Questions and Answers.

C. Arnold Kruckman, 1235 North Thirteenth Street, St. Louis, is a bright "Shut-in," and wants to join a literary club as a corresponding member, and to contribute to amateur papers. The N.A.P.A., dear Sir Arnold, is a national association of young persons who publish or contribute to amateur papers. It has a full set of officers, elected annually. Besides, there are, in close affiliation with the National Association, local or district associations, as the Pacific, the Maryland, the New England, etc., each having its own officers. Indeed, so many officers are there that one has to get pretty well into the "dom" in order to tell off-hand who is who, and where all belong. If you fail to hear from President Hancock of the National Association, write to Edgar R. Bauer, 3328 South Ninth Street, your city, to Fred W. Arnold, 3221 State Street, Chicago, or to Charles R. Burger, Colorado Springs, Col.

H. Barker asks how to make a strong but cheap battery to operate an electric bell. It is better to buy than to make a battery, because cheaper. You can get from Bonnell & Co., New York, a good cell for seventy-five cents that will last a long time, and it is what is called a "dry" battery, hence it does not overflow. If you must make one, you will find the "dry" kind expensive, so make a gravity one. Take a glass candy jar and put into the bottom some old copper, any shape. To it attach covered wire, leading out of the jar. Suspend about the middle a piece of zinc, and fasten to it a second wire. Pour lukewarm water in until the zinc is well covered, and drop into it a dozen bits of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper). Let stand for two or three days, cleaning the zinc with a brush daily. Lester L. Riley, 929 East Fifth Street, Dayton, O., wants to send to publishers of amateur papers some stories, poems, etc. Who wants them? W. Randall Sperlock, 3108 Imogene Avenue, Mt. Auburn, Cincinnati, O., is desirous of procuring a copy of Harper's Young People, No. 640, dated February 2, 1892. Who can sell it to him?

Edward D. Cassin: Tuition in the large colleges varies from $40 to $150 a year. Select your college and apply to the Dean for rates. Military academies are located at many points—Manlius, N. Y., Chester, Pa., Cornwall, N. Y., etc. See list of them in the advertising pages of Harper's Magazine. Subjects embraced in the New York Regents' examination are some twenty in number. For full information, which would require this entire page to give you here, apply to Melvil Dewey, Secretary of the State Board of Regents, Albany. The price of the papers, with full explanations, is twenty-five cents. The principal of your school is likely to possess a copy.

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.

The new Cuban Republic, it is understood, has made arrangements with parties in New York city for the printing of bonds and postage-stamps. As yet no designs for stamps have been seen.

In the past few months I have had occasion to examine a large number of stamps, and several collections belonging to members of the "Round Table." I am sorry to say that a great many of the stamps show that they have not been handled with the care they should have had, especially in the matter of hinges, or "stickers." These are seemingly very insignificant things, and any dealer will supply hinges for 10c. per 1000, while for 15c. a very superior quality can be obtained. Home-made hinges frequently injure the stamps through chemicals in the gum or paste making a change in the color of the stamp. Of course the majority of stamps I have seen have been very common stamps, but every collector should take as great pains in the mounting of common stamps as of the most valuable specimens. I advise you to use the best hinges that can be obtained. Their cost is insignificant, and they will save you many damaged stamps.

I have sometimes been asked to recommend Philatelic publications. This has led me to investigate as to the number of Philatelic publications that have been issued up to date. I find that their number is at least 16,000, and probably 20,000 in all. Of these about one-half are in the English language, and most of these have been issued in America. Nearly one-third are in the German language. The balance is distributed among the French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, etc. Most Philatelic journals have ended their career before the end of the first volume, and very few survive a second year.

C. C. Dunning, Wrightsville, Pa., wants to exchange rare coins.

J. F. Hammond, Harford, N.Y., wants to exchange stamps.

J. Hall.—Beware of counterfeit grilled stamps. They are apt to deceive any one not an expert.

J. Schmidtberger.—Only 363 sets of the U. S. State Department $5, $10, and $20 stamps were made. They should be of equal value, but they are not. The $5 is worth the other three together.

J. A. Rayce.—English stamps are often marked by perforations in the form of initials. This is done to prevent theft, as the owners can prove their property.

J. O'Neal.—Your gold coins have no premiums. You can get a coin book through any dealer.

B. B. Morris.—The 1857 "flying eagle" is worth 5c. if it has been circulated but still in fine condition. The 1856 "flying eagle" is worth $4.

Squire Reick.—No premium.

Reader.—Take the offer of $1 for the 1822 silver half-dollar. You can do no better.

A. Parrish.—I cannot tell you what advertisers mean by "good," but I should say they do not mean uncancelled.

R. N. Kofoid.—It is not advisable to take Revenue stamps from legal documents, unless these documents of themselves have no value at this time.

J. Kolb.—Afghanistan postage-stamps, either used or unused, are very scarce. It is almost an impossibility to obtain a perfect used copy, for the reason that the postage officials in Afghanistan construe their instructions to cancel the stamps used for postage by tearing out a piece of the same, therefore genuinely used stamps from this country can be obtained in no other form.

Philatus.

A bath as cleansing, sweet and mild
As Ivory makes it, always seems
To bring such comfort, that the child
Drops fast asleep with happy dreams.