1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
14: 
BOYS & ©UliLS' <D©JLIfMlI^ 
SometUin£ about Rebuses. 
Aunt Sac has fuH control of the Puzzle-Box, and all 
things thereunto belonging, and though she has supplied 
us with a plenty of accuses (not rebi, miss who is just 
beginning her Latin), we have been so crowded with 
other things that we have not been able to give them 
*>om. "We like rebuses, for they call for ingenuity in 
those who mate them, and demand a corresponding 
amount of the same quality in those who make them out. 
As they are mostly furnished by boys and girls, and are 
always guessed fcy boys and girls, there is a good deal of 
ingenuity exercised somewhere. So let us have answers 
A*±—M<i*f rated rebus, which gives, as usual, good 
relrastical advice. 
426— Geographical Rebus. — A cape. 
to these, and let our ingenious youngsters make new 
ones. And mind this — send them all to Annt Sue, Bex 
111, Brooklyn, N. Y. Nowhere else. Aunt Sue is as well 
known at the Brooklyn P. O. as— well, better than the 
Postmaster-General, for she bring? more business there. 
About those Picture Stories. 
All our boys and girls have read about the prizes which I 
the publishers offered last month through " The Doctor.*' 
"We learn that he has already received a goodly number. 
The time for closing was put off until May first, in order 
to allow the far-off youngsters in California, Oregon, 
and all those distant parts to have a chance. Now send 
on the stories, you who compete for prizes, and recollect 
that on the first day of May— slap — the door will be shut, 
and none come in after that time. Please note the con- 
ditions carefully. Some have already sent in stories 
without giving their ages and names in full. We can not 
always guess from the handwriting whether it is that of 
a boy or girl, and where initials only arc given the mat- 
ter becomes puzzling. Tell your story first, and if you 
have any remarks to make put them on a separate paper, 
and do not mix the two. It is not necessary to make any 
apologies for bad writing, as we presume »very one docs 
the best he or she can. We do not expect our little folks 
to be perfect penmen ; indeed, we have known some old 
people whose handwriting might be improved. We have 
other things to bring on after this contest is settled, 
and if we mistake not, this is going to be a pretty lively 
year with our large and growing Agriculturist family. 
What shall we Learn ? — For our 
Older Roys and. Girls. 
The question at the head of this article does not refer 
to what we shall learn at school. All buildings, whether 
small or large, have pretty much the same kind of foun- 
dations, and all that we learn at school is but the founda- 
tion of our real education, and we all need to learn, as 
far as school goes, very much the same things. One of 
the most important things for a boy (or girl either) to 
learn is how much and how little they can do, to be con- 
vinced that " you can't put a quart into a pint measure,* 1 
or, to put it in other words, " you can not lift yourself 
by pulling at your boot-straps." These sayings have 
passed into proverbs, and like many proverbs, which old 
people are very fond of repeating and which young ones 
arc very apt to dislike, they contain much common-sense. 
It is a brief and rude way of telling one that he must 
learn something about things, about his relations to the 
objects around him, about his own possibilities. There 
is an education that every boy and girl gets ontside of 
the school-house. It begins when we are very young, 
and teaches that hot iron will burn, and that we can't 
have the moon, no matter how loudly we may cry for it, 
and continues or should continue to the end of life. 
" Pshaw! " says some bright boy, 4i I'll never be such a 
goouey as to try to lift myself by my boot-straps." But 
many men have spent fortunes in doing the same thing. 
Some day you may read the history of the attempts at 
producing perpetual motion, which is just the saine thing 
as lifting one's self by the boot-straps. Many people who 
did not understand simple principles have hopelessly 
tried to devise means to increase power by multiplying 
machinery. The history of inventions is full of people 
who have failed in, so to speak, endeavoring to lift them- 
selves by their boot-straps. 
"But about the quart in the pint measure ? " you will 
say. "No one can be so foolish as that." It is only 
another caution against believing in impossibilities. 
Good Father S. puts it in another way, " Out of nothing 
nothing comes. When you see an advertisement of 
watches worth $'25, sold for $5, before you try to raise 
that $5 to send for a watch, just recollect that "yon can't 
put a quart into a pint measure." In other words, that 
the person making the offer can not perform an impos- 
sibility, and that there is a wrong somewhere. Either 
the man will cheat you in the watch, or he has stolen the 
watches that he sells. When some one offers to sell a 
secret for a dollar, by which yon can readily make a large 
sum of money, just stop and think of the nature of the 
offer. If this secret is so valuable, wdiy don't the man 
use it and get rich himself? A great many of onr older 
boys arc attracted by these tempting offers, and we get 
frequent letters from them, concerning this or that pro- 
ject. When grown-up men and women are caught by 
such chaff, we think they learn a lesson that is worth 
what it cost them. Young people arc enthusiastic, and 
do not stop to consider that no result is to be gained 
without expending force, whether in throwing a stone or 
moving a steamer; that there isno honest gain in money 
to be made without expending something; it may be 
labor, time, talent, or learning, but something must be 
given for whatever we honestly receive. When tempted 
by these offers of great returns from little outlay, remem- 
ber that " Out of nothing nothing comes " — "Yon can't 
put a quart into a pint measure "—"You can't lift your- 
self by pulling at your boot-straps." 
Aunt Sac-s Puzzle-Box. 
Well, we have had a glorious time with the arithmorems 
from " grandfather" down to " little Jimmy," and I am 
very glad you have enjoyed them so much. Now, let's 
have some fun with " square words." You will be sur- 
prised to find how many wards there are, of four letters, 
iu the dictionary, that you never dreamed of. A. B. Leach 
sends the word " CARE " squared thirteen times, but iu 
one square he has an obsolete word ("reit"), and in 
three others he has proper names ("Adam," " Ella "and 
"Etta"). Now, who will send me the greatest number 
of squares on the word "CARE," using no obsolete nor 
foreign word, and no names of persons nor places 
("Eden" excepted)? 
PUZZLE. 
Bird, beast, and"man, my whole— for food — 
Will use, and count it very good : 
Take off my head, and y»urs may be 
Uncomfortable made by me. 
I can not always thus remain, 
So please put on a head again ; 
Oh ! dear, how stupid you would be, 
If you were now bereft of me. 
Behead me twice, and then is shown 
What Scottish laddies claim their own. 
If I again beheaded be 
A preposition you will see ; 
Now change my head and turn me ronud 
A much-used Latin word I'm found. A. H. 
1. Nat's score. 
2. See her cars. 
3. Eden contract. 
4. Electing line. 
5. I scent rue. 
ANAGRAMS. 
6. Cram a cut soul. 
7. Enchain serf. 
S. Slender pence. 
9. Oh ! idle surf. 
10. Sit erect, Dr. 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMAS. 
1. My first is in ounce but not in dram. 
My next is in Harry but not in Sam. 
My third is in ant but not in bee. 
My fourth is in ocean but notin sea. 
My fifth is in young but not in old. 
My sixth is iu silver but not in gold. 
And now my whole I prithee tell — 
'Tisa tropical fruit, you know it well. 
Clyde R. H. 
2. My first is in spectacles, not in eyes. 
My second in owl but not in wise. 
My third is in picture, not in sketch. 
My fourth is in villain, not in wretch. 
My fifth is in entry, not in hall. 
My sixth is in cricket, not in ball. 
My seventh is in you but not in thee. 
My whole is a place where some like to be. 
Aqkes Lek. 
square words. 
1. Square the word " PLOW." Nealie C. 
2. * A boy's name. 3 A disease. 3 Rough. * To retain. 
Iowa, 
pi. 
Fo lal sudsite, dusty rouy serpent douitonio. 
ARITHMOREMS. 
1. 55002001900S. Belle. 
2. 5500S012501G0150. Alpha. 
3. 400S050090011G0250. Jerry. 
4. 50011001605001GO08O. James T. F. 
5. 500502501017. John Bright. 
answers to puzzles in the february number. 
1. Poniard. 
2. Tennessee. 
3. Oneida. 
4. Shorten. 
1. Continental. 
2. Sentinel. 
3. Parquette. 
4. Reminiscence. 
5. Pharmacy. 
ARITHMOREMS. 
5. Iowa. 
6. Tend. 
7. Benign. 
9. Tone. 
Anagrams. 
6. Military. 
7. Monastery. 
8. Admiral. 
9. Inchoate. 
10. Rascality. 
Opposites.— 1. Larkspur. 2. Bluebell. 3. Bachelor's 
Buttons. 4. Dog's-tooth. 5. Sweet-William. G. Chinese 
Pink. 7. Lily. 8. Morning-glory. 9. Butter-cup. 10. 
Forgct-mc-not. 
Decapitations.— 1. Bowl, owl. 2. Panther, anther. 
3. Bark, ark. 4. Stone, tone. 5. Bass, ass. 6. Ilat, :it. 
square word. 
CARE 
AWAY 
RAKE 
EYES 
TRIANGULAR puzzle. 
ROMULUS 
F I N c n 
ADD 
E 
ARC 
ARGIL 
COLONEL 
NUMERICAL ENIGMA.— WllippOOrwiH. 
