1879 .] 
393 
AMERICAN A<3RTCTLTURLST. 
stiff paper will make a useful rule. Besides the rule, there 
will be nothing more needed for drawing straight lines, 
than the pencil with which to draw them, and the paper 
or slate upon which they are to be drawn. 
In representing a surface, as the side of anything, like 
the cover of the American Agriculturist , the boundary 
lines are drawn simply; only length and breadth are re¬ 
presented. All this is not difficult. To add thickness to 
the surface dimensions, and thus represent bodies that 
will hold something, as a box, other lines must be drawn. 
Suppose we have a cube —which is a body having six equal 
sides—and we wish every one would find or make such a 
body ; those who have the cubical letter-blocks, one of 
which we have used for our illustrations, are provided at 
once—it can be so placed that only the front side can be 
seen, provided you shut one eye and “ look it square in 
the face.” Four lines of equal length, the opposite ones 
parallel, will bound the side in view. Draw four lines on 
your slate or paper (fig. 1), represent the block as 
you see it, and does the figure look solid ?—docs 
it look as if it would hold any wheat, water, or 
anything else ? Four straight lines cannot represent a 
cube. Now, turn the cube a little one way or the other— 
we will say both, because you will do it any way—and you 
Fig. 3. —AS SEEN WITH LEFT EYE. 
see two sides of the cube in each turn. Draw lines to 
show these two sides. There are two sides now repre¬ 
sented, but it does not look solid yet. If the block is a 
small one, and held rather close to your eyes, or rather 
the nose, and you look at it with the right eye alone, you 
see the block as in figure 2. Hold the block still, and 
look with the left eye only, and it becomes figure 3. 
Squint back and forth a few times, as'd the right and left 
sides will come into view and go again. This all comes 
from the two eyes not being in the same place in your 
head. If the block ie still held, and looked at with both 
eyes, both of the sides will be seen, as well as the front, 
and thus seeing three sides, the idea of a solid mag come. 
Turn the block a little, up or down, keeping the two 
Fig. 4. —AS 'SEEN WITH BOTH EYES. 
faces in view, and yon see that a third—we will suppose 
the upper one comes into view—what a change this 
makes when drawn upon the paper 1 It does look like a 
cube now. Though you can see only three Bides, you feel 
that the other three are there, or else there is a cave, or 
hiding-place behind. It requires three sides in view, to 
suggest solidity. For practice as well as pleasure, try 
the cube in several different positions—the number in 
which it can be placed is very great. Figure 5, shows it 
with but little of the upper surface in view. In the next 
figure it is represented as i f suspended by a pin and string 
from one of the six corners. Draw one of the laces, as 
the one with IF, and observe its shape before the other 
sides are added to it. It is to be remembered that the 
opposite sides of a face or side of a cube, are always par¬ 
allel, i. e., they run in the same direction. It will also he 
observed that it 
takes nine lines to 
represent a cube 
with three faces in 
view, and these 
lines are in sets of 
threes, each set 
having the same 
direction. After 
using the blocks 
for a while, put 
them away and 
draw from mem¬ 
ory. It will not be 
long before a cube 
can be put down on Fig. 5.—UPPER FACE IN view 
paper or the slate without trouble, an extra line, or mis¬ 
take. The letters on the blocks in the engravings are to 
relieve the blank lines, not intended to be educational— 
you are expected to know your letters. The are construct¬ 
ed entirely of straight lines, and it would be good prac¬ 
tice to draw them after the cube is made. 
SMOOTH GREYHOUNDS 
Dogs and Their Ways. 
There are not many boys, if they had their own way, 
who would not own a dog. Is there a more companion¬ 
able, faithful, courageous, and intelligent friend to be 
found in the whole brute creation than a dog? Keen- 
sighted, thoughtful, and sagacious, the dog has been 
from the earliest time, and will continue to be, the pet 
of pets with men as well as boys. He is so easily taught, 
and often exhibits such nobje traits, 
that we can not but look upon dogs, 
as a whole, with respect, however 
much we may despise some parti¬ 
cular dog which we have met or has 
met ns. The attachment of a dog for 
his kind master, who is thoughtful 
of his feelings, and does not “ treat 
him like a dog,” is almost beyond 
measure. He will suffer all the priva¬ 
tions of war, travel in a wilderness, 
and even meet death, in order to 
remain true and faithful. Cases are 
related where a dog has followed its 
dead master to the grave, never to 
leave it alive—refusing all sympathy 
and food, expiring after prolonged 
sorrow upon his kind master's 
grave. We heard, not long ago, 
of a true story—not all dog stories 
are true—of a dog that had been 
sent by express from his old home 
and master in Connecticut, to a son 
of his master who had settled in 
Iowa. The dog's journey was a long and dark one, as 
ho was shut up in a car all the way, and when he arrived 
must have been tired, as well as a stranger in the new 
home. The change was too great for him—even the cats, 
sheep, cattle, and house were new to him; and without 
further notice he was not hoard from until some three 
weeks later, when he appeared at his old home in Con¬ 
necticut, foot-sore, poor, and nearly dead, though with 
a heart full of joy at the sight of his 
master. How that poor dog found his 
way and his living—for he must have 
eaten something on his long, home¬ 
ward journey—no one will ever know. 
He probably did not, “tramp-like,” 
steal a ride on the cars, but “footed” 
it all the way. Some breeds of dogs 
have a particular part of their nature 
highly developed; as, for example, 
the Bloodhounds, which can detect 
the smell of blood at a great distance. 
These large, fer. cions dogs are still 
in use in Cuba for tracking and cap¬ 
turing runaway slaves. The power of 
smell is wonderfully developed in some 
kinds of game dogs ; for example, the 
Fox-hound. In order to test the acute¬ 
ness of this power, a dog-raiser took 
some puppies away from their mother 
while very young-so she should not 
tell them about the foxes—and kept 
them shut up in a city, out of sight and 
odor of any game, until they were old 
enough to hunt, when they were taken in a tight box to 
the distant country, and the box opened upon the trail 
of a fox which had passed some hours before. The 
young dogs not only scented the fox, but started off after 
him in the right direction. Here we have a dog running 
after a fox which it had never seen, and, more than that,, 
had never seen any fox. The same wonderful powers 
are possessed by the young of bird dogs dogs that are: 
born of parents that have been trained to hunt birds, as 
were their fathers 
and mothers for 
many generations. 
These peculiar traits 
of dogs become a 
part of their nature, 
as much so as that 
of a young duck to 
ran to the water, or 
a boy after a band 
of music. As well 
try to stop a dog 
wagging bis tail 
when kind words 
are spoken to him 
as to keep a pointer 
from pointing or a 
Setter from sitting 
when opportunity is 
offered them. A 
number of years ago 
we were acquainted 
with a large New¬ 
foundland dog that was much attached to its master,, 
who did business in a city, and went in and out daily on. 
the steam cars. The dog lived by the side of the track; 
near the depot, and saw the trains pass every half hour, 
but would pay no attention to them until the four o’clock- 
train came, when he would begin to run and bark, and; 
insist upon being let out, when he would go to the depot, 
meet his master, and was not satisfied until he had the- 
newspaper in his mouth. To the human eye and ear 
those trains were all alike, but the dog knew, and we= 
Fig. 6.—AS SUSPENDED BY 
A CORNER. 
avid” and “ I 1IOT.”— (See next page.') 
could only wonder. Dogs get very sharp sometimes. 
It is related of one—who was in the babit of receiving a 
half dime to buy his breakfast at the butcher’s—that one 
day he found a heap of round bits of tin, each the size 
of a nickel, and upon presenting one of them, the 
butcher, thinking it too good a joke to pass unrewarded, 
gave the dog a full allowance of meat, when in a few 
moments the dog returned with another piece of his new 
king Charles spaniel, “jumbo.” —(See next page.) 
money. This was too much for the good nature of the 
meat denier, and he gave tbe dog a severe look and some¬ 
thing of a scolding. That dog never took any more tin 
bits to the market, and ever after would accept only 
paDer money from his master, always trading at another 
