Joseph W.—There is an old tradition that the loadstone was discovered by a Greek shepherd on Mount Ida. His crook was tipped with iron, and on touching a large mass of rock with it, he was amazed and terrified to find it held fast, as if by invisible hands. The name of this shepherd was Magnes, and the word magnet is said by some to be derived from it. Others, with more probability, think that the word comes from a region of Lydia called Magnesia, where the loadstone was found in large quantities. This stone has the remarkable power of imparting its own property of attraction to hard iron or steel, without losing any of its power.
C. H. C.—Whistles may be made of willow, bass-wood (linden), or elder. The process is very simple: Take a smooth piece of willow or bass-wood branch, of fresh growth, and full of sap, about half an inch in diameter and three or four inches long. Trim the smaller end as shown in the diagram, and cut a circle through the bark near the larger end, and then loosen the bark between the cut and the smaller end by gently tapping it with a stick or the back of your knife. If you break or bruise it, your whistle will be spoiled. When the bark is thoroughly loosened, it will slip off with a gentle pull. Cut away the wood as indicated by the dotted lines of the diagram, and make a small incision in the bark just above where the inside slope of the wood begins. Moisten the wood, slip on the bark, and you have your whistle. To make a whistle out of elder, punch out the pith, plug up one end tightly, and leave an air-space on one side of the plug at the other end. Cut an air-hole, as in the willow whistle.
R. V. C.—Horses are not used in crossing the great deserts of Africa, as they can not go without water, like the camel, which can take into its stomach at one time a supply for several days.
O. W.—The phrase "passing-bell" originated in this way. In ancient times, when people were more superstitious than they are now, it was believed that bells which had been consecrated had the power to drive away evil spirits; and so, when any one was supposed to be dying, the church bell was rung to scare away the wicked demons which were supposed to be waiting at the foot of the bed, ready to seize the "passing" soul. Bells were also supposed to have the power of protecting buildings from lightning and storms of wind, and some bells were inscribed with verses describing their qualities. The following verses are found on some old bells in England:
"Men's death I tell by doleful knell.
Lightning and thunder I break asunder.
On Sabbath all to church I call.
The sleepy head I raise from bed.
The winds so fierce I do disperse.
Man's cruel rage I do assuage."