CARDS

The FINEST SAMPLE BOOK of Gold Beveled Edge, Hidden Name, Silk Fringe, Envelope and Calling Cards ever offered for a 2 cent stamp. These are GENUINE CARDS, NOT TRASH. UNION CARD CO., COLUMBUS, OHIO.

Our

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Catalogue

will help you decide the perplexing question:

"What shall I get for Christmas?"

Games of numerous kinds, toys, useful and valuable articles. It's worth looking over, even if you don't buy a thing—and we want you to see its attractive pages, anyway.

The generous premium offers are very tempting—easily won. Many a boy and girl will thank us, on Christmas Day, for showing so easy a way to earn Christmas presents.

It's surprising, too, how many mothers and older sisters and brothers take advantage of these offers! Will you be one of them?

Full information, blanks, etc., free for the asking.

ALPHA PUBLISHING CO.,

212 Boylston St., Boston.

Postage Stamps, &c.

1000 Mixed Foreign Postage Stamps, including Fiji Islands, Samoa, Hawaii, Hong Kong, for 34c. in stamps; 10 varieties U. S. Columbian stamps, 25c.; entire unused 5c. and 10c. Columbian Envelopes, 25c. the pair. Only a limited number were issued by U. S. Government. E. F. GAMBS, Box 2631, San Francisco, Cal. Established, 1872.

STAMPS! 800 fine mixed Victoria, Cape of G. H., India, Japan, etc., with fine Stamp Album, only 10c. New 80-p. Price-list free. Agents wanted at 50% commission. STANDARD STAMP CO., 4 Nicholson Place, St. Louis, Mo. Old U. S. and Confederate Stamps bought.

100 all dif. Venezuela, Bolivia, etc., only 10c.; 200 all dif. Hayti, Hawaii, etc., only 50c. Ag'ts w't'd at 50%# com. List FREE! C. A. Stegmann, 5941 Cote Brilliante Ave., St. Louis, Mo.

150 Scarce Stamps from Liberia, Bosnia, Costa Rica, Angola, Grenada, Fiji, etc., many unused and scarce. Price, 25c. Address ERIE STAMP CO., 1014 Superior St., Toledo, O.

500 Mixed Australian, etc., 10c.; 105 varieties, and nice album, 10c.; 15 unused, 10c.; 10 Africa, 10c.; 15 Asia, 10c. F.P. Vincent, Chatham, N.Y.

FINE PACKETS in large variety. Stamps at 50% com. Col's bought. Northwestern Stamp Co., Freeport, Ill.

1000 STAMPS, 10c.

Old Colony Stamp Co.,

Plainville, Mass.

To Meet Mr. Kirk Munroe.

You are all invited to meet Mr. Kirk Munroe on Wednesday evening, November 20th, at eight o'clock, at St. Agnes Hall, 121 West Ninety-first Street, New York. The "you" includes all Knights, Ladies, and Patrons of the Order, and all their friends, young, old, and middle-aged. Mr. Munroe will read from his own works, tell stories of his travels, and, as far as possible, greet you by the hand. He will also tell you of the work at Good Will Farm, in which he is greatly interested.

An opportunity will be given all present to contribute to the School Fund. If you cannot attend, send your contribution by a friend. No tickets of admission are required, and no admission fee to the hall will be charged.

To reach St. Agnes Hall, take either the Sixth or Ninth Avenue elevated trains, the Broadway cable (Columbus Avenue cars), or the Sixth Avenue horse-cars. On the "L" get off at Ninety-third Street station; the surface cars at Ninety-first Street. The hall is just west of Columbus Avenue, north side of Ninety-first Street. Although well uptown the hall is conveniently reached from any part of New York, and even from Brooklyn. Hence we hope to see a large attendance.

Time did not permit the formation of a general Committee of Arrangements. Had it been possible, there should have appeared on such committee the names of several active Ladies of New York and Brooklyn who are much interested In the Fund. Under the circumstances the following named Knights kindly took charge of the details: Beverly S. King, Louis J. Vance, Leon C. Eils, Simon T. Stern, Julien M. Winnemore, Charles Frederick Hoffman, Upton B. Sinclair, Jun., Richard J. Drake, Grant Knauff, Walter A. Sill, A. B. Horne, George M. Kelley, Henry H. Risley, LeRoy Orvis, Frank J. Smyth, Halsey R. Graves, Louis A. Walsh, and Allyn Williams.

We hope all members, whether on this committee or not, will act as if they were on it and do their best to make this reception a success. As the old phrase has it, "Come, and bring your friends."

Earning the Order's Badges.

The new badges do not supplant the old ones. The latter are still badges of the Order, and in applying you should say whether you want the pansy leaves or the rose. The new badge is the wild rose, taken from the centre of the original King Arthur round table. It is an exact reproduction of it, as you may see by examining it in the red seal on the bottom of your Patent. The badges are now made in sterling silver and solid gold, both stick-pins. Their prices are 10 cents and 85 cents respectively.

Members who may wish to avail themselves of it are offered the chance of giving fifteen Round Table circulars to persons likely to be interested in them, and in payment have the silver badge. The offer is restricted. That is, our supply of circulars will not last always. In applying you may use a postal card, the figure "9." Sign your name and address. Circulars and badge will be mailed you, unless the supply of the former is exhausted, in which case you will be notified by letter. When you send the card bearing the figure it is a pledge to us that you will fulfil this condition, viz.: To give them, one in a family, to persons who will appreciate them.

If you wish to distribute Prospectuses, and earn a more valuable prize, we offer: For placing seventy-five in as many good families, and commending the Round Table, a gold badge of the Order, or fifty visiting cards bearing your name, with copper plate for future use; fifty, a rubber stamp bearing your name and address; and twenty-five, a pencil resembling a common nail. When the number we wish has been given out in your town we reserve the right to so notify you and to not fill your order. But the offer is open now to all members, to teachers, parents, and all who pledge themselves to obey the condition. In applying say how many you wish, what prize you seek, and what are your facilities for placing them.

To Cincinnati Members.

On Monday evening, November 18th, at Avon Hall, Avondale, your city, there is to be a literary reception, at which will be exhibited the collection of rare literary treasures which belong, in part, to the School Fund, or have been loaned by publishers for its benefit. There are also to be explanations of how magazines are made; how pictures are prepared; stories about famous authors and artists, all told by a man who has been long in journalism and long in contact with those who make periodicals. While the reception is a local affair, your attendance will help the School Fund, and all Cincinnati members are earnestly urged to go.

Entertainments for the Fund.

Besides the literary reception in Cincinnati there are not a few holiday entertainments being planned for the Fund. Can there not be more? One is in Winsted, Conn., by the John Burroughs Chapter. Lady Gertrude Clare, 234 Garside Street, Newark, N.J., is willing to send some things for a fair. John H. Campbell. Jun., 413 School Lane, Germantown, wants to hear from other Philadelphia members who will help him in something in aid of the Fund. This is a good beginning. Shall we hear from more?

The St. Ives Puzzle.

In the St. Ives puzzle the word "a," in Question Five, should read "in"—that is, the description ought to be, not that a certain thing should be a prison, but that, it should be in prison. There is no error in Question Two, as so many seem to think.

Origin of Croquet.

Vincent Beede asks the origin of croquet. The game croquet is derived by some writers from the French paille maille, played In Languedoc as early as the thirteenth century. It was played with a ball and mallet, similar to what we now use, and two hoops, or a hoop and peg, the game being won by the player who ran the hoop or hoops and touched the peg, under certain conditions, in the fewest strokes. It Is said that the game was brought to Ireland from southern France by a daughter of Sir Edward McNaughten, some twenty-five years ago.

Carolyn G. Thorne.

A Glimpse Into a Southern City.

In a basket of fruit that was sent me some days ago were bright red apples, clear-stone peaches, Catawba grapes, pears, the damson, and scuppernong grapes. When piled on a waiter they made a beautiful study. These were all grown on a small farm in the upper section of the State.

The staple food for the negroes, in September, is the watermelon. Melons can be got very cheap, and when out walking you invariably see a trio of "darky boys" sitting on the curbstone disputing over a division of one. I went on a delightful sail up the Ashley River one afternoon last week. On one side of the river is John's Island, and on the other James Island. A good supply of the vegetables we get is raised on James Island, brought to the city by the colored farmers, and sold on the streets. An early morning walk to the wharf at which vegetables arrive is interesting. In the distance you hear the babble of voices. Coming nearer, you see colored "maumas," men, and boys, running hither and thither, selling and buying the different vegetables, at the same time laughing and talking with the usual good nature of the "island darky." Here the housekeeper can buy her vegetables for a small sum. As the hucksters get farther up into the city their prices advance.

On John's Island I noticed along the river-bank, several fields of Sea Island cotton. In some fields the cotton plant was just in flower; in others the cotton was ready for picking; in others again the cotton had already been picked and sent to market. It looked as if we were going to have an early fall, for the leaves of the trees and shrubs were already commencing to turn red and brown, and drop. One of our river excursions led to Kiawah. Our own writer, William Gilmore Simms, has illustrated this fair spot by his story the Cassique of Kiawah. It was as still, the waters as clear, the moon shone as brightly, and the rabbits and squirrels seemed as numerous as in those early days when the dark-browed Indian maiden listened to the wooing of the brave Indian chief.

In another letter I will tell about Fort Sumter, and our beautiful historic White Point garden, and the important industry which gives employment to so many laborers—the phosphate-works.

E. Barry O'Driscoll.
Charleston, S. C.

Something for the Fund.

The first week in December is the one for fairs and entertainments. Can you not plan one in aid of the School Fund? Ask your friends and see if they will help you. "Everything comes to those who try."

A Good Trick to Try.

Bachet is the originator of this interesting trick: Let three things be chosen, say a ring, a dime, and a glove, to be distributed privately among three persons. Call the ring A, the dime E, and the glove I, and in your own mind distinguish the persons as the first, second, and third. Then take twenty-four checkers, and give one to the first person, two to the second, and three to the third. Place the remainder on a table and leave the room, so that the three persons may distribute the articles among themselves. Returning, ask that when you have again retired the person having the ring shall take from the remaining eighteen checkers as many as he has already, the one who has the dime twice as many, and the person who has the glove four times as many as he already has.

According to this, the first person has taken one, the second four, and the third twelve, consequently but one counter remains on the table. When you again enter the room you discover what article each has got by the following words:

123567
Par ferCesarjadisdevintsigrandprince.

In making use of these words, recollect that in all cases there can remain only one counter, or two, three, five, six, or seven, and never four. Notice also that each syllable contains one of the vowels (a,e,i) which represent the three articles. The above line must be considered as consisting of only three words; the first syllable of each word must be supposed to represent the first person, and the second syllable the second. If there remains but one counter, you must employ the first word, or rather the two first syllables, par fer. The first syllable contains a, showing that the first person has the ring. The second syllable contains e, showing that the second person has the dime. The third person, of course, has the glove. In general, whatever number of counters remain, the word of the verse which is pointed out by this number must be used.

Vincent V. M. Beede.

An Explanation Wanted.

Cut a circle out of a piece of card-board and draw a line across it that divides it into two exactly equal parts. Then hold a pencil perpendicularly, one end resting on the table. Place the circle on the table so that the line on the card-board will be hid by the pencil. Now move the card-board along the table, and you will see that the upper part of the circle moves farther from the place where it rested against the pencil than the lower part does from the place where the pencil rests on the table. This would seem to prove that the upper part of a wheel goes faster than the lower part does. Will some one please explain this? I can't.

C. B.
South Auburn, Neb.

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.

Owing to the enormous quantity of Columbian stamps bought as a speculation by dealers and by collectors, the prices advance very slowly. In fact, the only advances have been made as the result of "corners." One dealer bought up all the $1, and advanced the price to $5, and later on to $6. Another dealer bought up all the $2, and will not sell any at less than $4.50, and probably will run up the price to $5 or $6 shortly. Probably some of the other values will be bought up by other dealers, and the net result will be that a set of Columbians will cost $75 or $100. Or perhaps this speculation will work its own destruction through the diminution of collectors, in which case the speculators will lose the interest on their investments, and possibly some of their capital.

I am glad to see that the Round Table readers in the South are taking special interest in Confederate stamps. With a few exceptions these are very rare, and in compliance with several requests I will give illustrations of almost all the Confederate stamps known. If space permits I shall begin with next week's issue.

G. N. C.—A number of coins issued previous to 1850, and valuable. For instance, the 1796 and 1797 half-dollars are quoted by dealers at $75 each. The coins mentioned by you are not rare. Dealers supply them at about double the face value.

A. Simon.—As a beginning, to make up a stamp-collection, I advise you to purchase packets of stamps from responsible dealers. You can buy twenty-five different packets from the oldest stamp dealer in America, and probably from others, for 25c. to $25 per packet. The packets contain from 10 to 1500 different stamps, according to price and rarity of the stamps.

V. M. Wakeman.—The stamps were used from 1851 to 1861, and have no value, as hundreds of millions were used during that time.

S. Young.—The Spanish dollar you have is worth its weight as silver. "Correos y Telegs" means "Postage and Telegraph." "Helvetia" means "Switzerland." "Oesterr Post" means "Austrian Post."

G. France.—The Internal Revenue stamps were first used during the war. Most of the stamps were discontinued after 1878, but some are still used. A few of the early ones are rare, but the most are so common that they have little value.

F. Gardner.—The coins mentioned can be bought of coin dealers at a slight advance on face.

T. F. McDermott.—The stamp is the 2c. U.S. Internal Revenue Proprietary used during the last war. If unperforated and with good margins it is worth $1.50; if perforated it is worth nothing.

S. B. Stephens.—You will find illustrations and descriptions of the last Mexico stamps in Harper's Round Table for May 7, 1895. You can buy Mexican Revenues from the larger stamp dealers in New York, also U.S. Revenues. There are five J. F. Henry stamps worth from 10c. to $10 each, according to rarity and condition.

C. M.—Very few philatelists have any doubt as to the advisability of leaving Abyssinian stamps severely alone.

R. Baker.—The ordinary foreign coins are so little collected in this country that no values can be obtained.

Try it for just one wash. Ivory Soap costs a little more, but it takes less to do the work, and how much whiter clothes are when they have been washed with it.

The Procter & Gamble Co., Cin'ti.