Various - Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891

V >> Various >> Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891

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--"This is a regular sugar loaf," said the candy-store clerk, when
business was dull.

* * * * *

The Fierce Old Cat and the Clockwork Rat.

[Illustration:
The boys wound it up and set it going around the room, and old Tom went
for it.]

[Illustration:
A little rough handling loosened the spring which took pussy very much
by surprise--]

[Illustration:
--and left the rat master of the situation.]

* * * * *
* * * *
* * * * *

[Illustration:
(Answers to Correspondents)]

A.E.B.--Extract of witch-hazel is made by distilling the leaves of that
shrub, the scientific name of which is _Hamamelis virginica_. To do
this, it will be necessary to secure apparatus especially adapted to the
purpose.

CARRIE N.--Polish the horns according to the directions given in Vol. 5,
No. 43. They are very ornamental, but there is no great demand for them.
You might be able to dispose of a pair or two among your friends.

J.N.D.--Stamp dealers usually begin as collectors, and thus gain an
intimate knowledge of the various issues, colors, varieties and prices
of all the stamps issued. Numerous illustrated catalogues are issued by
the principal dealers in this country and Europe.

J.H.S.--1. When recharging a battery it is only necessary to remove
any parts that may have decomposed and then add water. 2. The outfit
requisite for producing the electric light described in Nos. 1 and 2 of
the last volume will cost two or three dollars.

OLD SUBSCRIBER.--Narrow shoulders may be strengthened and straightened
by judicious exercise, and by walking and sitting erect, throwing them
well back and never allowing them to droop. It is very doubtful,
however, if their breadth can be increased to any appreciable degree.

H.B.--Vols. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this paper cannot be furnished complete
either bound or unbound, but from 6 to 12, inclusive, they can be
supplied in either shape. A very limited number of bound copies of the
fifth volume remain to be sold at the usual rate of $4 each, but in its
unbound form it is incomplete, one number being out of print.

E.F.W.--White ink is made by mixing flake white with gum arabic and
water. It should be sufficiently fluid to flow easily from the pen.
Another mixture, erroneously called white ink, but which is in reality
an etching fluid, and can only be used on colored paper, is made by
adding 1 part of muriatic acid to 20 parts of starch water. A steel pen
must be used.

A.G.D.--1. There is but one way to improve the memory, and that is to
concentrate the mind upon but one subject at a time, never allowing it
to wander off to some other idea. At first, this is a difficult matter,
but in a comparatively short time the mind can be brought under control,
and the memory will, in many instances, become far more retentive than
ever before. 2. The growth of hair on the face cannot be checked, but
can be controlled by the regular use of a razor.

UNUS PLURORUM.--Pilot charts may be obtained at all the branch
hydrographic offices in our large ports, but the coast survey charts
are not intended for general distribution. Every Congressman is allowed
a limited number, and may, if he pleases, distribute them among his
friends, and they are also furnished to schools, scientific
associations, libraries and the like, when application is made for any
special map. In all other cases they are for sale at stated figures,
varying according to the size of the chart desired. A catalogue of all
the maps issued by the Coast Survey is procurable from the chief of that
office in Washington, D.C.

GEORGE C.W.--In mending crockery, one of the strongest cements for
the purpose, and one which is easily applied, is composed of lime
and the white of an egg. To use it, take a sufficient quantity of the
egg to mend one article at a time--easily gauged by the extent of the
break--shave off a small quantity of lime, and mix thoroughly. Apply
quickly to the edges and place firmly together, when it will soon become
set and strong. The reason for mixing a small quantity at once is that
it hardens very quickly and then becomes useless.

TIGER TOM.--1. According to the game laws of California deer may be
shot, in some parts of that State during the months of July, August,
September and October, except in Siskiyou and Nevada Counties, where
the open season begins in August and ends on the last day of January.
Quail may be killed there in January, February, October, November and
December. 2. Each State makes its own laws regulating the term of
imprisonment for a specified crime. 3. One series of articles on making
traps for small game is out of print. The only numbers in print
containing such directions are 52, Vol. 6, and 1, Vol. 7.

SAILOR.--The Philadelphia, Newark, Miantonomoh, Kearsarge, Concord,
Chicago, Atlanta, Yorktown, Boston, Bennington, Petrel, Baltimore, San
Francisco, Yantic, Thetis and Ranger are the United States war vessels
that are available at the present time, or could be put in commission in
the course of ninety days. A complete list and description of all the
vessels comprising our naval force can be obtained from the Secretary of
the Navy, Washington, D.C., but we cannot afford the space in which to
give in detail such a mass of measurements, the number of guns, etc., as
would be required to satisfy your wants.

W.H.K.--1. John Greenleaf Whittier, popularly known as the "Quaker
Poet" and the "Bachelor Poet" resides at Amesbury, Mass. "Maud Muller,"
"Barefoot Boy," "Cobbler Keezar's Vision," "Barbara Frietchie," "In
School Days" and "My Psalm" are the most popular of his short poems.
"Snow Bound," written in 1866, is undoubtedly the best of all his poems,
and is, in one sense, a memorial of his mother and sister, having been
written after their death. He was born near Haverhill, Mass., on
December 17, 1807. 2. Get a setting of bantam eggs from a local bird
dealer.

CONSTANT READER.--1. All the foremost juvenile writers of the day are
engaged on GOLDEN DAYS; therefore, in our opinion, there are none better
or more popular. 2. The various officers in the United States navy rank
as follows: Rear admirals, commodores, captains, commanders, lieutenant
commanders, lieutenants (two grades), ensigns (two grades), and naval
cadets. Rear Admiral Walker is the head of that branch of the service at
the present time. 3. They were published in a magazine bearing his name.
4. See the naval pay-table in the Letter Box of No. 15, Vol. 12.

A JAY.--1. Martin, the winner of the six-days' bicycle race at Madison
Square Garden, New York city, last October, rode for 127 hours of the
142 allotted to the race, covering 1466 6-10 miles during that time,
showing an average speed of 11-1/2 miles an hour. His record is the best
ever made, far exceeding any previous attempts in a six-days' match.
2. There are probably several bicycle clubs in your vicinity. Make
inquiries, and, if so, you should experience no difficulty in being
elected a member of any one of them.

AN AZTEC PRINCE.--The largest tunnel in the world is that of St.
Gothard, on the railroad line between Lucerne and Milan. The summit of
this tunnel is 990 feet below the surface at Andermatt, and 6600 feet
beneath the peak at Kastelhorn of the St. Gothard group. The tunnel
itself is 26-1/2 feet wide, and 19 feet 10 inches from the floor to the
crown of the arched roof. Its length is 9-1/2 miles, while the Hoosac
Tunnel, on the Fitchburg Railway, is 4-1/2 miles long. The Mont Cenis
tunnel is one and five-eighths miles shorter than that of St. Gothard.

IMPATIENT.--1. All communications intended for this paper should be
addressed to "James Elverson, Publisher of GOLDEN DAYS, Philadelphia,
Pa." If they contain queries intended for this department, that fact
should be indicated by writing in the lower left hand corner of the
envelope the words "Letter Box," and the real name of the writer in
addition to the assumed title, should be placed at the end. 2. A chapter
on polishing horns, bones, shells and stones was presented in Vol. 5,
No. 43. 3. Oiliness of the skin may be remedied by washing with water
containing a teaspoonful of borax or a tablespoonful of alcohol.

W.M.R.--Boys ranging in age from fifteen to eighteen years, from any
part of the country, may enlist as naval apprentices on the U.S.
training-ships, but not on the school-ships Saratoga or St. Mary's,
which are, in reality, local institutions, supported by New York city
and Pennsylvania. An excellent idea of the requirements in either case
may be gained by reading the articles headed "The Nautical School of
New York City," in No. 35, Vol. 8, and "Uncle Sam's Ships," in No. 18,
Vol. 10. The school-ship boys serve but two years, while the naval
apprentices remain until they reach the age of twenty-one, unless sooner
discharged for misbehavior or disability.

134.--1. In military or naval parlance, a ration is a portion or fixed
allowance of provisions, drink and forage, assigned to a soldier in the
army or a sailor in the navy, for his daily subsistence. Its component
parts are established by law, but may be varied by the Secretary of War
or of the Navy; or, when necessary, by the senior officer present in
command. The latter may also diminish the allowance, in case of
necessity, but of course the persons whose allowance is thus lessened
are reimbursed according to the scale of prices established at the time
of such diminution. 2. The regulation chest measurement required of a
seventeen-year-old applicant for admission on a training-ship is 29
inches.

F.B.H., MIDSHIPMAN and W.H.E.--1. As there are but two _schoolships_
in the United States, and none but New York and Pennsylvania boys are
admitted on them, non-residents' applications for enlistment would not
be considered under any circumstances. Boys desiring to enter the U.S.
navy can do so by enlisting on a _training_ ship, which is a government
institution, and intended as a means of fitting our youth to perform the
duties of sailors and petty officers in the regular navy. The schoolship
boys, on the other hand, are trained for the merchant service. The Chief
of the Bureau of Equipment and recruiting, Navy Department, Washington,
D.C., is the one to whom all applications for enlistment on the training
ships should be made. 2. No premium is offered for U.S. pennies coined
in 1858.

GENERAL NAPOLEON.--1. A graduate of the schoolship Saratoga might be
able to obtain an appointment as quartermaster on an ocean steamship
at a salary of about $30 per month. The other officers on these vessels
are shipped on the other side of the Atlantic, and have to show a
certificate of service before being appointed as mates or to any other
official position. The schoolship boys should experience but little
trouble in getting some minor berths on coastwise vessels or other
crafts sailing under American colors. The chief idea in establishing
the two schoolships, St. Mary's and Saratoga, was to fit boys for the
mercantile marine, and probably, if ever the trans-Atlantic liners sail
under our flag, they will be given appointments on them. 2. The pay of
the officers on steamship lines varies so greatly that no general
average can be given.

CURIOUS READER.--1. There are several colleges in this country in
which poor boys are afforded an opportunity of putting into practice
legitimate plans for raising sufficient money to pay for tuition and
other expenses. This subject was treated of in a very interesting and
instructive article entitled "Working One's Way Through College," in No.
15 of the volume just ended. In it will be found many such plans, which
will prove of great benefit to those intending to thus gain a collegiate
training. 2. The Constitution does not require candidates for government
positions to possess a college education--in fact, comparatively few
heads of departments, commissioners, etc., are thus equipped. 3. There
are no "free trade" colleges in the United States. We do not know of the
existence of such institutions in any part of the world.

L.G.C.H.--1. In soldering, the edges of the metals to be put together
must be perfectly clean, to insure which, as well as to counteract the
oxidization which most metals undergo when heated, a flux is used which
neutralizes these otherwise serious impediments, securing a firm joint.
Borax, rosin, sal-ammoniac, common salt, limestone, glass and several
other substances are used for this purpose, according to the nature of
the metal used. Rosin or oil is usually employed in soldering tin and
lead, while a mixture of muriate of zinc and sal-ammoniac is used with
steel. 2. A complete outfit for printing an amateur paper such as that
you describe will cost at least $200, and can be purchased from any
dealer in printing materials. 3. Construct the camera according to the
plans laid down in Vol. 9, No. 34. The cost of that issue will be 6
cents, postage free.

J.H.R.--Numerous articles on how to construct cabinets, bookcases, etc.,
have been published in previous volumes of this paper. Among these are
the following: "How to Make a Refrigerator," "Cabinet-Making for
Beginners" and "Screens and How to Make Them." Nos. 35, 47 and 48, Vol.
5; "How to Make a Desk," "Hanging Bookshelves" and "Corner Cabinet,"
Nos. 7, 15 and 22, Vol. 6; "Hanging Cabinet," No. 16, Vol. 7; "How to
Make an Amateur Carpenter's Bench," No. 36, Vol. 8; "How to Make a
Portable Bookcase," No. 2, Vol. 10, and "How to Make a Bookcase and
Cabinet," No. 8, Vol. 12. These numbers will cost six cents each, no
charge being made for postage. It is our intention to publish such
articles in this and succeeding volumes, whenever the opportunity is
presented of giving the boys novel and useful ideas in the "how to make"
line.

M.S.S.--1. The sun's average distance from the earth is about 93,000,000
miles. Since the orbit of the earth is elliptical, and the sun is
situated at one of its foci, the earth is nearly 3,000,000 miles further
from the sun in midsummer than it is in midwinter in the northern
hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, these conditions are exactly
reversed. 2. U.S. Senators are elected by the legislatures of the States
they represent, while members of the National House or Representatives
are elected by the people. 3. It is not considered improper to write a
short message or letter on a half-sheet of paper; in fact, some styles
of writing paper consist of but a single sheet. 4. The use of a
moderately stiff tooth-brush, clean water and castile soap will keep
the teeth white and in good condition. Tooth-powders are injurious.
5. Nickel-plating should not be exposed to dampness, and must be kept
bright by wiping with a soft rag.

CAPTAIN CHAP.--The total population of the earth is estimated at
1,480,000,000--of which Europe has 357,000,000; Asia, 826,000,000;
Africa, 164,000,000; America, 122,000,000; Australia, 3,500,000; the
Oceanic Islands, 7,500,000. The density of population is greatest in
Europe--Belgium standing at the head, followed by the Netherlands, Great
Britain and Ireland, Italy, Japan, the German Empire, China, British
India, Switzerland, France, Austria, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, West
Indies and the United States. More than one-fourth of the human race is
found in China and Japan, the former counting 350,000,000 and the latter
40,000,000; more than one-fifth is in India, 324,000,000, of which
286,000,000 belong to British India. The only one of the chief European
States that exceeds this country in population is Russia, with
93,000,000. The others range thus: German Empire, 49,000,000:
Austria-Hungary, 41,000,000; France, 38,000,000; Great Britain and
Ireland, 38,000,000; Italy, 30,000,000; and Spain, 17,000,000.

LELIA and PHILIP.--1. A high-class eight-wheel passenger locomotive
engine costs about $8500. 2. The strength of a steam engine is commonly
marked by its horse-power. By one horse-power is meant a force strong
enough to raise up 33,000 pounds one foot high in a minute. James Watt,
the noted mechanician, engineer and scientist, famous as the improver,
and almost the inventor of the steam engine, established the horse-power
unit, and the figures were fixed in the following curious manner: He
found that the average horse of his district could raise 22,000 pounds
one foot a minute, and that this was the actual horse-power. At that
time, however, Watt was employed in the manufacture of engines, and
customers were so hard to find that it was necessary to offer extra
inducements. So, as a method of encouraging them, he offered to sell
engines reckoning 33,000 foot-pounds to a horse-power. Thus he was the
means of giving a false unit to one of the most important measurements
in the world, as, in reality, there are no horses to be found that can
keep at work raising 33,000 pounds one foot a minute.

INEZ and C.A.S.H.--Miles Standish was a Puritan soldier, who came to New
England in the Mayflower in 1620. He was born in Lancashire, England,
about 1584, and served as a soldier in the Netherlands. He was chosen
captain of the New Plymouth settlers, though not a member of the church.
In stature he was small, possessed great energy, activity and courage,
and rendered important service to the early settlers by inspiring
Indians, disposed to be hostile, with awe for the English. In 1625,
Standish visited England as agent for the Plymouth Colony, and returned
with supplies the next year. His wife, Rose Standish, was one of the
victims of the famine and fever of 1621. Five years later, he settled at
Duxbury, Mass., where he lived the remainder of his days, administering
the office of magistrate, or assistant, until his death on October 8,
1656. A monument to his memory was erected several years ago on
Captain's Hill, in Duxbury. Longfellow has written a beautiful poem
describing the captain's second wooing, when he desired to make
Priscilla Mullens his wife, entitled the "Courtship of Miles Standish."

DISTRICT COLUMBIA.--No vessel has ever been built that exceeded the
Great Eastern in size. Her dimensions were: Length, 680 feet, between
perpendiculars, or 692 feet upper deck; breadth, 83 feet, or 118 feet
over paddle-boxes: height of hull, 60 feet, or 70 feet to the top of the
bulwarks. The paddle-wheels were 56 feet in diameter by 13 feet in
depth, with 30 spokes in each wheel, and the coal-bunkers, to supply all
the engines, could contain 14,000 tons. Her propeller-shaft was 160 feet
long, with a screw propeller at one end 24 feet in diameter. She had 6
masts, carrying 7000 yards of sail, as auxiliary to the steam power:
10 cables, some of which weighed 10 tons each. She had facilities for
accommodating 800 saloon passengers, 2000 second class, 1200 third class
and 400 officers and crew; or 5000 might have been placed on her, if
emigrants or troops. She was used for several purposes, serving as a
troop ship in 1861, as a passenger vessel, and then was permanently
chartered for laying the Atlantic cable, all of the passenger fittings
being removed in 1867. In this she proved a success, having been used,
not only for the laying of the cable named, but also for several other
important lines, in the Mediterranean, in the Red Sea, across the
Indian Ocean and elsewhere. Then she was laid up, and the last report
concerning her was that, after being run for a short time as a coal
ship, she was sold and broken up, having outlived her usefulness. The
enormous expense attendant upon the maintenance of such an ocean monster
proved a drawback to continued success from the day she was launched, at
Millwall, England, January 31, 1858.

HARRY and JAY. Two exchange notices from one person are allowed in each
volume, thus giving all our readers an equal chance.--HENRY M.S. Your
query was answered in No. 51, Vol. 12, in its regular turn.--F.H.G.
Addresses of any description are never given in this department.
--BILLY. Commodore George Dewey is Chief of the Bureau of Equipment
and Recruiting, Navy Department. Washington, D.C.--INQUIS I. TIVE
"Electro-Motors and How to Make Them," No. 3. Vol. 12.--W.R. No
premium.--STUDENT. The book may be procured from a local dealer.--H.G.B.
It is supposed to be a reliable institution.--CHAS. McG 1. The course
pointed out is the only one to pursue. If you allow a false modesty to
deter you, nothing remains to be done but suffer. 2. The exchange notice
is too trivial.--WEEKLY BUYER. Stove trimmings are nickel-plated in
the regular way. Read the article on electro-plating in Vol. 11, No.
23.--EDWARD B. Selling cheap jewelry and novelties on the street corners
may net a living income in large cities to those who are experienced in
such work, usually called "faking." It is not at all probable that it
could be made a profitable calling in Texas.--X.Y.Z. Perpetual motion
stands at the head of the absolute impossibilities of life; therefore,
the government has never offered a prize for the solution of this
mythical problem.--RANGER. Nitro-glycerine is one of the most dangerous
explosives known; consequently, we cannot conscientiously describe its
manufacture in this place, thus jeopardizing the lives of thoughtless
persons who might attempt to make it if such a formula was furnished.
--E.C.S. If in first-class condition, the three-dollar gold-piece of
1878 might be sold for $3.40.

-> Several communications have been received which will be answered next
week.

* * * * *

Not a Local Disease

Because Catarrh affects your head, it is not therefore a local disease.
If it did not exist in your blood, it could not manifest itself in your
nose. The blood now in your brain is, before you finish reading this
article, back in your heart again, and soon distributed to your liver,
stomach, kidneys, and so on. Whatever impurities the blood does not
carry away, cause what we call diseases. Therefore, when you have
catarrh in the head, a snuff or other inhalant can at most give only
temporary relief. The only way to effect a cure is to attack the
disease in the blood, by taking a constitutional remedy like Hood's
Sarsaparilla, which eliminates all impurities and thus permanently cures
Catarrh. The success of Hood's Sarsaparilla as a remedy for Catarrh is
vouched for by many people it has cured.
N.B.--Be sure to get Hood's.

Hood's Sarsaparilla

Sold by all druggists, $1; six for $5. Prepared only by C.I. HOOD & CO.,
Apothecaries, Lowell, Mass

100 Doses One Dollar

Sold by all druggists, $1; six for $5. Prepared only by C.I. HOOD & CO.,
Apothecaries, Lowell, Mass

100 Doses One Dollar

* * * * *

[Illustration:
(CUTICURA SOAP
For
BAD COMPLEXIONS
RED ROUGH HANDS
and
BABY HUMORS.)]

BAD COMPLEXIONS, WITH PIMPLY,
blotchy, oily skin, Red, Rough Hands, with chaps, painful finger ends
and shapeless nails, and simple Baby Humors prevented and cured by
CUTICURA SOAP. A marvelous beautifier of world-wide celebrity, it is
simply incomparable as a Skin Purifying Soap, unequalled for the Toilet
and without a rival for the Nursery. Absolutely pure, delicately
medicated, exquisitely perfumed, CUTICURA SOAP produces the whitest,
clearest skin and softest hands, and prevents inflammation and clogging
of the pores, the cause of pimples, blackheads and most complexional
disfigurations, while it admits of no comparison with the best of other
skin soaps, and rivals in delicacy the most noted and expensive of
toilet and nursery soaps. Sale greater than the combined sales of all
other skin soaps.

Sold throughout the world. Price, 25c.

Send for "How to Cure Skin and Blood Diseases."

Address *Potter Drug and Chemical Corporation*,
Proprietors, Boston, Mass.

Aching sides and back, weak kidneys, and rheumatism relieved in one
minute by the celebrated *Cuticura Anti-Pain Plaster*. 25c.

[Illustration:

(GARLAND STOVES AND RANGES

OVER 100 KINDS
AND SIZES
FROM $10.00 TO 75.00

THE GENUINE
ALL PURE IRON
TRADE MARK
BEWARE OF
IMITATIONS

The World's Best)]

The Dancing Skeleton.

A jointed figure of a skeleton. Dances to music and performs various
tricks. When placed in a chair or on a table it will begin to move,
stand up, lie down, &c., to the great astonishment of all. More fun than
a box of monkeys. Just the thing for social gatherings. Sample by mail,
*10 cents*, three for *25 cents*, one dozen *50 cents*. Stamps taken.
Address HOME NOVELTY Co., Providence. R.I.

*In Luck Certain.*

After trying to sell books, pictures and wringers, and nearly every
contrivance imaginable, I became discouraged and thought there was no
chance for a poor man to earn a living. There was nothing to do on the
farm, and I could not get a job in town, when I happened to see how a
teacher made money selling platers, and thought I would try my luck. I
bought a $5 Lightning Plater from H.F. Delno & Co., Columbus, Ohio, and
from that day my luck seemed to change. I carried the plater from house
to house and plated knives, forks and spoons right before the folks, and
it is surprising how many want their things plated. I made $3.70 the
first day, and in one week $28. I can plate with nickel, silver or gold.
The work is fine, my customers are pleased and I am happy. I hope some
other fellow who is down on his luck will see this, and do as I have
done and get up in the world.
WILLIAM EVANS.

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