Amateur Journalism.

Many hundreds of young persons having literary taste write stories and verses for the amateur journals. A few hundred young persons more ambitious than the others publish these miniature newspapers. These publishers, editors, and contributors have long been organized into the National Amateur Press a.s.sociation--the "N.A.P.A.," for short. Every year a national convention is held, at which a great deal of time is spent discussing methods and men, and a great deal of enthusiasm displayed in behalf of favorite candidates for president and other offices. Of course there is the social side, and scores of delightful acquaintances are formed that have been known to last a life-time.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILL HANc.o.c.k, President N.A.P.A.]

The last national convention was held in Chicago, when Mr. Will Hanc.o.c.k, editor of the _Prairie Breezes_, which "blow monthly," was elected president. He lives at Fargo, N. D., and will send a copy of his paper to any member of our Order who asks him to do so. He wants to get acquainted with as many members as possible, in order to invite you to join the ranks of the N.A.P.A. The other officers are: First Vice-president, Arthur J. Robinson, _Bohemia_, Chicago, Ill.; Second Vice-president, Zelda R. Thurman, _Chicagoan_, Chicago, Ill.; Recording Secretary, Albert E. Barnard, _Writer_, Chicago, Ill.; Corresponding Secretary, Edward A. Hering, _Evergreen State_, Seattle, Wash.; Treasurer, George L. Colburn, _The Mirror_, Pekin, Ill.; Official Editor, Edith Missiter.

Judiciary Committee: Ex-president, John L. Tomlinson, editor _Commentator_, Spokane, Wash., Chairman: Miss Stella Truman, Opelousas, La., editor _The South_, ex-President Southern A.P.A., Secretary; and Charles R. Burger, Jersey City, N. J., editor _Progress_.

National Laureate Recorder, Mabel C. Lucas, editor _Searchlight_, Spokane, Wash.

Secretary of Credentials, Nathan Hill Ferguson, Level Plains, North Carolina, author.

Chairman Recruiting Committee, Harrie C. Morris, editor _Ocean Waves_, San Francisco, Cal.

Librarian, Ella Maud Frye, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The convention of 1896 is to meet in Washington, D. C. Dues in the N.A.P.A. are small. Address Recruiting Committee or Mr. Hanc.o.c.k. There is also a New England Press a.s.sociation, of which Miss Susan D. Robbins, Abington, Ma.s.s., is president. She will give information concerning it to all who ask.

Celebrating the "Fourth" Abroad.

The other day we went in the cars to a little town on the Elbe's bank, and there took a steamboat and went up the river. The view was lovely, and looked like a mixture of the Rhine and the palisades on the Hudson, with high cliffs on each side--some green with trees, and others with the bare gray rocks worn by the wind and rain into a thousand queer shapes. In some places there were quarries for the soft buff sandstone of which these cliffs are composed, lending another color (yellow) to the cliffs of gray and green. You can well imagine how lovely it was.

As we neared the town the country changed, and now it resembled the Thames, with villas here and there among the trees. The King of Saxony has his summer palace here, with pleasure-boats moored to the wharf. We reached the brightly lighted city on our return just at twilight, wishing our journey was not over so soon.

We went to the Belvedere on the Fourth of July. It is a large garden by the river. It is crowded every night, a good half of the people being English and Americans. Of course the "Fourth" was a great American night, the programme being printed in English. The band played everything it knew of American music, with some of the English composers for the English part of the audience. You should have heard the clapping for "Hail Columbia." The musicians played the beautiful "Largo" too, and the hush that fell over every one was nice to see, even a lot of students who sat at the next table stopped talking and laughing.

Last of all came a great mixture of all the American tunes.

Everybody, or at least a great number, sang; and you can well imagine the noise when "Yankee Doodle" came. "Marching through Georgia" was sung loudly, every one clapping in time. By everybody I mean the Americans. "Old Black Joe" was most highly appreciated, and when it came to "Way Down upon the Suwanee River," the voices, it seemed to me, beat any opera chorus in the world. A great many voices were "quavery" at "Home, Sweet Home," and my sister and I indulged in rather a "watery" smile.

I never knew the pathos of that song till I was in a German garden, with some of my countrymen around me, three thousand miles from "home." I could just hear the waves beating on the beach at dear old East Hampton, with the moonlight shining over all; the light in the dear little "chalet," and our footsteps sounding on the board walk, as we came in, in time for dinner, with the bright table and father just in from town. And I could see the funny old house with the willows in front, and the quiet old graveyard bright in the still white light. Across the way Daisy's house with the yellow lamplight shining through, and Daisy's black shadow pa.s.sing across the light through the window. John Howard Payne must have seen the same "Home, Sweet Home" as I did that minute.

EDITH S. MILLS.

DRESDEN, GERMANY.

A South Carolina Plantation.

We live on a plantation. The clearing is about 400 acres in extent. On the east is a salt-water river, and on the north, south, and west is the forest. On the other side of the river is a marsh. On this marsh there grows a kind of gra.s.s. In the winter the marsh dries and breaks off, and in spring, when we have high tides, the gra.s.s floats upon the beach, and people haul it away to put in the stables for the horses and cows. There are many large live-oaks scattered over the clearing, with lots of moss hanging from them. The moss is lovely. Along the river-sh.o.r.e on our side are palmettos, oak-trees, and bushes.

MILLIE MITTELL, R. T. L.

BLUFFTON, S. C.

[Ill.u.s.tration: STAMPS]

This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor Stamp Department.

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Corean money is made of copper or bra.s.s, each piece about as large as our old copper cents, with a square hole in the centre. It takes six hundred of these coins to equal in value one of our silver dollars. Ten dollars would be a good load for a man to carry about, and fifty dollars would be a good load for a horse.

Where does the capitalist keep his money? We have to build immense vaults in Washington to store away our silver bullion and silver dollars that no one cares to carry about as we prefer good gold or paper money.

There are no banks or safe-deposit companies with fire-proof vaults in Corea, so the Corean capitalist is forced to devise a method, and has. .h.i.t upon a very novel one. He lends out the money early in the spring at 50 per cent. or 60 per cent. per year, all loans to be repaid in full with interest late in the autumn. The money, therefore, comes back about the beginning of winter. The Corean digs a big hole in his yard the first freezing night and spreads out a layer of cash on the bottom. On top of this he throws some earth and wets it thoroughly. As soon as this is frozen hard, he spreads out another layer of cash and covers it with wet earth; this freezes in turn and another layer of cash is put away.

When he gets through the whole is wet again and it naturally freezes solid. Thus each Corean capitalist has his own security vault, and the winter is such that there is no danger of any one trying to dig up the money until warm weather in the spring.

W. J. MCGARVEY.--Continental and Confederate bills have little value, owing to the enormous quant.i.ty still in existence. A collection of these would be of at least as much interest as a collection of stamps, and the expense would not be very great.

H. H. LUTHER.--The Columbian half-dollar is in regular circulation at face value. There is little prospect of its increasing in value.

F. S. B.--The dealers sell the 1830 half-dollar for 75c.

R. STARKE.--Ten-cent stamp alb.u.ms are not recommended to even a beginner. A very good alb.u.m can be bought for $1.

S. A. DYAR.--The coin described is Spanish, and is worth about 12c., face value. Dealers quote one-dollar gold pieces at $1.50, quarter eagles at $3, 1828-32 half-cent 15c., 1858 copper cents 5c.

PHILATUS.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

One can be genteel and neat, and still indulge a love of outdoor sports.

A fall with nothing worse than mud stains is not serious; Ivory Soap will remove troublesome spots and restore the original freshness to a good piece of cloth.

Copyright 1895, The Procter & Gamble Co.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RICHARDSON & DE LONG BROS. ad]