THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
125 
inner edges to receive tlie frame worls: for 
-cusliions ma,de by his sister Amy. 
Robert made a complete success of the 
work, and the gifts were fully appreciated 
by his uncle and aunt, and ^Yere prized 
much more than if they had been bouglit 
£it a first-class furniture store. 
Now there is no reason why some of our 
•boys who possess a few tools should not 
follow the example of Robert and make 
up between this and the coming holidays 
something to give to their friends. It is 
not necessary that they should all make 
picture frames or chairs, there are hun- 
dreds of ^ther little things they may 
make, such as wall brackets, hanging 
•cabinets, card baskets, foot stools, toilet 
stands, work-boxes, window cornices, 
spool stands, jewel cases, pen-holders, 
photo-frames, towel-racks, etc. 
Wall and corner brackets may be made 
•of plain pine boards, with but little orna- 
mentation ; tlie^^ may be stained or simply 
varnished and then handed over to the 
girls to drape with fringes, knitted or 
embroidered work. 
. A very pretty and inexpensive toilet 
stand, suitable as a gift to a lady friend, 
may be made by using an old four-legged 
stand, or by making a rough stand, or by 
using a dry-goods box of the right dimen- 
sions. Cover the top with cambric, blue 
oi; pink. Draw this over it nicely and tack 
it firmly round the edge, then take a 
piece of cambric, same color, and long 
-enough to go around three sides and wide 
enough to reach from the top of stand to 
the floor. Cut a piece of cheese cloth 
twice the length of the cambric and the 
same width, and allow an incli and a half 
for hem. Fell the edge opposite the hem 
and tuck under the edge of the stand. 
Finish the edge and just above the hem 
with a notched box plaiting about two 
inches wide of the cambric covered with 
the cheese cloth and nail in place with 
bright headed tacks. The effect, when 
finished is quite pleasing. 
There are many other things that might 
be treated in this simple way; for in- 
stance, a small box whose dimensions are 
about twelve inches long, eight wide and 
from six to eight inches high, could be 
anade into a very handsome footstool. ' 
Boy Inventors. 
T^HE Christian Advocate jnstlj considers 
that a boy's elders are guilty of a 
foolish act when they snub him because 
he says or does something which they 
don't understand. A boy's personality is 
entitled to as much respect as a man's, so 
long as he behaves himself. In the 
following anecdotes wise and foolish 
eiders are exhibited— one class respecting, 
and the other desi)ising a boy. 
Some of tlie most important inventions 
have been the work of boys. The inven- 
tion of the valve motion to the steam en- 
gine was made by a mere boy. 
• Newcomen's engine was in a very in- 
complete condition, from the fact that 
til ere was no way to open or close the 
valves, except by means of levers operated 
hy hand. 
He set up a large engine at one of the 
mines, and a boy, Humphrey Potter, was 
hired to work these valve-levers ; although 
this is not hard work, yet it required his 
constant attention. 
As he was working the levers he saw 
that parts of the engine moved in the 
right direction, and at the same time that 
he had to open or close the valves. 
He procured a strong cord, and made 
one end fast to the pro])er part of the en- 
gine, and the other end to the valve-lever ; 
and the boy then had the satisfaction of 
seeing the engine move with perfect 
regularity of motion. 
A short time after the foreman came 
around and saw the boy playing marbles 
at the door. Looking at the engine he 
saw the ingenuity of the boy, and also the 
advantage of so great an invention. The 
idea suggested by the boy's inventive 
genius was put in a practical form, and 
made the steam engine an automatic 
working machine. 
The power loom is the invention of a 
farmer's boy who had never seen or heard 
of such a thing. 
He whittled one out with his jackknife, 
and after he had got it all done, he, with 
great enthusiasm, showed it to his father, 
who at once kicked it to pieces, saying he 
would have no boy about him that would 
spend his time on such foolish thing%. 
