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Programmes for Chapter Evenings.

The Washington Chapter, of Racine, Wis., one of the oldest in the Order, meets regularly save during the summer months, and the interest does not flag. Sir Frank H. Marlott, in telling us about the Chapter, remarks that he, and he thinks others, would like to know how Chapters elsewhere keep up interest; what they do, and how they do it. We agree with Sir Frank, and hence will be glad to receive morsels from Chapter officers giving us this information.

One Chapter sends us its record unsolicited. It is the Tennyson, of Piqua, Ohio. It was organized two years ago, and has held meetings regularly ever since. These meetings occur every two weeks, and take place at the homes of the members. The member at whose home the meeting is furnishes light refreshments, restricted, we believe, to two articles, as coffee and sandwiches, or lemonade and cake. The Chapter is composed of Knights only. As most of its members study English history at school, that subject was taken up. Programmes are prepared for the entire year. Here is the one for the present year:

September 24th.—Quotations from Tennyson; The English Restoration and Revolution. Earl R. North.

October 8th.—Quotations from Lowell; The Great Inventions and Industries of the Age of Queen Anne. Lane L. Angle.

October 22d.—Quotations from Scott; The Age of Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Roe L. Johnson.

November 5th.—Quotations from Longfellow; Literature of Queen Anne's Reign. Fred McKinney.

November 19th.—Quotations from Goldsmith; England under George I. and George II., 1714-1760. William S. Ramsey.

December 3d.—Quotations from Emerson; England under George III. and George IV. Allen G. Rundle.

December 17th.—Quotations from Browning; The Iron Duke. Albert B. Schroeder.

December 31st.—Quotations from Shakespeare; Five-minute Readings from Eighteenth-century Literature. The Chapter.

January 14th.—Quotations from Hawthorne; The Ministers and Wars of the Georges. Charles Stilwell.

January 28th.—Quotations from Dickens; Queen Victoria and her Family. Wilber S. Lenox.

February 11th.—Quotations from Holland; Readings from Carlyle on Chartism and Corn Law. John Wilkinson.

February 25th.—Quotations from Burns; Readings from the Corn-Law Poet. Joseph F. Loewi.

March 10th.—Quotations from Poe; The Ministers of Victoria. Augustus Clevenger.

March 24th.—Quotations from Holmes; Foreign Affairs of the Reign of Victoria. The Chapter.

Our Amateur Journalists Again.

I have been in the ranks of the amateur journalists about three years. I have made many friends and have gained a great deal of information. My press is a self-inker, and has a chase 3-1/8 x 5-1/8. My whole outfit did not cost over twenty-five dollars. This may not seem much to one unacquainted with the circumstances, but, you see, in the first place my pocket-book was not in a very healthy condition, and my mother a widow, and I had to save up all the stray nickels and dimes in order to raise the amount.

At first it was very difficult for me to set up the type without making pi, but I soon overcame that clumsiness. There are some editors who have plenty of money, and so they hire their paper printed by a professional, and then sneer at those who are less fortunate and call their papers "thumb-nails." According to my way of thinking, there is great credit in printing one's own paper, even if it is not so large and is not always free from errors. But taking it altogether, I am not sorry of my little venture, and hope that brother editors will have no worse experiences than I have had.

Wallace Gibbs. Publisher The Sunbeam. Galva, Ill.

The Sunbeam is a most creditable paper, particularly so when one learns, with surprise, as we did, that it is gotten up on a $25 outfit. Sir Wallace ought not to mention his errors in typesetting. One sees wrong letters even in great journals.

Another really creditable paper is The Scribbler, edited by Robert E. James, Jun., 212 North Third Street, Easton, Pa. It is illustrated by Easton amateurs—and well illustrated too.

Less pretentious, but very bright, is The Knight-Errant—an excellent name, by-the-way—edited by Bertram R. White, 616 Lexington Avenue, this city. Sir Bertram is one of the old stand-by knights of our Table, and deserves his success. We say success, because, no matter what the financial outcome may be, it is bound to succeed in teaching its editor a deal of valuable business experience.

The following-named are interested in amateur papers; George W. Buchanan, Searcy, Ark.; Sam Wood, 14 South Washington Street, Wilkesbarre, Pa.; M. S. Newman, 722 East Ninth Street, New York; G. Ellery Crosby, Jun., 15 Beach Street, Hartford, Conn.; D. Arthur Bowman, 4412 Delmar Avenue, St. Louis, Mo.; and Harold C. Day, Harrison, N. Y. They wish to subscribe for some amateur papers. The Arkansas Knight thinks of starting one, and the Missouri Knight wants to form a journalists' corresponding Chapter.

The Albermarle is published by George D. Galloway, Eau Claire, Wis., another old-time Knight of the Table, who has felt the healthy stimulus of our Order, and is now getting out a good journal. He is willing to send samples upon request.

The Inventor of Chess.

"Who invented chess?" asks a Knight who lives in Arkansas.

An Arabian mathematician named Sessa, the son of Daher, is supposed to have invented the game of chess. According to Al-Sephadi, the reigning prince was so pleased with the invention that he promised Sessa any reward he might desire. The mathematician asked for a grain of wheat for the first square of the chess-board, two for the second, four for the third, and so on to the sixty-fourth square. The prince was rather angry at first, considering it a stain on his liberality to be asked for such a paltry present. He gradually cooled down, however, when his Grand Vizier reported a total of 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 grains, or 31,274,997,412,295 bushels. If we suppose that one acre of land is capable of producing 30 bushels of wheat in one year, this enormous quantity would require 1,042,499,913,743 acres, or more than eight times the surface of the globe, at a cost of about $312,749,974,123.90.

The Endless Gallery.

A novel little optical illusion is the "endless gallery," the delight of English children in the first part of this century. Here are the directions:

Make a box 18 inches long, 12 wide, and 9 deep, and against each end place a plane mirror within 1/8 of an inch of the height of the box. Cut a small hole through one end, and likewise through the mirror resting against it. Mirrors should also be placed on the longer sides of the box. Cut grooves at various lengths across the box, and in these fit small colored figures, trees, statuary, etc., previously cut out from card-board, and bearing the same representation on either side. At each end place similar figures, leaving plenty of mirror space behind.

The top of the box should be of ground-glass or oiled paper. Looking through the eye-hole, a vista of enormous length and breadth is seen, seemingly endless.

Vincent V. M. Beede.

A Typical New England Community.

Wilton is a pretty little village in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. It is beautifully situated, being surrounded by hills. From one, called Pollard's Hill, it is said that you can see Boston Harbor on a clear day, a distance by rail of fifty-five miles. East Wilton is the business part of the town. Here are the High-School, three churches, several stores, and a new depot. A new High-School house is near completion.

Wilton Centre, which is two miles from East Wilton, used to be, in the days of the stage-coach, the principal part of the town. The old Town-house is still standing. Here is where the town meetings were held forty years ago. It is now called Citizens' Hall, and is still used for many purposes. West Wilton is three and a half miles from East Wilton. There are many lovely drives and other places of interest around Wilton. We also have electric lights.

Walter B. Proctor, R.T.F.

A Curious Violet.

Not long ago I noticed in the Table an article on violets, in which the particular violet I know was not mentioned. It grows in great abundance about my house, and I call it curious, because it defies all traditions about the "sweet spring violet," by refusing to stop blossoming with the rest of its sisterhood, and shows its dainty head throughout the summer and autumn, till covered by our early October snows.

The flower is fully as large as a small pansy, and pure white, save for a delicate purple tinge on the under side of the petals, and the usual yellow and red markings in the centre of the flower. These markings are sometimes varied by narrow purple lines. The flower itself springs from the base of the leaves, not from the root, as blue violets nearly always do. If any Knight or Lady can tell me where else this violet grows, it will oblige me.

Michigan. Sophie Rood St. Clair.

Questions and Answers.

G. Ellery Crosby, Jun., asks if imagination stories are wanted as Table morsels. We reply that they are not. The reason is that a limit must be set somewhere, and we have set it at the practical and useful. Sir Ellery lives in the city that, for its size, has more insurance companies than any other in the world. Possibly we need not qualify the comparison by "for its size." Who can tell what city it is, and can Sir Ellery tell us something of the insurance "industry" of his city? Sadie Chandler, Anderson, Tex., is fifteen years old, and is interested in poetry. Are you?

Upton B. Sinclair, Jun., asks if a story in verse may be sent in competition for our prizes. No. John Pohland, Ahnapee, Wis., may apply to the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, for information about studies at Annapolis, and to his member of Congress to learn when there will be a vacancy there from his district. There are no cadets at Annapolis who are active members of our Order, but some sons and daughters of naval officers there have a vigorous Chapter. Sir John wants to hear from members in foreign countries.

In reply to several inquiries: The new badges are an exact reproduction of the rose in the centre of what is said to be the original round table of King Arthur and his knights. You can see a picture of the top of this table on the back cover page of our Prospectuses. The badges are: in silver, 8 cents and 2 cents for postage; in gold, 85 cents, no postage charged. Members are not required to buy badges. Those who purchase Harper's Round Table weekly on news-stands should send a postal card or letter applying for our 1896 Prospectus. It is sent free, of course. We send it to all subscribers without application, and we would mail it to weekly purchasers did we know their names.

Arthur J. Johnston, Box 136, Dartmouth, N. S., is the most active member of a stamp, correspondence, and social Chapter, and he wants corresponding members, especially those resident in Canada. Write him. "H. Mc." asks if Joseph Jefferson will send his autograph. Undoubtedly, if you ask him to do so, and enclose stamp. Address him care of the Dramatic News, this city. The president and secretary of the Episcopal Society Daughters of the King are Mrs. E. A. Bradley, 117 West Ninety-first Street, and Miss E. L. Ryerson, 520 East Eighty-seventh Street, both New York city.

Lincoln W. Riddle, 33 Roanoke Avenue, Jamaica Plain, Mass., wants correspondents in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia who are interested in botany. Claude T. Reno, Allentown, Pa., wants to found or to belong to a corresponding Chapter. Write him. No street number necessary.

This Department is conducted in the interest of Girls and Young Women, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor.

"I'm the eldest of five," says Amaranth, in a piteous little letter, "and I'm worn out with sisters forever tagging around. I never can go anywhere with the girls of my set but that Eleanor or Cecile has to go too, and mamma says, 'Amaranth, if you can't let your little sisters be of the company, you will have to stay at home.' I am worn out with sisters," Amaranth concludes.

Well, Amaranth, you have a real grievance. Mamma herself would not like always in your place to have the responsibility of looking after two or three younger girls, who seem to you a little in the way, just a trifle de trop, and who insist on being where you and the older girls are. Yet look at it from mamma's point of view. She is a very busy woman, and she has the children with her many hours a day, while you are at school. You are glad to relieve her, and give her time to rest, when you come home in the afternoon. I am sure of this, for I know that you are a loving daughter and a great comfort, on the whole.

I won't bring up the argument, which we've all heard so often that it has lost its force, "What would you do if your sister should die?" I think such an argument is very little to the purpose. We are not talking of lack of love, but of the inconvenience of having our own families, in the shape of small sisters, always in evidence.

I think if I were you, dear Amaranth, I would try to get into another frame of mind. I would willingly, not rebelliously, as part of my day's work, take the charge of the younger children, and say pleasantly, "Come, dears, I'm going out with Jennie and Susie, and you may be part of the procession; but you mustn't tag, you must keep step." If you will feel differently about it, the other girls will, and their little sisters will be included, and before you know it everything will be harmonious and lovely, as harmony cannot help being.

Tell you where to sell poems and stories, dear Lilybell? I would, if I could, but, my child, I'm not in favor of your publishing your work until you are older. At thirteen one's work may be full of promise, but it is not generally worth payment in money. Write and read, and wait till you are a few years older, and then begin, if you still wish to do so, to send the stories and poems to the editors, always feeling sure that the best work will, one day, win for its author name and fame and silver and gold. Not much of the last, but not any of the others, unless it is the best work.

I advise you, Clementina, to strengthen your memory, by making it treasure things for you. Learn by heart, word for word, a few poems, perhaps a stanza or two at a time; a few fine passages from history, a good many chapters of the Bible. Do not be satisfied with half learning. By heart means that you know the thing so thoroughly that you cannot be tripped up anywhere in repeating it. I advise you also to fix in your mind, by constant repetition, some of the great battles of the world and their dates; great inventions and their dates; wonderful discoveries and their dates.

Margaret E. Sangster.