Catherine A. M.—We think the tale about the tramcar tickets, and the getting of a deaf and dumb child into an asylum or home by means of a collection of 10,000 of them, must be placed by the side of many other such figments of the imagination. The pity is that sensible people like yourself should be misled by them. Tramcar tickets can be made over, and there is a special machine for performing the nefarious work.
Dunedin.—Many thanks for your kind letter. There does not seem to be anything to answer in it, however, so we merely acknowledge its kindly expressions.
C. S. L.—The idea is a good one, but we fear we could not impose such a weight on our own over-burdened shoulders. As a rule, you may depend on the catalogues of the Religious Tract Society, the Christian Knowledge Society, and others of the kind. Would they not help you if you wrote for them?
Ray.—If she have asked to have you taken to see her, waive all ceremony and go. Mutual family interchanges of visiting will follow. It would be in better taste on your part to call yourself Mrs. John B——, rather than cause a jealous feeling or one of injury on the part of a mother-in-law. Do all things “that make for peace,” “in honour preferring one another.” You write fairly well.
Guilda.—The second “h” is mute in the word “height,” but not in the word “width.” We congratulate you on gaining a certificate.
Ruby.—Sometimes old copies of bound magazines may be had at secondhand or reduced prices at booksellers’ stalls. You should study the rules of metrical composition before you attempt to write verses.
A Troubled Mother.—It is a difficult matter upon which to advise you, and you do not say where you live. The first thing to do is to give the girl a good education, and also to include music and singing. As she grows older she may forget her youthful ideas. You might write for advice to Mr. C. E. Todd, Macready Mission House, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden; or, if in London, you might go and see him, perhaps.
A Sufferer might try mustard oil to rub on for her rheumatism. It sometimes does wonders for it, and is to be got at any chemist’s, and is sold by the ounce. Rub on with the palm of the hand, round and round.
Daisy.—Dandriff may be cured by using a wash of one pint of water and half an ounce of glycerine. Rub well into the skin of the head twice a day (this can be done with a sponge), without wetting the head too much. Another wash is composed of one pint of water and one ounce of borax, used in the same manner. Dandriff is considered to be caused by digestive troubles, especially when accompanied by watering of the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Swygs.—We thank you for the kind feeling that prompted the giving of your advice for the benefit of sufferers. But for certain reasons, into which we cannot enter, we must decline to make our paper a means of advocating mesmerism. You write a good hand.