Sunday School Teacher.—The passage to which you refer is easily explained (“Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle,” Psalm lvi. 8). The practice of preserving tears in bottles is of very ancient Eastern origin. It was done in Egypt as elsewhere, and it exists down to the present day in Persia. In that country it constitutes an important item of funeral ceremonials, when every mourner is presented with a sponge with which to mop the eyes and cheeks; and after the burial is over, these are taken by a priest, who squeezes the tears into a bottle. These sacred tears of mourners are supposed to possess healing properties, and to be more efficacious than any means of cure for several forms of Persian diseases.
Minka.—There have been such terrible and fatal accidents from using preparations of petroleum for the hair that it is illegal to employ it in this country. “Koko” is a patent, and of it we have had no personal experience.
A. Poodridge.—As we have often told inquirers, “pouring oil on troubled waters” is not a quotation—it is an existing fact; and the use of oil for this purpose obtains at sea. Only a week or two ago oil was employed on the Channel to enable passengers to land.
Thriftless.—We think that the United Sisters Friendly Society would suit you. It was founded some years ago in order to enable women dependent on their earnings to make provision for sickness and old age, and to secure at death a sum of money for burial expenses. All women of good health and character between the ages of sixteen and forty-five are eligible for membership; also the Work and Leisure Court, No. 15. For both of these, address Miss Edith M. Maskell, 7c, Lower Belgrave Street, London, S.W. The names of the Trustees of these two Societies are a sufficient guarantee for their stability and honesty.
Karoleen.—If you cannot find the card-game you require at one of the large bazaars, we do not know where else you could look for them. Perhaps the bazaar at which you inquire would endeavour to procure them for you in London.
Slogger.—You may find illustrations from photographs of some of the most distinguished men amongst cricketers in some of the recent magazines; but you have only to order any you require at a photograph shop, and they will send you a collection from which you may make a selection.
Flora.—We could not take the responsibility of recommending any security for the investment of money. We do not think a ground rent could be purchased for so small a sum. The Post Office Savings Bank appears to us the most suitable.
Fluff.—Do you mean the famous and beautiful Duchess, or her successor? In any case, you can only inquire at one of the photograph shops where the windows are full of notables of every description.
Becky Sharp.—Fine soft hair can easily be made to lie as you wish; but the coarse, stiff, pigs’-bristle sort can only be forced into place by the use of some sort of bandoline, formerly much in use, especially at a windy seaside place. You had better consult a hairdresser.
Tomuel, Mab, and others, are very anxious to get rid of the rats which infest their houses, but that their death should be painless. We fear any death by poison would be painful, and so it would be by traps; but then the rats are peculiarly obnoxious, so we have to make a choice of two evils. We are told of an old recipe, viz., half a pint of plaster of Paris, mixed with a pint of oatmeal, is an excellent means of killing them. The best plan, however, is to try to stop up all the holes by which they enter with broken glass and tin, and to keep them stopped. To do this may be more expensive, but it will be more satisfactory, if you have scruples about the cruelty of killing them.