22 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
THE 
YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY. 
Terms — Fifty Cents per year. 4®" Postage free to 
all parts of the United St ites and Canada, except New 
York City . Our absurd postal laws make the charge for 
delivering our journal to subscribers in New York city 
five times as great as that required for transporting it 
across the continent, and delivering it to subscribers 
in San Francisco or New Orleans. We are therefore 
compelled to charge our New York subscribers 12 cents 
extra. 
Advebtisements— 30 cents per line. 
All Communications should be addressed to 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST, 
P. 0. Box 4875. 176 Broadway, New York. 
4®~ For Club Kates, etc., see Prospectus. 
Concerning Ourselves. 
A FEW days ago there fell into our 
hands a copy of a journal which pro- 
fessed to occupy ground somewhat similar 
to our own. It consisted of eight pages, 
one of which was advertising, one was de- 
voted to a story, two to practical mat- 
ters, and four were wholly occupied with 
puffs of the editor, the publisher, and 
the journal itself ! We do not propose to 
follow this example. At the same time, 
however, a few words may not be inadmis- 
sible. 
We are happy to be able to say that the 
reception accorded to our first number has 
been such as to assure us that the Young 
Scientist meets a well defined want, and 
that it will receive such support as will 
enable us to improve it constantly, both 
in matter and illustrations. As evidence 
of this, our readers will notice that the 
present number has been increased by four 
pages of reading matter. 
That the Young Scientist is not yet 
anything like what we hope to make it, we 
freely confess. It must be remembered, 
however, that in order to make a good jour- 
nal we must have a good journal, for it is 
only a good journal that can attract to itself 
the necessary material. Old contributors 
have to be trained to our special methods 
and wants, for we have already had abundant 
I evidence that although men may write suc- 
: cessfully for other journals, they cannot, 
I without special effort, produce articles which 
we regard as suited to our columns. New 
, contributors must be taught by the example 
I of articles already published, and this pre- 
j supposes an established journal, 
j Our object is to make this journal a prac- 
I tical guide to the young scientist, in the 
laboratory and the workshop. We hope to 
I interest him by new experiments, new tools, 
' and new apparatus, or at least by new and 
I simple directions for making and using old 
ones, and we hope to cover such a wide 
j range that, from the boy who has only a 
jack-knife for whittling, to the professor 
i who desires to study the construction of 
his apparatus, all will get their fifty cents 
worth out of our pages during the course of 
I the year. 
\ ' * * 
A Good Watch for a Dollar. 
WE have so much faith in the skill and 
intelligence of our American me- 
j chanics that we believe that if any one were 
I to ask for bids for a contract for five mil- 
lion watches, capable of keeping time to 
within two minutes per week, and enclosed 
in neat nickel cases, with a stem- winding 
i arrangement, he would have his order filled 
i at a price which would enable him to sell 
I the watches for one dollar each. At present, 
I however, there are no such watches in mar- 
j ket, and yet we see constantly advertised, 
I "Good time-keepers, with steel works, for 
I one dollar." What are they? 
■ They are twenty-five cent pocket com- 
I passes, with a small brass gnomon for a 
sundial. The steel "works" consist of a 
simple steel magnetic needle, and the whole 
affair will indicate correct time, provided 
the sun is shining and the observer is very 
skilful. These " perfect time-keepers " are 
perfect frauds, and yet advertisements of- 
fering them for sale are to be found in 
many of our most respectable papers. 
They are a fitting companion to the 
Lefevre Diamonds or Brilliants, again&t 
which we cautioned our readers in a previ- 
ous issue. Next ! 
