Prizes.
In the Winter Competition there will be a First Prize of a Guinea Volume; a Second Prize of a Half-Guinea Volume; a Third Prize of a Five-Shilling Volume, awarded in Each Division, viz., the Senior Division for girls and boys between the ages of 14 and 16 (inclusive), and the Junior Division for those under 14 years of age. There will also be awards of Bronze Medals of the Little Folks Legion of Honour to the three next highest of the Competitors following the Prize-winners in each Division.
Regulations.
Solutions of the Puzzles published in this number must reach the Editor not later than December 8th (December 12th for Competitors residing abroad), addressed as under:—
The Editor of "Little Folks,"
La Belle Sauvage Yard,
Ludgate Hill,
London, E.C.
Answers to Puzzles.
Junior [or Senior] Division.
Solutions to Puzzles must be accompanied by certificates from a Parent, Teacher, or other responsible person, stating that they are the sole and unaided work of the competitor. No assistance must be given by any other person.
Competitors can be credited only under their own name.
The decision of the Editor of Little Folks on all matters must be considered final.
The names and addresses of Prize and Medal winners will be duly published in Little Folks.
GAME PUZZLE FOR DECEMBER.
scylla and charybdis: a game for four players.
Our readers will all recollect the classical story of Scylla and Charybdis, the former a maiden changed by Circe into a hideous sea-monster, who threw herself into the sea and became a rock, the latter changed by Jupiter into a foaming whirlpool. Vessels which avoided the rock of Scylla were oft-times prone to fall into the dangerous whirlpool of Charybdis.
On this legend our Puzzle this month is based, though the two classical dangers will be now only two little children who will try to seize on the argosies which their brothers and sisters send through the straits.
To begin which, settle a subject on which you will have your Competition—Botany, History, Geography, Astronomy, Natural History, or any other you may select—then cut out a number of pieces of cardboard about this size—
For ordinary subjects you may be able to cut out from the largest type used in the daily or weekly papers, syllables that will meet your requirements, but for special subjects, such as Botany, Astronomy, &c., you will find it better to write your own pieces of cardboard in a good bold, clear style.
You will want a considerable quantity of syllables, and the words in all cases should range from simple ones, easy to be discovered, to more difficult and puzzling words.
Having got a quantity of syllables, arrange them in three groups: (1) the simple words, (2) the more difficult, (3) the most difficult. Keep these groups in separate boxes, and these separate boxes again in one large box marked with the subject of the play.
Four players now arrange themselves thus: two as mariners, one at either end of the table, and two as Scylla and Charybdis, one on each side of it.
The ship will consist of a little Japanese tray, or lid of a cardboard box, with a piece of string fixed at either end to draw it by. In this are placed the syllables forming two words, and one of the mariners draws it slowly across the table. As it passes along, Scylla and Charybdis try to discover the words it contains, and if they can do so ere it passes they appropriate the cargo, and the ship reaches the opposite end of the table from which it started empty! It is again freighted and sent back, this time perhaps its contents are not discovered. And thus the game goes on till all the words are exhausted, when a count is made. Suppose 50 words were sent across the straits, the record might read:
| The Mariners gained | 27 words |
| Scylla and Charybdis gained | 23 words |
| —-— | |
| The game won by the Mariners by 4 words. | |
Now we will proceed to give our Puzzle. The syllables given below will be found, when correctly sorted out and arranged, to form the names of the characters indicated in the explanatory notes at the foot.
Senior Division.
| ih | igna | van | so | pe | mor | tius | ba |
| nuc | varn | no | hah | no | car | re | chi |
| lac | hage | delo | to | nn | tt | aca | ll |
| nem | nvon | yola | ense | chi | ann | lla | ca |
1. The "Michael Angelo" of Spain.
2. A cruel Roman Emperor, assassinated by a soldier.
3. He is said to have written the lines—
"When Adam delved and Eve span,
Where was then the gentleman."
4. A German physician, whose motto was: "Similia similibus curantur."
5. A page, soldier, philosopher, and Jesuit.
6. A Swedish philosopher.
7. A Florentine painter; he has a celebrated picture in the Louvre, called "Charity."
8. A Prussian statesman, author of various works.
9. A Spanish navigator who assisted Pizarro.
10. A Quaker, founder of a colony, author, &c.
11. A celebrated general in Afghanistan, &c.
12. An Italian musical composer who wrote several oratorios, operas, and masses.
Junior Division.
| ko | mar | new | yps | th | di | wa | cam |
| po | add | cia | bla | peg | nus | chr | ina |
| nch | gla | ila | pe | ing | rd | ist | gio |
| dst | gate | one | om | nti | ard | ton | ch |
1. An antiquary who left money to the Oxford University for "a copy of English verses."
2. Emperor of the East, married the widow of Theodosius the Younger.
3. French historian and member of Legislative Assembly.
4. A self-taught Ayrshire sculptor.
5. A hospodar of Moldavia and Wallachia.
6. A Bishop of Salisbury, astronomer and mathematician.
7. Author of "Rape of the Lock."
8. A Speaker of the House of Commons, Premier, and Home Secretary.
9. A French aeronaut, killed by the explosion of a balloon.
10. The Papal legate who attended the trial of an English Queen.
11. A Swedish Queen who, having abdicated, abjured Lutheranism, and was pensioned by the Pope.
12. A Lord of the Treasury, Secretary for Colonies, Master of the Mint, President of Board of Trade, Chancellor of Exchequer, Premier, author, &c.
* *
*
In order to gain full number of marks Competitors must arrange the names in the proper order, placing them as numbered in the lights.
[The Editor requests that all inquiries and replies intended for insertion in Little Folks should have the words "Questions and Answers" written on the left-hand top corners of the envelopes containing them. Only those which the Editor considers suitable and of general interest to his readers will be printed.]
Prize Competitions, &c.
X Y Z, Swallow.—[The names of the winners of the Silver Medals will be printed in the February Number.—Ed.]
Literature.
A Lover of Poetry would like to know where the following line occurs, and by whom it was written:—
"The league long roller thund'ring on the reef."
Rags and Tatters wishes to know where the following lines are taken from, and who is the author:—
"Till the day break and shadows flee away
In that far future dawn that knows not death."
Ethel writes, in answer to Little Maid of Arcadie, that the quotation—
"Evil is wrought by want of thought,
As well as want of heart"—
is from a poem by Thomas Hood, entitled "The Lady's Dream." Answers also received from several other readers.
Work.
Nelly asks if any one could tell her how to make a pretty and simple lace collar.
Cookery.
Ruby and A Strawberry are informed that full directions for making toffee appear on page 335 of this number.
General.
Pansy and M. E. would be glad if any one would tell her how to press flowers, as those she has done have gone brown.
Gummy would be very pleased if any one could give him a few hints on satin-painting; has the satin to be prepared before it can be painted on? if so, how?
Verus would like to know of a very simple way of making an Æolian harp, if any one could tell her.—[The method was described in the May, 1882, number of Little Folks, Vol. XV., p. 319.—Ed.]
The Shamrock of Freiling would be glad to know if any of the readers of Little Folks could tell them how to bleach grass for making Markart bouquets.
Daffodil asks if any one will tell her how to paint on tiles with water-colours.
Natural History.
Edith would like to know what is the best food for rabbits, and how often they ought to be fed. [They should be fed twice a day, every time clearing away everything and giving quite fresh food. The staple diet must be what is called "dry food," varied, such as dry crust of bread, bread soaked in milk and squeezed dry, barley meal mixed with a very little hot water, oatmeal same way, dry barley or oats. You need not use all, but vary now and then. Give beside every day a moderate quantity of fresh green leaves, kept first long enough to dry off all dew or rain, and begin slightly to wither.]
Parthenope would be glad to know what would be the best food for a starling in the winter?—[A sort of stock food is made of the fine-ground oats called "fig-dust," made into a stiff dough with milk and water, adding every day a pinch of soaked currants or a little fine-shredded raw beef. Give a little fruit now and then, and a few odd worms, insects, or snails. A little sopped bread will be taken as a change, but there must be a little animal food.]
Mary Brazier asks what is the best food for a dormouse. She knows that a little Indian corn is often given.—[You should vary the diet with wheat, Indian corn, bits of bread-crust, bread-and-milk squeezed dry, with any kind of nut occasionally, and a few blades of grass or field weeds.]
ANSWERS TO OUR LITTLE FOLKS' OWN PUZZLES (p. 317).
POETICAL ACROSTIC.—Campbell.
1. C hâteaubriand. 2. A lfieri. 3. M ilton. 4. P etraria. 5. B yron. 6. E ulla. 7. L eopardi. 8. L amartine.
MISSING VOWEL PUZZLE.
"Break, break, break,
On thy cold grey stones, O sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me."
DOUBLE GEOGRAPHICAL ACROSTIC.
Italy—Garda.
1. I ou G. 2. T arif A. 3. A nadi R. 4. L ichfiel D. 5. Y andill A.
MENTAL HISTORICAL SCENE.
Epaminondas, at the battle of Mantinea.
NUMERICAL ENIGMA.
"O what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!"
1. Lear. 2. Train. 3. Drain. 4. Weep. 5. Character. 6. Brew. 7. Goad. 8. What. 9. Wife. 10. Drove. 11. Wander. 12. Save. 13. Stew. 14. Sleep. 15. It.
FOUR PICTORIAL PROVERBS.
1. "All are not thieves that dogs bark at."
2. "A rolling stone gathers no moss."
3. "Count not your chickens before they are hatched."
4. "When the cat is away the mice do play."
To My Readers
hat are you going to give us in the next Volume?" is, I dare say, the question which is in some of your minds to ask me; so, as usual on reaching the end of a half-year, I will tell you of a few of the arrangements made for the New Volume, beginning with the January Number. These include:—
A Serial Story by the Author of "A Little Too Clever," "Margaret's Enemy," "Maid Marjory," &c., to continue from month to month; and a Second Serial Story, by Henry Frith, called "King Charles's Page; or, Two Children's Adventures in the Time of the Commonwealth," also to run for six months. The latter is an unusually exciting tale—full of novel incident and strange adventure. Then there will be
"Legends and Stories of Famous Rivers," by Edwin Hodder ("Old Merry"), in which you will be told many curious tales and wonderful legends associated with a few of the most celebrated of the world's Rivers.
"Some Notable Pictures and their Story"—telling, in a bright and chatty style, about a few of the masterpieces of Art, how they came to be produced, and what fortunes, good and bad, some of them experienced; including interesting anecdotes and facts concerning themselves and their painters.
"England's Forests in Days of Old"—a series of papers relating the story of the stirring incidents of which some of the well-known forests of this country have been the scene.
"Birds and Flowers of the Month"—consisting of full-page Pictures which M. Giacomelli, the well-known French Artist, has specially drawn for Little Folks. One of these will appear in each number of the New Volume, accompanied by Verses appropriate to the subject.
"Bible Storms by Land and Sea"—a new series of Scripture Stories for "Our Sunday Afternoons;" and the usual "Bible Exercises" will appear every month.
"Pages for Very Little Folk." In response to repeated requests, I am glad to announce that this department of Little Folks—comprising two pages of bold pictures and simple stories printed in large type—will be re-commenced in January, and continued every month.
Mr. Palmer Cox, the American Artist, has drawn for Little Folks some more Humorous Pictures in his well-known style; the Notes and Jottings by a Practical Writer on the subject of "The Children's Own Garden" will be given, as well as Fairy Stories, with droll and laughable pictures, every month; and besides Stories, Poems, Anecdotes, and Pictures of every kind, all the regular features, such as "The Editor's Pocket-book," "Songs with Music," "The Little Folks' Own Pages," "Questions and Answers," &c. &c., will be still maintained.
Several New Special Competitions for 1885 have been arranged in addition to the ordinary Monthly Puzzle and "Picture Page" ones. The most important of these is
A New "'Little Folks' Painting Book Competition," in which, as already briefly announced, a number of Prizes in Money, Books, and Medals will be offered. It will be open to both Senior and Junior Competitors, and so arranged that all may have equal opportunities of being successful. This Competition will be in connection with "The 'Little Folks' Proverb Painting Book," which is now ready; and the full Regulations and the list of Prizes to be awarded, as well as of those offered in all the other Special Competitions for 1885, will be printed in the January Number. In that number will appear, too, the names of the Prize and Medal winners in the Competitions for 1884, also those in the Puzzle and "Picture Page" Competitions announced in the September, October, and November numbers (including the "Home and Foreign" Competitions).
I am glad to find that the Competitions for the year now closing have been so popular with you, and I heartily thank you on behalf of the little ones in the Hospitals—among whom the articles of Needlework, Dolls, Illuminated Texts, Scrap Albums, Toys of various kinds, and the hundreds of Illustrated Story-books written by yourselves, which you have sent to me, will be distributed at Christmas—for all the trouble and care you have so lovingly bestowed on your work. You are indeed amply repaid by the rays of gladness which these your gifts will bring to helpless sufferers!
A Coloured Picture, called "Three Little Kittens," will be given with the January Number, and the Frontispieces to all the other numbers will be printed in a bright colour as they have been in the present Volume. You will also be pleased to hear that it is intended in future to make all the pages of our Magazine more attractive in appearance, but I need only just allude to this and leave you to see for yourselves in the January Number in what manner it will be effected.
Having thus told you what is to be done for you in the New Volume, I will only add that I rely on you all to do everything you can for Little Folks by persuading as many of your relatives and friends as possible to take it in. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Your very sincere Friend,
THE EDITOR.