Page 91

87

way. Sarah Bond's article related to the famous
floating post office in the Straits of Magellan,
a painted key chained to a rock, letters are deposited
by passing vessels from a small boat each
visitor taking out any that may be for his port
or adjacent countries. We were advised to keep
current jelly in an upstairs closet, some covered it
with glass, some with tin papers and some not at all.
Mary E. Moore's selection treated of "Mind Cure"
the practical application of willpower in banishing
pain and sorrow. The writer believed cheerfulness
assisted digestion and good news always helped an
invalid. It has been proved many times that timid
people are apt to succumb to epidemics.
Martha Holland had a characteristic anecdote of
Gladstone who has long been an interesting subject
to Americans. Strange to say the very next contribution
was a sketch of Gladstone's career
read by Ellen Farquhar, his political life
extended without intermission from Andrew Jackson's
administration down to the second term of
that of Grover Cleveland. Mary G. Colt recounted
the many ways in which the word "awful" was
misused and gave us a poetic recital of the verse
of young America on the 4th July which closed
thus, "He will grow altogether again, never fear
And be ready to celebrate freedom next year.
Meanwhile all his family are thankful there lies
A crackerless twelve months betwixt 4th of Julys"