THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
5 
is not necessary to be so particular with 
the jack-plane; indeed, it is sometimes 
better to leave the edge of the cutter a 
little rounding, as it works better then 
ior roughing off stuff and preparing it 
for the finer-working planes. 
Another very important matter is the 
taking off of the corners of the plane 
irons, so as to prevent the tool from leav- 
ing marks on the work, which will be the 
case if not provided against. It will be 
seen by examining the iron, o, Fig. 6, that 
the corners show clear and acute. Now, 
if the cutter, o, is tipped up a little on the 
the oil-stone, p, and the corners gently 
whetted off, the iron will cut sweetly 
and smoothly without having its efficiency 
reduced in the least. 
It will be seen that the oil-stone, p, in 
JPig. 6, is surrounded with a wooden case, 
N. This case serves a two-fold purpose, 
it protects the stone from breakage, 
and tends to give it weight and solidity 
while being worked upon. To make this 
case, a piece of dry pine should be ob- 
tained, about li inches thick, and about 1 
inch wider than the stone, and from 14 to 
II inches longer than the stone. A recess 
is then made from a half to three-quarters 
of an inch deep, according to the thick- 
ness of the stone. A cover should also be 
made of wood, to fit loosely over the 
stone, and which might have its corners 
bevelled off to give it an appearance of 
lightness. 
All these things being fully explained 
to my young friend, we set to work to put 
his tools in order accordingly, and he was 
astonished and pleased at the result. 
On examination of his saws, I found 
that they sadly needed overhauling and 
putting in order. This was a more difficult 
operation, but I undertook the work, and 
succeeded admirably. In another paper I 
will explain how this was managed. 
Indian Clubs, and the Way to Use 
Them. 
BY JAMES C. SQUIRES. 
— Flannel that has become yellow 
from being badly washed may be nicely 
whitened by soaking it two or three hours 
in a lather made of one-quarter of a pound 
of curd soap, two tablespoon fuls of pow- 
dered borax, and two tablespoonfuls of 
carbonate of ammonia, dissolved in five 
or six gallons of water. 
ANY people who have heard the 
term "Indian Clubs," are under 
the impression that these gym- 
nastic implements first origin- 
ated among our Indian tribes. This is a 
popular error. "Indian clubs" were 
used in the East Indies, Persia and China 
years before the discovery of this conti- 
nent by Columbus. The date of their in- 
troduction into Christendom is unknown, 
but it is said that we are indebted for 
them to a military officer who had seen 
them in use by the Persians. The move- 
ments that can be performed with the 
clubs are almost unlimited in their va- 
riety, and are amongst the most useful 
and beneficial of any gymnastic exercises, 
having the effect of increasing the mus- 
cular power of the shoulders and arms, 
strengthening the hands and wrists, open- 
ing the chest, and also possessing the ad- 
vantage of rendering the user ambidex- 
trous, or two-handed— that is, of making 
the left arm, shoulder, etc., as vigorous 
and able as the right, and developing 
equally both sides of the body. 
If practiced properly, the exercises are 
exceedingly pretty and graceful, and 
cause the performer to acquire a good 
carriage and deportment. Although in 
almost every gymnasium Indian clubs are 
now to be found, it is surprising how 
seldom they are used, the pupils gener- 
ally preferring to acquire proficiency in 
the more showy feats that other instru- 
ments—such as the horizontal and par- 
allel bars— permit of their practicing. 
But we would impress upon our readers 
that if they will only exercise a little pa- 
tience and perseverance in acquiring the 
use of the clubs, they will find that no 
other gymnastic exercises can surpass 
them in grace and utility, and give such 
pleasure both to the performer and his 
audience. 
The advantages of the clubs are many ; 
amongst others, (1) they are inex- 
pensive ; (2) there is no danger attached 
to their use; (3) being portable, there is 
no fixing required— they can be used 
