1861. While in college he studied shorthand, in which he became an expert, and his work in this connection led finally to his great invention. He spent some time as a reporter for the Boston Traveler and New York World, and later accepted a position as war correspondent for the New York Tribune. His adventures during this time were very thrilling, and he had several narrow escapes. His reports of the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac were usually vivid and accurate, and won for him an enviable reputation. After the war he took a full course at Union Theological Seminary, New York, and later studied at the University of Halle, Germany. In some way he was diverted from his plans of entering the ministry and began business.

Mr. Hammond had instinctively utilized his knowledge of stenography in his literary work; the waste of time and strength in writing out his shorthand notes suggested the idea of a mechanical substitute for chirography; and this necessity was the mother of his invention. Although the range of his studies had included mechanics, he had no practical experience in the use of tools, or skill in mechanical construction. Yet the idea of creating a labor-saving substitute for penmanship had been revolving in his mind for years before putting it in practice, and before he had any knowledge of the efforts of others with a similar aim. When the mechanical problem had taken possession of his mind, he resolved to follow it to the end; and while the Hammond was not the first writing machine on the market, the sequel has shown that he had found the correct scientific principles and was working in the right direction.

For fifteen years he struggled against disappointments and discouragements and discouragements

that would have made a weaker man give up in despair.

Neither poverty, illness, advice of friends, nor unfavorable opinions of professional scientists and practical experts could alter his purpose. With abiding faith in the ultimate usefulness of the machine he had already constructed in his mind, he persevered with his experiments, involving intricate details and marvelous patience.

The first official public appearance of the Hammond was in the winter of 1884-85 at the New Orleans Centennial Exposition, where it came in competition with the Remington and the Caligraph, and carried off the honors by winning the gold medal. Since then its competitive trials have been a succession of triumphs. It has fairly won the medals received from all the important expositions at home and abroad. Perhaps the most significant of these was the Elliott Cresson gold medal bestowed by the Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania, after a critical examination of the different styles of standard machines on the market. This award was conferred at the instance of the Committee on Science and the Arts, whose elaborate report in conclusion stated: "Celerity and certainty of operation, perfection of alignment, and great durability in service, are meritorious features which the Hammond machine possesses in an eminent degree and the Sub-committee commend it as the best typewriting machine that has come to their knowledge. The Committee believe that the invention of the impression and feeding mechanism, and especially of the unique principle of letter selection, as well as the perfection attained in the construction of this instrument, are deserving of the highest award in the gift of the Institute."

We are glad that we can give to our readers a portrait of Mr. Hammond, and also a view of his factory, located at 69th street and East River, New York.

The employees of the company seem well satisfied with their treatment, for there has never been any strike among them and some of them have been with the company from the start. State Labor Commissioner McMackin, in his annual report to the Legislature last March, commends a number of employers for many good things that they are doing for employees, and among the prominent concerns that are conducting welfare work, he mentions the Hammond Typewriter Company.

FORGIVENESS.

BY ALFRED AUSTIN,
Poet Laureate of England.

Now bury with the dead years conflicts

dead,

And with fresh days let all begin anew. Why longer amid shriveled leaf-drifts tread,

When buds are swelling, flower-sheaths

peeping through?

Seen through the vista of the vanished. years,

How trivial seem the struggle and the crown,

How vain past feuds, when reconciling

tears

Course down the channel worn by van

ished frown.

How few mean half the bitterness they speak!

Words more than feelings keep us still apart,

And, in the heat of passion and of pique,

The tongue is far more cruel than the

heart,

Since love alone makes it worth while to live,

Let all be now forgiven and forgive.

THE THISTLE'S GROWN ABOON THE ROSE.

BY ALLAN CUNNINGHAM.

Full white the Bourbon lily blows,
Still fairer haughty England's rose
Nor shall unsung the symbol smile,
Green Ireland, of thy lovely isle.
In Scotland grows a warlike flower,
Too rough to bloom in lady's bower;
But when his crest the warrior rears,
And spurs his courser on the spears,
O there it blossoms-there it blows—
The Thistle's grown aboon the Rose.

Bright like a steadfast star it smiles.
Aboon the battle's burning files;
The mirkest cloud, the darkest night,
Shall ne'er make dim that beauteous
sight;

And the best blood that warms my vein
Shall flow ere it shall catch a stain-
Far has it shone on fields of fame,
From matchless Bruce to dauntless
Graeme,

From swarthy Spain to Siber's snows—
The Thistle's grown aboon the Rose.

What conquer'd aye and nobly spared,
And firm endured and greatly dared?
What reddened Egypt's burning sand?
What vanquished on Corunna's strand?
What pipe on green Maida blew shrill?
What dyed in blood Barossa Hill?
Bade France's dearest life-blood rue
Dark Soignies and dread Waterloo?
That spirit which no tremor knows-
The Thistle's grown aboon the Rose.

I vow, and let men mete the grass
For his red grave who dares say less-
Men blyther at the festive board,
Men braver with the spear and sword,
Men higher famed for truth, more strong
In virtue, sovereign sense, and song,
Or maids more fair, or wives more true

Than Scotland's, ne'er trod down the dew;

Unflinching friends-unconquered foes— The Thistle's grown aboon the Rose.

A BURNS STORY.

A good number of years ago there lived a well-known personage in the town of Ayr. He was a popular public man, and added to his list of abilities that of being a living encyclopedia of everything relating to Burns. One day he received a letter from a firm in London detailing that a friend of theirs desired to visit the scene of the poet's triumphs, and soliciting the assistance of the Ayr personage as chaperone. He wrote a reply intimating that his services were at their disposal. A return letter intimated that the visitor, whose name was not mentioned, would arrive in Ayr on a certain day, to have at his convenience a carriage, and also to make arrangements for a repast. The day arrived to find the Ayr worthy on the platform awaiting the arrival of the guest. The train arrived, and there approached a tall, courtly gentleman, who was introduced by the letter he had brought with him. A pleasant and successful day was spent. All that pertained or related to the poet was shown to him, and at the close they adjourned to partake of the repast arranged for. After enjoying a good dinner, the visitor desired to express his thanks for the carefully arranged details and the information that had been tendered to him, rendering, as he said, one of the most pleasant days of his life. In speaking of the subject that so mutually interested them, the visitor expressed his great veneration and admiration for Burns, and, though being an Englishman, and ignorant of

the Scots language, he had, by diligent study and the aid of a glossary, succeeded in arriving at the meaning and value of the poems of the Scottish bard. He had been much impressed with the land of Burns.

"Scotland, my auld respeckit mither." This, to his mind, was a revelation of the power and depth of the genius of poetry possessed by the author. The terms of veneration, just pride, and patriotic expression and affection which such an expression contained stamped his mind with the all-pervading idea of the grandeur and range of Burns' thought and feeling. The dinner being over, the parties made their way to the train. The visitor took his seat, again tendered his thanks for the kindness received, bid his Ayr friend good-by, and asked the acceptance of his card. The Ayr man took the card as the train was moving off. He read it with surprise and wonderment, for the name of the visitor engraved on it was "Alfred Tennyson."-Scottish Patriot.

Three Great Masters.

Homer, who was the greatest Greek epic poet, lived about 800 B. C. Seven cities claim his birth. They are Smyrna, Rhodus, Colophon, Salamis, Chios, Argos and Athens. Homer wrote in Greek as spoken in Asia Minor, which was called "Ionic."

The Iliad and the Odyssey are his great works. The former is an account of the siege of Troy, the latter an account of the wanderings of Ulysses. Homer was a keen observer of nature,

and draws his similes very often from rustic life. Some consider that he merely collected the productions of others. Horace was born at Venusia, in Apulia, 65 B. C. He went to school at Rome under a master named Orbilius, who used the stick very frequently. At the age of 18 he went to study at Athens. His early poems attracted the attention of Mæcenas, who became his patron, and gave him a farm which provided him for life.

Horace wrote odes, episodes, satires, epistles and the "Art of Poetry." He was a follower of the Epicurian School of Philosophy. He was the greatest Latin lyrical poet, and a satirist moreover as well as a poet. He was noted also for his great penetration, happiness of expression, his refinement of style and his delightful similes. He had a happy knack of saying a great deal in a few words. He used various meters. Judging by his works, Horace must have been very good company. He died S B. C., at the age of 56.

Virgil, who was the best Latin epic poet, was born 70 B. C. at Andes, near Mantua, and is often called the Mantuan. He was of indifferent health, but was fortunate in being patronized by Mæcenas. He first composed ten poems called Bucolics in hexameters, then four books called the Georgics, being connected with country life, fruit trees, horses and cattle, soil and bees. His great epic is the Aeneid, or adventures of Aeneas after the fall of Troy. Great delicacy of taste and feeling are characteristic of Virgil. His verse is very polished. Dying at Brundusium, aged 51, he was buried near Naples on the road to Puteo, where his tomb can now be seen.

Not long ago the news was going the rounds that a certain "medicine man" had discovered that oatmeal as a diet was responsible for the increasing number of cases of rickets now disclosing themselves in the British Islands. The allegation, The allegation,

as was natural, was vigorously combated by Scotsmen, and history certainly favors the protestants in their contention that the doctor's diagnosis, like many another of its class, had but little, if any, foundation in fact.

The oat plant, or cereal grass, rather, was known to the ancients, and prized by them on account of its nutritive qualities. They called it broma, which, being interpreted, means aliment, food. The Latin, or botanical term, is Avena sativa, the generic name also signifying nourishment.

In Scotland, where better oats are grown, probably, than in any other part of the world, the meal made from them has formed, in various preparations, the staple food of the people there for a period beyond which the ken of man goeth not. And while an occasional child with a "swelled head" and the other hu

man infirmities that spring from rickets, may appear, the race as a whole will stand most favorable comparison with any other nation on the face of the globe.

The praises of the inherent qualities of

oatmeal-and the various foods made from or with it-have been sung in poetry and prose by those who have known their worth. And well they may. On a "bicker of brose" the sturdy Scottish farmer has transformed barren ground into fertile fields. The "kail brose of Auld Scotland" has been responsible for the doing of many daring deeds by land and sea. So, too, with the "halesome parritch, chief o' Scotia's food."

When it comes to intellectuality, oatmeal has played an important part in its development among Scotsmen; in fact, it has, so to speak, shown through the faces of some of the brightest literary stars. When Carlyle first saw Lord Macaulay, he said: "Ay, any man can see that thy face is made out of Scotch oatmeal"; and Carlyle knew, from experience, whereof he spoke.

Prof. John Stuart Blackie, in his address on "Self Culture," remarks: "The plainest food is often the best; and for the highest cerebral and sanguineous purposes, long experience has proved that there is nothing better than oatmeal and good porridge; for, as the poet says,

'Buirdly chiels and clever hissies Are bred in sic a way as this is.'' When the Edinburgh Review was in