No. 44.—Single Acrostic.
Assay. Nerve. Death. Reply. Ensue. Worth. Japan. Acute. Caper. Knack. Slave. Order. Niche.—Andrew Jackson.
No. 45.—Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Questions and answers.
"H. E."—For want of space we cannot publish stamp-exchange notices. "J. H. K." writes: "Will you please inform me how to obtain autographs, and give me hints in the art of collecting autographs from such people as Governors?" Autograph-collecting is not an "art." The ways to get autographs are three: Ask the people whose autographs you want for them; trade with other collectors; buy them. Many persons are fond of cataloguing autograph-collectors as "fiends," but they do not mean all they say. Nine out of every ten famous persons are rather gratified at receiving requests for autographs. Write a brief note, say frankly what you want, enclose a self-addressed and stamped envelope, and two cards—the stamps because it is your business, and you should pay the cost of it; and the cards in order that your collection may be uniform. But mere signatures are not highly regarded. Manuscripts and letters are much more to be prized. Do not, however, make requests that put persons whom you do not know to any considerable trouble, or that require them, in order to grant your favor, to give up for nothing anything that has real money value.
"History" asks: "What was it about Queen Victoria that was just celebrated?" It was this; King George III. had reigned, on the day of his death, 59 years and 95 days. The day came recently when Queen Victoria had reigned 59 years and 96 days. That 96th day, when she began on the longest reign in English history, if not in any history, was celebrated. The next oldest living sovereign, in point of length of reign, is Francis Joseph of Austria—1848. Other long English reigns, after George III., were those of Ethelred II., 37 years; Henry I., 35 years; Henry III., 56 years; Edward I., 35 years; Edward III., 50 years; Henry VI., 39 years; Henry VIII., 38 years; and Elizabeth, 44 years. Victoria has not reached the age attained by George III., who died in his 83d year. She is nearly of the age reached by George II., who died in his 77th year. The houses of Normandy, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, and the Stuarts were not very long-lived. The House of Hanover, to which Queen Victoria belongs has given to Britain the most venerable sovereigns in the persons of George II., George III., William IV., and Victoria. Elizabeth, the most venerable scion of the House of Tudor, died in her 71st year. She died in 1603, and from that year back to Alfred, over 700 years, no English king or queen reached 70 years. One of the notable events in the life of Queen Victoria was the celebration of her "jubilee," in 1887, marking the completion of fifty years' reign. Only three English monarchs lived to celebrate a jubilee year—Henry III., Edward III., and George III.
Anna W. Auspach, 3326 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa., is interested in pressed flowers and monograms, and wants to hear from you, and Thomas C. Gurnee, 443 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, N. Y., wants to receive sample copies of amateur papers. Harry W. Jones: The button which you describe—red, white, and blue, with a very small centre, a raised edge, and the ribbon lying in close folds, the whole being smaller than a silver dime—is that of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. Why "never seen in the button-hole of any save men well advanced in years" is explained by the fact that it is an order of the officers and ex-officers of the army, navy, and marine corps of the United States during the civil war of now thirty years and more ago. There are twenty commanderies in as many States. The order numbers about 8500 members.