATHLETICS IN DETAIL."--ILLUSTRATED.--8VO, CLOTH, ORNAMENTAL,
$1.25.
THE GRADUATE.
[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.
I was misled by the telegraphic report of the A.P.A. convention. The
annual dues are $1.80, not $1.08, as mentioned in last week's paper.
One of the weaknesses of human nature is a desire to get something for
nothing. Many stamp-collectors are constantly on the lookout for a "big
bargain" in rare stamps. Now bargains of this kind are never offered by
first-class dealers, as they know the real value of their wares, but
unprincipled persons take advantage of this weakness of humanity, and
many a new collector finds reason to repent of having bought such
"bargains."
A French journal, _Le Collectionneur des Timbres-Poste_, in a late
number gives an amusing instance. Baron de M---- purchased a collection
of rare stamps for 25,000 francs, which would have been a big bargain if
appearances had not been deceitful. With the assistance of a well-known
collector, the Baron discovered his stamps to be a marvellous collection
of counterfeit, fake, and patched-up stamps.
The following are some of the varieties of tricks practised by
unscrupulous persons:
1. Ordinary perforated stamps with exceptionally wide margins have their
perforations trimmed off, and such stamps are offered as rare
unperforated stamps.
2. Ordinary perforated stamps with wide margins are re-perforated with
the rare perforations. This is frequently done by means of an ordinary
hand punch.
3. Where stamps are printed in the same color with slight changes in
lettering, the rare varieties are made by piecing. For instance, the
one-franc French Empire is made by taking the 80 centimes, dark carmine,
with the bottom label from the one franc of the Republic.
4. Bicolored stamps with the centre reversed, which are extremely rare,
are made by cutting out the centre and reversing it on another copy of
the same stamp. For instance, the 1869 U.S. 15c., 24c., and 90c. have
been made by this process.
5. By chemical means the color is changed. For instance, the 10r. blue
of Brazil is changed into the 10r. black.
6. Stamps which have been cancelled by pen and ink have their
cancellation marks removed by chemical means, and these stamps are then
sold as unused.
7. Counterfeit cancellations are frequently made on genuine stamps which
have been surcharged "reprint" or "specimen."
8. Counterfeit surcharges are extremely common. They can be made on an
ordinary printing press.
9. False water-marks are sometimes made by printing the stamps with
wood-cuts, using a certain kind of oil, or they are made by pressing the
design of the water-mark on the stamp, and then removing a portion of
the paper by rubbing with pumice stone.
10. Very rare stamps of which a portion has disappeared have had these
portions added.
11. Are the ordinary counterfeits. Sometimes these counterfeits are of a
higher order of work than the originals. One of the great European
houses made fac-simile copies of all the U.S. periodical stamps, and
advertised the same as fac-similes. Each stamp bore the word
"fac-simile" or "falsch." These copies have frequently had a heavy
cancellation applied to them immediately over the word "fac-simile" or
"falsch." These stamps were then sold as genuine cancelled stamps.
The moral is a very simple one. Rare stamps should be bought from
responsible dealers or responsible persons only.
MISS CECILE G. ROGERS, 118 B Bluff, Yokohama, Japan, wishes to
exchange Japanese stamps for those of other countries.
H. W. K.--No special value.
PHILATUS.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
[Illustration: ROYAL BAKING POWDER]
A cream-of-tartar baking powder. Highest of all in leavening
strength.--_Latest United States Government Food Report._
ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO., NEW YORK.
[Illustration: THOMPSON'S EYE WATER]
[Illustration: BICYCLING]
This Department is conducted in the interest of Bicyclers, and the
Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject. Our
maps and tours contain many valuable data kindly supplied from the
official maps and road-books of the League of American Wheelmen.
Recognizing the value of the work being done by the L.A.W., the
Editor will be pleased to furnish subscribers with membership
blanks and information so far as possible.
[Illustration: Copyright, 1896, by Harper & Brothers.]
Several weeks ago we mentioned in this column another way of getting
from Chicago to Waukesha. This was by taking steamer from Chicago to
Milwaukee, and riding thence to Waukesha. The sail is a beautiful one,
and makes one of the most interesting and varied pleasure trips near
Chicago. On arrival in Milwaukee you will find yourself near the
C. and N. W. Railroad depot, and the start awheel should be made from
this point. Ride out Grand Avenue direct, crossing the river. This is a
run of two and three-quarter miles, and when you are within about half a
mile of the toll-house at the end of Grand Avenue, turn to the right and
run up to it, keeping to the left on reaching it, and running thence out
over the Watertown Plank-road. It is two and a half miles to Wauwatosa,
and on entering the centre of the town turn left and cross the track.
Thence run out up a steep hill, leaving Homewood on the south, and
running into Elm Grove. On crossing the two tracks at Elm Grove, the
road is clear to Brookfield, four and three-quarter miles away, and in
good condition, except just as you leave Elm Grove, where there is a bit
of hilly country. At Brookfield take the left hand of the three roads,
and run thence direct to Waukesha. This three miles or more of road is
in parts hilly, though at no point in the whole run is there any very
bad hilly road. The road-bed itself is in very good condition for the
whole sixteen or seventeen miles.
We have now covered this particular vicinity of Illinois pretty
thoroughly. It is by far the best for bicycling on account not only of
the good roads, but of the variety of scenery that presents itself to
the wheelman. He can either ride by train from Chicago to Waukesha, or
by boat and wheel, or by wheel. A very good week's trip would be to make
the two days' bicycle trip from Chicago to Waukesha, as already
described, stopping the night at Lippencott's. On the third day, or
after a day's rest, to make the run to Oconomowoc and return to
Waukesha, and then, with another day in the vicinity, to finally ride by
wheel to Milwaukee over the road described this week, and return to
Chicago from the latter place by boat. Or the trip could be reversed,
and begun with the sail to Milwaukee, thence proceeding to Waukesha, and
returning by the two days' trip to Chicago.