The New York Herald is raising a fund 
to be used in supplying the anti-toxine 
remedy for diphtheria in the city. The 
fund is already more than $6,000. It is 
the intention to provide sufficient of the 
anti-toxine serum, so that it may be used 
freely. The average mortality from 
diphtheria is 50 or 60 per cent. In Paris, 
der over it. She was soon at home, and 
tugging baby into the house. Down on 
the nursery floor she set him, and untied 
his veil, she gave the sweet little face one 
glance, then uttered a cry of dismay. 
“Mamma! mamma! quick! I’ve got 
the wrong baby !” 
Oh, dear ; it was really true. The 
through the Tower of London, West¬ 
minster Abbey and British Museum ; at¬ 
tended the Universities of Oxford and 
Cambridge. One gave a description of 
Parliament, by comparison with our own 
Congress, another told of the Church of 
England, with its archbishops, bishops, 
deans, vicars and curates, and explained 
FOR AN EVENING PARTY. 
T a church sociable not long ago, a 
pleasant part of the entertainment 
was “a drawing class.” Each person 
was given a slip of paper with a number 
on it. We were told to write our names 
opposite the number. Our attention was 
then called to a door on which were 
it has been reduced to five or ten per 
cent by the use of this new remedy. 
* 
“ Why do girls like the rattle-brained 
fellows best ? ” asks a correspondent. 
From observation, our answer would be 
that they do not. Most often, the rattle¬ 
brained member of the matrimonial team 
is the bride. Men are guided by mere 
appearances and superficialities more 
than women are. So long as women are 
looked upon as the less important part 
of humanity, their better qualities will be 
undervalued. # 
But there is a vivacity shown by our 
rattle-brains, which gives an attractive¬ 
ness that wins very quickly; and it wanes 
almost as quickly. Let us analyze the 
common criticism of rattle-brains: “They 
are so shallow. They are all on the sur¬ 
face.” Whatever admirable qualities we 
observe in association with them, we may 
depend upon it, are all they possess. 
Would it not be well if wiser heads could 
learn a lesson here ? Let us give our best 
selves in our every-day associations. So 
many of us make the great mistake in 
life of keeping our ambitions, hopes, 
sympathies and higher ideals to ourselves, 
believing our associates incapable of 
undei’standing or appreciating them. 
THE WRONG BABIES. 
E STHER wheeled the carriage—bump! 
bump !—down the steps. It was 
fortunate that the baby wasn't in it. 
Mamma brought him out herself, tucked 
him cozily under the blue and white 
robe, and pulled his little silvery veil 
down over his face. “It’s so sunny,” 
she said, tilting the umbrella to one 
side, “ don't forget, Esther, to tip it 
over the other side coming home.” 
“ Yes’m—no’m,” Esther said, impatient¬ 
ly. She was in such a hurry ! After the 
errand down street to get the buttons, 
she was going to Mira Atwood’s to the 
Juvenile Sewing Circle. Of course, she 
loved the baby ! Oh, yes ! But she could 
have gone for the buttons so much faster 
without him. None of the other girls 
had to wheel baby-carriages most every¬ 
where they went. Esther was cross. She 
gave the carriage a push that sent it into 
a fat man with a bundle, and almost up¬ 
set him. Then away she went down the 
pleasant street, over the hubbies—bump! 
bump ! bump ! Baby was having a glori¬ 
ous time. The bigger the bumps, and 
the oftener they came, the louder he 
crowed. Bumping was just to his mind. 
When they got to the right button 
store, Esther left him in the broad en¬ 
trance way, and hurried in. There were 
several other babies waiting, too, and 
Esther’s baby felt quite at home. He 
peered out through his veil at the next- 
door baby, who peered back through his 
veil. Both babies were tucked under 
blue and white robes, and blinked and 
gurgled behind little silver-colored veils 
—as like as two little peas in a pod. So 
no wonder they were presently g-ood 
friends. In the store, Esther tossed over 
cards of buttons hurriedly. She saw 
Patty Davis going by across the street. 
Oh, dear! She’d get to Mira’s’way ahead! 
She chose a card and rushed out. 
“Come, baby, we’ve just got to run,” 
she said, whirling the carriage out of 
the baby row and sending it along with 
a bounce. Half-way home, she remem¬ 
bered the umbrella. “ Why, it’s tipped 
the other side over now /” she cried in 
surprise, but there wasn’t time to won- 
baby on the floor was very sweet, in¬ 
deed ; but not Esther’s baby at all ! 
Black eyes instead of blue, and no “corn 
silk” hair and little up-tilted nose. 
Mamma was in distress, and Esther for¬ 
got the Juvenile Society and only re¬ 
membered how much she loved the right 
baby. Meanwhile, the wrong baby sat 
on the nursery floor. It was all very 
astonishing, and presently he shut his 
eyes and opened his mouth and wailed 
disapproval. Of course, mamma com¬ 
forted him then. Well, maybe it isn’t 
necessary to tell how they all hurried 
back to the button store, or how they 
found the right baby fast asleep just 
where Esther left him, and a frightened 
nursemaid hovering distractedly near, 
waiting for somebody to claim him and 
bring her baby back. 
Yes, the mislaid babies got into their 
right places quickly, after all. But one 
little girl was wiser and more thought¬ 
ful and loving “ forever after.” 
ANNIE HAMILTON DONNELL. 
OUR SEARCH CLUB 
AND THE MINE OF PLEASURE AND PROFIT 
WE FOUND. 
AST year, as the winter evenings 
drew nigh, 10 young people, in 
ages from 18 to 38 years, met to consider 
how best to spend one evening a week 
pleasantly and profitably. All felt that 
life was too short, and time too valuable, 
to be wasted with games and gossip. 
A reading circle, where one read aloud 
and all the others sat listening, was voted 
dull and uninteresting. Some of our 
number had been obliged to battle for 
bread at an early age, to the neglect 
of school opportunities. Three were 
academic graduates, two had read the 
full course in the C. L. S. C., one lady 
w T as a fine pianist and one gentleman a 
good singer. We aimed to arrange a 
programme that would at once instruct 
and interest these different people. 
The name “ Search Club” was chosen 
as indicative of our purpose. One officer 
only was appointed—a secretary—to 
keep a record of our plans for future 
meetings, and to preside at each meet¬ 
ing. Gen. Lew Wallace’s new book, 
“ The Prince of India” was purchased, to 
be read at home during the week, by 
each member in turn. This was the 
only cash expenditure. A topic was 
chosen for a week in advance, and di¬ 
vided among the members for search, or 
study, and a member appointed for two 
weeks ahead, who arranged and sub¬ 
divided his subject, and gave it out to 
the members at the next week's meeting. 
We studied United States Government, 
looking up the qualifications, duties and 
salaries of President, Vice-President, 
Senators and Representatives ; number, 
names and duties of the Cabinet, and the 
list of Supreme Court Judges from the 
first one down to the present court, also 
learning the different grades of Diplo¬ 
matists, their duties and salaries. An¬ 
other evening- we explored the Empire 
State, one taking its government, i. e ., 
the intimate connection of Church and 
State. One young lady told us of the 
noted English poets, giving some selec¬ 
tions from favorite authors; another told 
us of the novelists. 
One evening was spent in Egypt, with 
the topic subdivided as follows : Govern¬ 
ment, ancient and modern : Religion ; 
Bible History ; Pyramids and Sphinx ; 
Temples ; Inhabitants ; Cities, ancient 
and modern ; Climate and Resources; 
Literature and Inscriptions; Recent 
Discoveries. Italy was handled much 
the same way as Egypt, special study 
being given to Rome, Mount Vesuvius 
and Pompeii, St Peter’s and the Vatican, 
Roman Catholic religion, Art and Litera¬ 
ture. 
At one evening’s session, which fell 
upon February 26, the anniversary of the 
birth of the poet Longfellow, the roll- 
call was answered by quotations from 
some of his poems. One had prepared 
a sketch of his life, and three of his 
poems were read aloud, “ Birds of Kill- 
ingworth,” “ Morituvi Salutumus,” and 
“The Hanging of the Crane.” This 
with music filled one evening. 
While all the members of the club, 
with one exception, were members of 
the same religious denomination, a dis¬ 
cussion arose one evening concerning the 
doctrines and practices of different 
churches. So the Dutch Reformed, Epis¬ 
copalian, Presbyterian, Unitarian, Uni- 
versalist, Baptist, Methodist, Roman 
Catholic and Jewish churches were as¬ 
signed, one to each member, for study 
during the week, and explanation at the 
next session. 
Our last meeting of the season was an 
informal one, with no regular pro¬ 
gramme. Each one was to feel in a social 
mood, and be ready to do something for 
the entertainment of the others when 
called on, either to speak a piece, sing a 
song, or dance a jig. The last meeting 
was the only one at which refreshments 
of any kind were served. The meetings 
were all held at one house, that being 
centrally located, and the home of the 
senior lady member of the club, who 
was the leading spirit and prime mover 
in the winter’s work. Her home con¬ 
tained a piano, also a set of encyclope¬ 
dias, which was of invaluable aid in our 
researches. In fact, such study could 
not be carried on without a set of refer¬ 
ence books of some kind. There ought 
to be in every neighboihood or school 
district in the land, some persons with 
philanthropy enough to own an encyclo 
pedia, and generous enough to allow all 
the searchers after knowledge in the 
vicinity free use of it. 
One of the results of our winter’s 
work was that a young man who came, 
at first, to bring his sisters, and who had 
seemed to care but little for school or 
reading, toward the latter part of the 
winter said, “It is high time I knew 
something.” To-day he is a student in 
one of the best academies in the State, 
with a firm determination to work his 
way through the university. e. c. g. 
tacked sheets of brown paper all num¬ 
bered. The person having slip of paper 
“No. 1” was called for and appointed 
teacher. He was given a crayon pencil 
and a slip of paper with the number on 
it, and the word “ cat,” this being his 
instructions, and not known to the 
others. He proceeded to draw on the 
brown paper a cat. When finished, it 
was passed around the room, and each 
person was desired to write against the 
figure 1 on his slip of paper what he sup¬ 
posed to be the name of the animal. 
While that was being done, No. 2 was 
at work making another picture. When 
all in the room had shown their artistic 
ability, the “ teacher ” read the names 
of the pictures from his list, while an 
assistant held the drawings up to view. 
Those who had given the picture the ex¬ 
act name, gave themselves a credit mark. 
If the drawing was made for a hog, it 
must be named hog—pig w ould never do. 
When all had been marked, the teacher 
asked for the one who had named them 
all right but one, two, three, etc. When 
the number was reached to which some 
one had attained, to this one was given 
a large box which hung in sight all the 
evening, and which we had been told 
contained a prize. With a good deal of 
merriment, it was opened and found to 
contain two lumps of sugar. The nam¬ 
ing of the pictures proved to be quite as 
ludicrous as the drawings were remark¬ 
able, and it was pronounced a very pleas¬ 
ant way of amusing a number of people. 
s. E. H. 
A NOTABLE ENGLISHWOMAN. 
II AT do you know about Frances 
Power Cobbe ? ” we asked the 
mater, who can be depended upon to have 
some ideas upon nearly every subject of 
general interest. (And how fortunate 
are the families where the mother does 
have ideas of wider range than house¬ 
hold tasks and neighborhood gossip !) 
Miss Cobbe’s autobiography, lately come 
from the press, furnishes very pleas¬ 
ant means for both broadening one’s 
interests, and learning more about this 
quite remarkable woman. Some idea of 
the gratitude and debt of remembrance 
we owe to her, may be gathered from 
even a brief review of her life. Descended 
from an old English family, she was born 
in 1822, and spent the first 35 years of her 
life on the family estate in Ireland. 
Interested from her youth in whatever 
went to better the conditions of the cot¬ 
tagers, and in the study of various 
sciences and philosophies, it was natural 
that a strong desire for philanthropic 
usefulness should lead her, after the 
breaking up of her home ties, to some 
such work as Mary Carpenter’s ragged 
schools in Bristol. While there, she be¬ 
came interested in the conditions of the 
workhouse inmates. An ardent humani¬ 
tarian, as well as philanthropist, she 
soon began writing for the press on all 
sorts of social abuses, and for 25 years 
devoted herself chiefly to journalism, 
the Governor and the Legislature ; an¬ 
other its different kinds of courts and Highest of all in Leavening Power.—Latest U. S. Gov’t Report 
judges ; a third the educational system, 
common schools, normal schools, col¬ 
leges and universities ; another the 
canals ; another the railroads, etc. 
A Trip to Europe. 
Another night we traveled in England 
visiting the royal family, in their dif¬ 
ferent homes, looking up their means of 
support, manner of life, etc. We strolled 
