Read Ebook: Harper's Round Table February 9 1897 by Various

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k. Day was breaking then. Leary made a short turn close to the coral reefs, and cut in between the German and the shore. His boat lapped the stern of the German vessel, only about three hundred yards away. Suddenly the orders to clear for action were heard throughout the American ship. All preparations had been made for this, and with despatch the decks were cleared, ammunition was brought up, and the guns were loaded. The Germans saw what was going on, and they cleared for action also. Then the two ships went down the coast, dipping to the swells, and stripped for war. It was a trying occasion, and both commanders knew what tremendous results were dependent upon the outcome of their actions that day. Steadily the ships held their course. When they approached the point where the forts were situated, the German ship slowed up and dropped anchor. Leary did the same. It was broad daylight now. Soon a boat was lowered from the German ship, and some German officials were sent ashore under a guard. Then it was that Leary ordered one of his boats cleared away to carry this note of warning to the Captain of the German ship, which Leary had written on the way down and after both ships had cleared for action:

The American officer was rowed over to the German ship and gave the note to the officer of the deck, and returned without waiting for any reply. Then the crews of the two vessels stood by their guns for hours waiting for developments. Leary's note was polite and firm; but when such a note is sent from the commander of one war-ship to the commander of another war-ship, and when the decks of both ships are cleared for action, it can mean but one thing--war. Leary meant that no shot should go over his deck into the settlement on shore. For several hours the two ships lay at anchor, with the crews waiting to spring at each other. Soon after noon the Germans got under way again, and made a long detour down the coast, with the Americans close behind, and still ready for battle. Then slowly the German vessel turned about and steamed for Apia Harbor. Leary followed with his ship. Both came to anchor in the places from which they had started early in the day, and that incident, laden with frightful possibilities for two great nations, was ended.

Leary was ordered home soon afterward, and it is known that he received the personal thanks from our officials in the highest seats of government. The strangest part of the affair, however, is the fact that no official notice was ever taken of his splendid determination to uphold the honor of the American flag. Leary's friends say that he has not so much as a piece of paper to show from the Navy Department that he ever stood up for the honor of the flag in so signal a manner in Samoa. Congress passes votes of thanks to men who are conspicuous in saving life on the high seas. Congress never passed a vote of thanks to Leary. I need not go into the reasons for this apparent neglect. If republics are ungrateful, it may be said that Leary never asked for any such action, nor even desired it. He had performed his sworn duty, and that was sufficient for him. He was probably the youngest officer in the navy ever called upon to perform such a responsible task, and if there seemed to be envy on the part of those older and of higher rank in the service, "Dick" Leary went his way modestly, and asked for no public recognition of his services.

His native State, however, Maryland, could not let such a display of patriotism go unrewarded, and the Legislature voted him a handsome gold watch. It was presented to him in the presence of a brilliant company at the State Capitol. The national government kept silent officially, however, and that silence has never been broken.

Leary probably cares least of all for this apparent oversight. It has been given to few officers in the American navy to write,

That is Leary's reward. It is enough for him to know that he did his duty, and that the people respect him for it. As Americans, we are proud of certain sentiments uttered by those who have worn our country's uniform in time of war. "Don't give up the ship!" still rings in the ears of all patriotic citizens. "If any man hauls down the flag, shoot him on the spot!" still inspires and thrills us. With these, and other sentiments like them, I wish to write Leary's declaration,

WOOD-CARVING.

BY J. HARRY ADAMS.

A knowledge of drawing and modelling will be very helpful to the young carver, as the outline of ornament can be readily drawn, while to carve objects from wood the art of modelling form is most desirable and essential to obtain a satisfactory result.

If the beginner possesses a knowledge of form acquired by drawing and modelling, then the art of wood-carving can be readily and quickly mastered; but even if these advantages should be lacking, it is possible that considerable progress can be made by those who will follow the instructions given on these pages.

The most important feature of carving is the ability to sharpen and maintain the little tools, and when this is mastered, more than half the difficulty has been overcome. Carving-tools can be purchased at most any large hardware store, and as there are a great many shapes and styles of edges to select from, a few suggestions will give a clear idea of necessary ones to begin with.

At the start a numerous assortment of tools will not be necessary, as the flat-work will meet with the best success at the hands of the beginner. Six or eight chisels will constitute a good set, and those shown in Fig. 3 will answer very well.

No. 1 is a plain flat chisel with a straight edge, commonly called a firmer. No. 2 is a flat one also, with an angle or oblique edge, and commonly called a skew firmer. Nos. 3 and 4 are flat and extra flat gouges, while No. 5 is an ordinary gouge with a half-circular sweep. No. 6 is a grounder, or bent back ground tool, and is very useful for reaching when a flat tool cannot. No. 7 is a "quick gouge," in the form of a U, and No. 8 is a V gouge, a very handy tool for cutting the veins in leaves and in "chip-carving."

A flannel or felt case should be made for the tools, so they may be kept nicely. The case can be made to roll up, and provided with pockets into which the tools are slipped.

The stones needed on which to sharpen the tools will be an ordinary flat oil-stone, and two Turkey or Arkansas slips six or eight inches long, having the shape of those shown in Fig. 2, A and B. C is the flat stone, and every boy who carries a good pocket-knife should be provided with one on which to sharpen the blades.

The other tools necessary to complete the kit will be several clamps similar to the one shown in Fig. 2; also a glue-pot, and a fret-saw like the one depicted in Fig. 2.

The boy who possesses a bracket or jig saw, however, will not need the fret-saw, as more and better work can be done with it than with the hand affair.

A carver's bench on which to work is of course the greatest necessity; but if it is not possible to get one, a good wooden-top kitchen table will answer very well.

The proper kind of a bench gives greater facility for working; it is more convenient and solid, and as the height is better than that of an ordinary table, the carver works under more pleasant conditions.

The boy who is handy with tools can make a good bench in a short time, and the design of one is shown in Fig. 5 that can easily be made from wood of the necessary kind that is free from knots and sappy places. The top should measure four feet long, two feet wide, and should be one inch and a half in thickness; it can be of yellow pine, ash, or oak, and the wood must be well seasoned. The framework must be well made, and the cross-pieces and braces securely mortised together, or firmly screwed to the uprights or legs, which can be of yellow pine or ash two inches square.

The top of the bench should be three feet and three inches high from the floor; and to one side of the bench a carpenter's vise may be attached, as shown in the figure.

The first essential to good clean cutting is that the tools shall be absolutely sharp and in a workmanlike condition. It is often the case that amateurs' tools are in such a state that no professional carver could produce satisfactory results, so that in every instance the condition of the tools governs the finished work.

The variety of carving-tools is so limited, that if the difficulties of sharpening a firmer and gouge are mastered, the task is practically ended.

If the tools should be unusually dull, they must first be ground on a grindstone. It should be remembered that carvers' tools are sharpened on both sides, and not only on one, like the carpenters' chisels. After grinding, the tools must be sharpened on the oil-stone or slips before they are ready for use. The firmers can be sharpened on the oil-stone laid flat on the bench, but the gouges must be held in the hand in order to sharpen the inside curve with a slip. The outer curve can be sharpened on the flat oil-stone.

Great care must be taken to give the tools a finished and smooth edge, and when they have reached the proper degree of sharpness it will be an easy matter to cut across the grain of white pine, leaving a furrow that is very smooth and almost polished.

In the use of the oil-stone and slips, neat's-foot oil or a good thin machine oil should be employed. Water must not be used, as it would spoil the stones and not produce the sharp edge on the tools.

The finest stones are the best for use, and although they take longer to produce the keen edge, the sharpest tools are made with them, and they will be found the most satisfactory in the end. Avoid grit and dust on the stones, and before using them they should be wiped off with an oiled rag.

For gouges of the various sweeps the slip shown in Fig. 2A will be necessary, but for the V gouges the triangular one, Fig. 2B, is the right one to use. The stone, Fig. 2C, can be used to sharpen the firmers.

The beginner must not consider any pains too great to make himself a thorough master of the tools, and to keep a perfect edge on all of them. It is necessary, when using them, to exercise care to prevent any unpleasant cut that would be the result of carelessness. Undivided attention and a little common-sense are necessary at all times.

The tools being in proper condition, the next step is to acquire a knowledge of the best methods of handling them so as to produce any desired result. It will require some time and practice to become thoroughly familiar with the manner in which tools are handled, and, if it is possible, it would be well to watch some carver at work. The chisels should always be held with one hand on the handle and two fingers of the other hand near the edge of the tool. This is to give sufficient pressure at the end to keep it down to the wood, while the hand on the handle gives the necessary push to make the tool cut.

Of the woods that are adapted to carve in there are a great many, but perhaps yellow pine, walnut, or mahogany will be found most desirable, as they are easily cut, and do not split as some of the softer and harder woods.

To begin with, it is best to work out a simple pattern that can be followed easily and without a great deal of dexterity in handling the tools. Get a piece of yellow pine one inch thick, eight inches wide, and sixteen long.

On a piece of smooth paper draw one-half of a pattern similar to the one shown in Fig. 4, and on a piece of tracing-paper copy the design. Over the face of the wood lay a sheet of transfer-paper with the black surface down, and on it the tracing-paper, and go over all the lines with a lead-pencil, bearing down on the point so that the lines will be transferred to the wood. Repeat it at the other end, so that as a result the piece of wood will have the pattern.

To one corner of the bench clamp the piece of wood with three or four of the clamps shown in Fig. 2. Do not place the clamp directly on the wood, but place between the jaw and the pine a piece of heavy card-board or another piece of thin wood, to prevent the clamp from bruising the surface of the yellow pine. With a small wooden mallet and a firmer chisel begin to cut down into the face of the wood on the lines until they have all been cut. Then with the gouges and grounding tool cut away the surface not a part of the pattern to a depth of an eighth of an inch or more, until a result is obtained similar to that shown in the second cut of Fig. 4.

The entire design and edge will now be in relief, but its surface will be flat and entirely void of any "feeling." With the flat, extra flat, and plain gouges begin to carve some life in the ornament. A little practice will soon enable you to observe which parts should be high, the others that should be low, and the surfaces that can be left neutral or between high and low relief.

This part of carving is termed "life," or "feeling," and it is this quality that lends the beauty to the finest wood-carvings. The work when completed should have the appearance of the third cut in Fig. 4, and if nicely done it should be a credit to any beginner. The effect of this panel can be had also by applied carving, which is a very simple and less tedious process.

The design is transferred to a thin piece of wood, and cut out with the fret or jig saw. The pieces are then glued in position on a thick piece of wood, and the feeling carved in a similar manner as described. The former method is called carving in the solid, while the latter is known as applied carving.

Such pieces of carving can be used as panels to small drawers, to cabinets, and to form the sides and covers of useful little boxes, etc. If these simple suggestions are carefully followed, the inventive boy should be able to design some very pretty patterns that can be carved nicely in any desirable wood that is not too hard.

When flat, or relief, carving has been mastered, it would be well to attempt something in figure or bold work, such as animals, fruit, or heads, on all sides of which some careful study and good work can be done. It will be some time, however, before the amateur can successfully accomplish good results, so that for some time the flat-work should be practised, and as improvement is noticed the ornament can be undercut to lend it a richness and boldness.

Chip-carving, or engraving, is a simple but effective manner of ornamenting flat surfaces, and some very pretty results can be obtained in a little while with the gouges and V tools, also the spade chisel and veiner. There is no grounding out in chip-carving, as the pattern is produced by chipping out the figure itself.

Fig. 1 is a simple pattern of a vine and leaves; the stem is engraved with the V chisel, and with a small firmer the leaves are cut. Two curved incisions will cut the leaf, and the angle through the centre describes the main vein. The chipping can be shallow or deep, as a matter of choice, but more effect can be had by cutting fairly deep.

To finish wood-work in most any color, it is possible to obtain stains at a paint or hardware store, and over the stained surface, when dry, several thin coats of hard oil or furniture varnish can be applied. The back and edges of a carved panel should always be painted to protect it from moisture and dampness, and in this manner warping and splitting are avoided. Some pieces of carving only need oiling with raw linseed oil, while others may be varnished. A favorite mode of darkening oak in France and England before it is varnished is to expose it to the fumes of ammonia, or to paint ammonia on with a brush until the desired antique shade is obtained; this, however, is not so satisfactory as the colors resulting from the use of prepared stains that can be purchased.

Although golf has been played for several years at Lawrenceville, it is only within the past year that the game has established itself on an equal footing of popularity with the other sports of the school. As soon as the students' interest in the game became apparent, however, the authorities, following their custom with regard to all departments of the school, engaged an instructor to take charge of those who desired to become proficient. They secured the services of Mr. James Swan, who was superintendent at the St. Andrew's Club last year and at the Shinnecock Club the year before. His first work on going to Lawrenceville was to select a site for the course and to lay out links.

As there are over two hundred acres in the school property, he was able to take up some thirty or forty acres directly north of the school buildings for this purpose, and when the course has been completely arranged, it will doubtless be one of the best short courses in the country. At present there have been only six holes laid out, although probably next year this number will be increased to nine. For the requirements of the players now, however, these links give just about the amount of ground that can be covered in the afternoon from the close of school exercises until the recreation hour ends.

At Lawrenceville every student is required to devote a certain time each day to out-door exercise, and each boy is allowed to choose the sport that suits him best. About one hundred have decided to play golf in preference to other required exercise, and already some of them have developed good form, notably Griggs, Drake, Childs, Hutchings, and Little. Doubtless one of the reasons for this favorable development is that the players are required to study the rules carefully, and each one follows the game under the supervision of the instructor, who allows no loose form or slouch play.

THE LAWRENCEVILLE GOLF LINKS.

The start of the course, as it is at present laid out, is made from the first tee over comparatively level ground for 175 yards, starting near the fence that divides the central school property from the land which lies north of it. The barbed-wire fence which crosses this links forms an undesirable obstacle, but it will be removed in the spring and replaced by a short bunker.

The second tee begins the next link in a northerly direction, in a parallel line with the country road, or the Old King's Highway. This road is the one which was traversed for several decades by the mail-stages from New York to Washington. The ground sinks some eight feet at a distance of 140 yards in this second link of 304 yards, ending with a running brook some nine feet wide. The ground from the brook to the second hole rises slightly.

From the third tee to the third hole, a distance of 282 yards, the ground falls and rises considerably, the brook in this link proving a difficult hazard, as the south side of the bank is several feet higher than the north side. The rise from the brook to the third hole is but a light one. From the fourth tee to the fourth hole, 187 yards, the drive is comparatively good, the brook proving an insignificant hazard to the good driver, but a troublesome one to the beginner who, "topping" the ball, finds that here, as perhaps at no other part in the course, a resort must be made to "dropping" the ball. Indeed to the novice the fourth hole is a trial to the temper.

To the right of the third hole stands a farm-house; the course leading to the fourth hole might be across the miniature pond indicated in the plot plan. The ground falls gradually to the brook from the fifth tee, 241 yards, and beyond the brook the ground rises abruptly some 15 feet. The last link, 326 yards long, is the longest in the course, and is one of the most trying. At present it leads over a low hay-stack, which will be removed shortly, and before the hole is reached a bunker must be encountered. The fields are traversed pretty completely in making the course, 1-1/4 miles in length, and the sixth hole brings the player almost home.

The course has been made several times by the instructor in 27 strokes, and a few of the better players among the boys in 36 strokes, Griggs in 29. The majority of the boys, however, content themselves with some number between 40 and 50. In the course of a few months some twenty or thirty of the boys will be singled out and given more specific instructions, so that the tournaments to be held in the spring may be well played.

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