Various

“ Not very long ago a lady was recounting to me scenes in which, according to her description, Mendelssohn and Moscheles performed actual marvels at the piano, the delicacy and lightness of both their styles reminding her "of a forest full of delicious birds."
In the period of which I speak now—that is, the beginning of this century—you will remember how little public appreciation of art existed, and how hard the greatest men toiled for all they obtained. But love of art is powerful. ”

“ Any reader of the Young People who owns a dog, and who truly appreciates that animal's best qualities, should not suppose that the great end in educating his pet is getting him so familiar with half a dozen "tricks" that he will meekly perform them to the end of his life. Tricks are well enough as far as they go, but the grand object in teaching Towser or Jack should be the development in him of just as much general wide-awakeness and intelligence as is possible. One does not want by his chair in the winter, or on a summer-day's stroll a French performing poodle. ”

“ Any one who has been in Rome and lived on the Esquiline Hill must have been struck by the beautifully toned bells of Santa Maria Maggiore, the largest and finest church of the district. According to the legend, it was built in the year 354, on the spot where a miraculous shower of snow fell during the month of August—a most unlikely time for snow to fall anywhere, and most of all in Rome, where the heat is generally unbearable at that time. There is no end to the freaks of legend, or to the simplicity of credulous people who take legend for history. ”

“ Mozart had pupils who thought nothing of five hours' practice a day, and Beethoven, when a boy, was kept to the piano for hours by means of a good beating every time he left it.
The misery of a musical career at that time was certainly lack of general understanding of the art. Musicians had to procure for themselves noble patrons—rich ladies or gentlemen who would help them on in their divine art, patronize their concerts, get pensions for them, or in some cases offer them homes where they might work unmolested by debt and other domestic trouble. ”

“ Joe spread his water-proof blanket on the sand close by the side of his canoe. He had dragged her several yards away from the rest of the fleet, so as to be able to make his bed on the highest and driest part of the sand, and to shelter himself from the wind by lying in the lee of his boat. The other boys preferred to sleep in their canoes, which were placed side by side and close together. The blazing logs made the camp almost as light as if the sun were shining, and the boys lay awake a long while talking together, and hoping that the wind would die out before morning. ”

“ Bessy was as fond of cake as other little girls; so she sat down on the door-step to eat the cake, and listened for the wheels of the carriage.
At last they came, and Bessy flew down to meet her parents with delight, for she felt lonesome and queer.
Mamma called Ann to light the big lamp on the round table; then she looked at her little girl, sat down, and took her on her lap, saying:
"Well, what have you been doing, little one? You look tired and cold. Have you had your tea?"
How Bessy longed to tell them of the wonderful good luck in store for them! ”

“ And I guess the old man—he wasn't so old either, but he was a dry kind of a chap as always had a sly grin on his face, as if he was chuckling at the way we boys slinged good coal into his yard—I guess he reckoned aright. Many's the time when I've chucked half a dozen lumps of coal at this little chap, never thinking how I was a-feeding the old man's stove with the company's coal. I reckon Carbo must have made as much as two hundred-weight of coal a week. It seems a heap to give away, but, bless you! I never guessed that any other engineer but me ever threw coal at that monkey. ”

“ How dark it had grown! The light shone from the bushes like a fallen star. When Bessy was within a few feet of the light, she was astonished to see a face peering out of the darkness, its eyes fixed on her with anything but a pleasant expression. The light went out, and Bessy, wishing she [Pg 825] was safe at home, turned to scamper back, when a heavy hand was laid on her shoulder, and the light flashed in her face.
She now saw it was a lantern carried by a very small and disagreeable old woman dressed in black, and her head covered with a red handkerchief. ”

“ I have told you the step upward old Bach made; then Haydn went still further, preparing the way for Beethoven's perfect work. Mozart's brilliancy and delicacy both as a performer and a composer helped the movement on in every way, and during the first quarter of this century a number of men came into fame as masters in execution and composition as well. Indeed, with the beginning of this century piano-playing had reached a period of excellence which allowed a master to indulge all his feelings and ideas in composing for this instrument. ”

“ That Jack's teacher must be patient and good-tempered at his task, and that he must try to bring to it all the tact he possesses, need scarcely be said.
Let us suppose that one of the readers of the Young People has bought or has had given him a puppy of any species whatsoever—one need not here go into the much-vexed question of the relative intelligence of different breeds. Any dog, even if it be a "cur of low degree," is capable of high education, provided his schooling is begun early enough. ”

“ Though no longer young, nor by any means small, I read Young People with as much interest as my children, and think I can place no better book in their hands.
I read with much interest Arthur Lindsley's article on humming-birds, and must differ with him about their food. I have caught them—the ruby-throat and another, which I will describe hereafter—several times, and they never fail to get over their fright in a few minutes, and drink eagerly of sugar and water offered to them in a spoon. ”

“ Well, sir, that man knew human nature well, for he reckoned that not an engine would stop there but the engineer and his mate would have a shot with a chunk of coal at that chattering monkey on the pole, and every chunk would fall into his yard. ”

“ Papa said he must send a man to fix it, but he didn't."
"All right. You run as fast as you can, and don't let any one see you, or the spell will be broken. Remember."
"I know," replied Bessy; and she sprang up and flew down the lane, through the gate, and up the steps. She could hear Ann and Lucy still talking and laughing in the kitchen, but no one seemed to be thinking of her; so she drew the key out softly, and ran back, thinking how delighted her father and mother would be in the morning. Bessy found the old fairy waiting in the same place. ”

“ Our young readers are already familiar with the stories of Kate Shelley, Edith Baxter, and the young hero of the Wardley coal mine, which have been told within a short time in Young People. Here are some other names that may be added to this noble list.
Every year, on the occasion of the national fêtes, the Belgian government makes a public distribution of rewards to persons who have displayed remarkable courage in a good cause. At the last festival at Brussels the Home Minister pinned a medal on the breast of a little boy of nine, whom he rightly called "a young hero." ”

“ But with Beethoven came the perfection of the Sonata and the Symphony, and all performers, whether in public or private, who attempted his works, were compelled to understand technique and the use of their fingers on the keyboard, so that we may say, justly enough, that with Beethoven we seem almost to begin a new era in piano-forte music. ”

“ It is never as funny to do a thing ourselves as to see other people do it.
Immediately on landing Mr. Jollytarre was presented with a note by an important personage, who in a fez cap stood by while the Lieutenant read the missive. Having done so, he said, "Tom, you are in luck. One of the most influential merchants of Bagdad has invited us to lunch with him at twelve to-day. We shall have lots of time before then to walk through the bazars, and get, in fact, a general idea of the city. After lunch we can do more sight-seeing. ”

“ It will carry any one of you over the roughest places, and in looking at your well-arranged exercises, try to remember those patient, eager students of eighty years ago, to whom every bit of help came so slowly that we of to-day ought to think our pathway cleared of every thorn. ”

“ He will make a noise in the world some day or other" [1] —a prophecy soon fulfilled.
Beethoven's touch was strong and masterly, but rather heavy, and as his deafness increased, his performances on the piano were almost painful to listen to. His left hand often remained unconsciously on the wrong chord. Mozart never lost the brilliancy of his playing. Haydn, it is said, made the piano "sing," but to the musicians who followed Beethoven we owe the perfection of piano-forte playing and instruction. Moscheles, Mendelssohn, Chopin, and others realized the highest art in execution. ”

“ Why, a bronco is a horse that has never been broken to ride or drive, and when you get on for the first time, the bronco is generally sure to buck. Now when a bronco bucks he just looks like a big billy-goat, with long goatee and chin whiskers, spreading himself in front of a big looking-glass, and jumping up in the air, striking the ground stiff-legged.
Now what else do I learn besides riding and shooting? Why, until a week ago we had a splendid teacher, Mr. S. He's just the best teacher. ”

“ Take a dozen bits of cracker, stand fifteen or twenty feet distant, and call him by name, as "Come here, Jack." If he comes without delay, give him at once one of the pieces of cracker, pet him very enthusiastically, and make as much ado as possible over his arrival. Next walk off as before and repeat the process. If, however, he refuses to come after you have called him twice or thrice, say very decidedly, "Jack, if you do not come I shall whip you." Go up to him and administer one single cut with your whip. ”

“ The sand was strewn with logs, big and little, and Harry proposed that as many logs as possible should be got together, so that an enormous camp fire could be started. It was a happy idea, for it gave the boys employment for the greater part of the day. It became a matter of pride with them to bring the biggest and heaviest of the logs up to the fire-place. Some of them could only be stirred with levers, and moved with the help of rollers cut from smaller logs. Whenever a particularly big log was successfully moved, the boys were encouraged to attack a still bigger one. ”

“ In those days the famous composers or musicians were the only teachers, so that any young student who cared for his work had admirable opportunity to improve. Mozart gave lessons of great length, and seems to have enjoyed them heartily. Haydn had many pupils, one of whom was Beethoven, and we read that he paid Haydn eighteen cents a lesson! ”

“ But with Haydn and Mozart came a need of something finer in the piano-forte itself, and musicians felt strongly the necessity of an improvement in the instrument whereby they could make more gradual effects. Many efforts to alter the strings and hammers for this purpose proved unsuccessful, but at last the main difficulties were overcome, and before Beethoven's death, in 1827, pianos of various degrees of excellence were in use, with all the desired improvements. To this more than to anything else we owe the improvement in piano-forte playing. ”

“ This is a most unusual time for the church bells to ring, as in the large churches of Rome there is, generally speaking, no evening service. Two hours after sunset in winter is a very convenient time for putting little children to bed; so the Roman mothers inhabiting the Esquiline are accustomed to tell their little ones that it is the Madonna, who is ringing the bells and calling out in bell-language, "Bambini, a letto!" ”

“ In short, these cellars might be called during the hot months the watering-places of Bagdad, when it is too intolerably hot to remain above-ground. But the nights almost always cool off, and then the frequenters of these summer resorts go up to spend their evenings on the roof by way of variety. This I should consider a change decidedly for the better, as venomous reptiles abound in the serdaubs, which do not make very pleasant companions. Besides which, the air is damp and the ventilation bad."
As they walked on, Tom said: "The air above-ground is good enough, though, isn't it?" ”

“ I have two pet rabbits, and their names are Snowflake and Killy, and they both are as white as snow. I feed them on cabbage, carrots, plantain, corn bread, grass, clover, and apples. I also have two white mice; I feed them on bread and milk. The other day I was cleaning their cage, and one of them escaped, but I soon caught him again.
Harry L. W.
This week the Postmistress suggests two more games which the young people may try:
CATCHING THE MOUSE.
Nine players lay their hands one on the top of the other. The one whose hand is lowest draws it out and puts it at the top, saying, "One!" ”

“ These are the stories of brave boys and girls, the youngest five, the eldest only fifteen, born some in Europe and some in America, some city bred and delicately reared, others the children of farmers and rude laborers. ”

“ After resting and sleeping on the soft sand, the boys began to find the time hang heavily on their hands. They overhauled their sails and rigging, putting them in complete order. Charley mended a pair of trousers belonging to Joe in a really artistic way, and Joe, with his left arm in a sling, played "mumble-te-peg" with Harry. Tom collected fire-wood, and when he had got together more than enough to cook two or three meals, occupied himself by trying to roll a heavy log into a position near the canoes, where it could be used as a seat or a table. ”

“ After thinking it over for a while, Charlie suggested that we hunt up the young ones. We started toward the grove behind the barn with a vague idea that people generally got lost in forests, and that it would be quite possible for the kittens to have lost themselves in the grove. ”