A Prize Series for the Young People 
“ WHY I LOVE THE FARM” 
“The Eldest 
Daughter.” 
HER RELATION TO THE HOME, 
HER INFLUENCE, 
HER AUTHORITY, 
HER DUTIES, 
HER PRIVILEGES. 
This competition is open to all the young people in 
the families of any of our subscribers, and to such 
only. We shall use three, possibly more, on each of 
the two topics, asking our readers to vote as to which 
is best. The best article thus selected on “ Why I 
Lo'c'e the Farm,” will receive $5; the best on “ The 
Eldest Daughter” will also receive $5; each of the 
others published, 82. 
CONDITIONS. —Writing must be with ink and dis¬ 
tinct; manuscripts not rolled, and limited to 800 words; 
name and address of sender at head of first page ; all 
manuscripts must be in our hands by April 20, 1893. 
Those accompanied by self-addressed, stamped envelopes 
will be returned, if unused. 
MR. AND MRS. CLEVER WATCH THE TREND 
OF THE TIMES. 
best St. Bernard in the show ? ’ Isn’t she a grand 
chestnut ? ” 
“ She is, indeed,” replied his spouse, beginning to 
catch a little of the enthusiasm. “ And her ears are 
just enough darker to accent her color beautifully; 
while the white on feet and muzzle and breast, and 
running up into a collar, just brings out the rest.” 
“ Yes, sir ; and you watch by and by, and you’ll see 
the women swarm around this kennel, and the little 
dogs will be nowhere. .See that woman by the big, 
black Newfoundland? She’s been sitting there all 
through the show. Proud enough, I suppose, about 
belonging to a winner of first, with people speculat¬ 
ing about her all the time.” 
“ So she belongs to the dog ? How ugly these lank 
brindles are ! Does any one really like them ? Why, 
Solomon, if there isn’t a man actually kissing one of 
them. I shall try never to say a word about women 
kissing their dogs again.” 
“ John Rogers ! O, I beg pardon, Mathilde, but that’s 
a little more than I’ve seen before. But many of these 
big dogs are so affectionate and noble and intelligent 
that their keepers soon grow fond of them, if there’s 
any manliness in themselves. It’s really good to see 
how some of these fellows feel toward their dogs. I 
believe even a dog can call out the good that’s in a 
man.” 
TTwason the afternoon of Washington’s Birthday, 
A and Mr. and Mrs. Clever were discussing the 
pleasantest method of passing the holiday evening. 
“ Couldn’t you make up your mind to visit the Dog 
Show this evening, just to please me, Mathilde?” urged 
Mr. Clever. 
“ I am at a loss to see, Solomon, why you should 
feel any interest in such an absurd exhibition, or ex¬ 
pect me to do so,” replied Mrs. Clever with a trace of 
impatience, “especially as you know my opinion of 
the woman whose affections are centered upon a six- 
inch dog.” 
“ I know, Mathilde ; but I think you arc a bit pre- 
j diced, and it is always well enough to become fami¬ 
liar with all sides of a question. If it is the six inches 
that touch you to scorn of your sex, you may feel more 
respect for women when you find that they admire a 
six-footer of a dog quite as much ; besides, I do really 
think you will enjoy it, for once.” 
“Very well, dear. Since your mind seems to be set 
in that direction, we will go, and I shall try to gather 
all that you expect of me in the way of enjoyment.” 
“ Let us go early, then, that you may have time 
to see the dogs before the great influx of people dis¬ 
tracts your attention. It is such a grand place to 
study human nature, that you will want to look at the 
crowd, when it arrives.” 
This plan was carried out. As Mrs. Clever waited 
for a moment in the outer hall while her escort made 
private arrangements with the ticket office for their 
admittance, her ears were saluted with an echoing 
chorus of shrieks, and yelps, and ringing sounds that 
seemed almost infernal. 
“ What is that terrible din?” she asked, clutching 
her companion’s coat-sleeve. 
He only laughed carelessly. “That? Oh! that is 
only the dogs barking—1,400 of them you know. They 
keep it up all the time ; it answers for an orchestra. 
Don’t you distinguish the big bass and shriller tenor, 
and even the sharp tone of the highest octaves ?” As 
he spoke he was leading the way toward the heavy 
entrance curtains. 
Mrs. Clever’s steps lagged ; she flinched and shivered 
as the successive waves of piercing sound struck 
sharply on her ears. 
“ But I can never endure this Babel, even for one 
hour, Solomon.” 
“ Don’t be foolish, Mathilde ! Just go in for a good 
time. You’ll forget all about the noise in a minute. 
See here, aren’t these St. Bernards immense ?” 
Immense is a favorite word with Mr. Clever, but 
there was no doubt about its application to the present 
subject, and the man was like a boy let loose from 
school. 
“ How much do you suppose this fellow weighs, 
Mathilde? Just give a guess.” 
“ Why how should I know ? Fifty—no—maybe 100 
pounds. These are almost larger than the Newfound¬ 
lands, aren’t they ?” 
“Indeed they are; and this one would just about 
balance me on the scales ; 100 pounds, he weighs, and 
his keeper says that they have to diet him very care¬ 
fully to keep him below 180 pounds. 
“ Look, Mathilde ! Here's the finest beast in the 
show, to my thinking; and the judges pretty nearly 
agree with me. Princess Florence, they call her. See 
the blue cards, and that one that says ‘ Special for 
“ I think you are right. But what does it mean, 
Solomon, putting this different kind with these brin¬ 
dles ? These steel-colored ones are almost handsome.” 
“ These are all Great Danes. Here, this copy of the 
American Field tells about them. Some are pale and 
some dark brindle, and some are blue. Your steel- 
color is blue. I hope you aren’t getting color-blind, 
Mathilde.” 
“ Then are these beautiful brown ones red?” meekly. 
“ You will have to explain all about them ; I am in the 
novice class, I fear.” 
“ Exactly, my dear. These little red ones are some¬ 
what rare for their breed, which is usually black 
and white. They are Cocker Spaniels. These big red 
ones are Irish Setters. No handsomer breed runs 
afield. See their coats, how waved and glossy. Now, 
honestly, what color wmld you call them, Mathilde ?” 
“ The best ones seem to be as near a pure dark-red¬ 
dish chestnut as anything could be, I think. I wouldn’t 
mind owning one of these, Solomon.” 
“ Didn’t I say you couldn’t fail to be interested ! 
This little black and white beauty with the silky head 
seems bound to make friends with you.” 
Mrs. Clever could but show her pleasure when the 
pretty spaniel with big brown eyes looking straight 
into her own, placed one paw on the raised edge of 
the bench, and held up the other, with such a friendly, 
trusting, eager face. 
“ ‘Troublesome’ ”; she said,reading the cards. “ ‘First, 
and two specials’ : I congratulate you, Troublesome, 
dear, and I am sure it is only because you are so very 
bright as to be interested in every one and everything 
you see that you have received a name not wholly 
complimentary. ” 
“ But I must take you in to see the tiniest dogs 
now, Mathilde; you will never be able to see all in 
one evening. 
“Now, here, this pug is of that very same pale fawn 
color I’ve heard you call lovely so often ; here’s Ootah, 
imported direct from the Mikado’s kennels. She’s 
the imperial ladyship who had a party last month, 
with favors, and a christening, later, in her family. 
Glass cases, and blue and gold satin hangings and 
cushions suit these aristocrats. Here’s a tiny dog ; 
weighs about three pounds they say, just the six-inch 
specimen you scorned so. Price, 8100, and the bill would 
serve nicely for a blanket for him—that is, with a 
ittle gold fringe about the edges.” 
“ Wait a minute, Solomon ! who is the lady with 
the big red rose in her gown, sitting in that chair be¬ 
fore the glass case ?” 
“ I will guess for you, my dear. The dog, Romeo, 
is owned by Mrs. Lensi, who took first on him, and 
special for best quartette of toy spaniels. Judging 
from the look of absolute self-satisfaction and pride 
on her face, the rose branch in the dog’s cage, and the 
huge rose in her gown, I should say she was the very 
loving Juliet of this Romeo.” 
“ At least, she has the good taste not to kiss him in 
public, for which let us be thankful! Mayn't we go 
back now, Solomon ? I like the big dogs much better; 
they have some character. The little ones are too 
much like their mistresses.” 
“ But after you have seen Bench and Max do their 
hoops and somersaults, and waltzing, you will have 
more respect for the small dogs, Mathilde.” 
MYRA y. NORYS. 
APPLIED ELECTRICAL GENIUS. 
A DVERTISEMENTS are to catch women, they 
say ; thus this may be deemed of special interest 
to them. Suppose you should wake up some gloomy 
morning in the fall, and rush to the window to see 
what the weather was going to be. And while you 
were looking at the gray clouds, and speculating as to 
whether it would rain or not, suppose you should see 
the following sentence in bright letters suddenly shine 
above, 
Are You Prepared ? 
Of course you wouldn’t be prepared for any such 
demonstration, and might imagine that some dire 
disaster was predicted unless you waited to see what 
came next, and saw the following flash forth: 
Are you prepared for a rainy day ? 
If not 
Stop in on the way down town and buy one of 
Peters's Umbrellas. 
To see any such advertisement appear in the sky 
would be decidedly startling, and therefore it is well 
to be warned. An Englishman has succeeded in per¬ 
fecting an electrical apparatus that enables him to 
cast luminous letters and figures upon the clouds, so 
this warning is by no means unnecessary. It is quite 
possible that such an advertisement may some day be 
seen. Any great piece of news might be thrown upon 
the sky so that thousands could read. The portraits 
of prominent men might be given, and already Mr. 
Gladstone’s familiar face has shone on high. Ships 
upon the ocean could signal each other at night, and 
tell each other all the news, so that the passengers 
might understand also, and not worry the captain to 
death by questioning. 
In a fog at sea the steamer might anchor, and throw 
out from all sides signs of warning, such as 
No Trespassing ! 
Oo Slow, Wc are here I 
If a man wanted to hire a bouse, or had one to let, 
he might advertise the same on the clouds, and feel 
certain that it would be viewed by a great number 
of people. He could also give a picture of the 
house, if he so desired, and then they would know 
just what he wanted, or what he had. There is ab¬ 
solutely no end to the schemes suggested by this new 
invention. 
But there is also a sad thought in connection with 
it, fora report further says that on clear nights, when 
there are no clouds, the inventor has found a way to 
manufacture artificial ones. This is really too bad. 
The moonlight is often very desirable for straw-rides 
or sleighing or some other amusement, and it would 
be very sad indeed to have a moonlight party broken 
up by an artificial cloud shutting out the moon, and 
have a sign staring down upon you advising you to 
Oo to Jones for Shoes ! 
This, too, might possibly happen at some future 
time, and it is well to be prepared. But what a shame 
it would be to have the skies at night converted into 
advertising signboards! And what would poets do in 
the future if they couldn’t see the “ star-gemmed 
heavens, etc.,” and so be unable to write about them ? 
—Harper’s Young People. 
A Social Failure. —“ Why does not Clara L. come into 
your social set?” asked I of a former pupil. “Only 
because she does not keep up with the times. When 
we left school, you remember, she was as good a stu¬ 
dent as any in our class. But since her marriage 
she has settled down to a mere drudge. She has 
no general knowledge of what is going on about 
her, for she seldom goes anywhere. When she is seen 
upon the street, she looks so dowdyish that one feels 
ashamed to be seen with her, and she cannot make her 
conversation interesting, for she never reads anything 
in the way of fresh literature. One must keep step 
with the music if she expects to clasp hands with her 
companions. She will certainly be left either to go 
alone or to step back with the slow plodders of a less 
intelligent class. I often pity Clara when I see her 
left, as it were out in the cold ; but then I can’t help 
thinking it is her own fault. She might have kept up 
in dress and manners, if in nothing else. ” may maple. 
When Baby was sick, we gave her Castorla, 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla, 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla, 
When she had Children, she gave them Castorla. 
