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8 YOUTHS’ DEPARTMENT. CHARADE. The breath of tho morning is sweet. The earth is bespangled with flowers ; And buds in a countless array. HaYe oped at the tonch of the shower* , The birds, whose glad voices are ever A music delightful to hear, Seem to welcome the joy of the morning. As the hour of the bridal draws near. What is that which now steals on my first Like a sound from the dreamland of love. And seems wand’ring the valleys among— That they may the nuptials approve? "Tas a sound which my second explains ; And it comes from a sacred abode, And it merrily thrills as the villagers throng, To greet the fail- bride on her road. How meek is her dress, how befitting a bride— So beautiful, spotless, and pure; When she. weareth my second, oh. long may it be Ere her heart shall a sorrow endure. See the glittering gem that shines forth from her hair— ’Tis my whole, which a good father gave; ’Twas worn by her mother with honor before — But she sleep s in peace in her grave. ’Twas her earnest request as she bade them adieu, That when her dear daughter, the altar drew near, She should wear the same gem that her mother had worn When she as a bride, full of promise, stood there. Eueeka. POETICAL PUZZLE. My first is in throat, but not in neck: My second in spot, not but in speck; My third is in baron, but not in knight: My fourth in gay, but not iu bright; My fifth is in comfort, but not in ease; My sixth is in sickness but not in disease; My seventh is iu sorrow, but not in sadness; My whole what gentlemen love to madness. Nannie. St. Josej)h’s Academy, Columbus, Ga., May, 1868. ENIGMA—No. 14. ACROSTICAL. My 1, 14, 11, 6, is a tax on house keepers. My 2, 10, 6, is a preposition. My 3,7, 15, 5, is a malt liquor. My 4, 14, 13, is a kind of fish. My 5,2, 9,7, is a city iu Europe. .My 6, 10, 11, 11, 15,13, is an excava tion. My 7, 13, 9, is a species of wood. My 8, 10, 9,3, applies to mutes. My 9,2, 5,4, is an adverb. My 10, 5, 11, is a kind of vessel. My 11, 2, 12, is what we do when sleepy. My 12, 1, 10, 9, is a musical instru ment. My 13, 10, 9,3, 15, 5, is necessary for building. My 14, 13, 13, 4, 11, is a girl’s name. My 15, 3,3, is an action of the tide. My whole is the name of one dear to all Southern hearts. Answer next week. Mattie. New Orleans , May, 1868. ENIGMA—No, 15. I am composed of 21 letters. My 1,5, 11, 9, is a French proper name. My 4,6, 13, 2,9, 10, is a rare jewel. My 7,8, 9, is that, forthe loss of which David wept. My 9,2, 6,8, was a cruel Emperor of Rome. My 12, 2,6, 10, 5, is a cape on the coast of Africa. My 2,8, 6,5, 2, is the name of a river in South Carolina. My 14, 8,4, 11, is an article of furni ture. My 6, 11, 13, 7,8, 4, is the Frenoh for “ write.” My 3, 5, 11, 6, is unknown to the brave. My whole is the name of a true and distinguished Southerner. Answer next week. Richard. Selma, Ala., May, 1868. Answers to Last Week’s Enigmas.— No. 13.—-Rev. Bernardino V. Weiget, S. J Dejanira— Venir— West—Green- Rabbit —Yeni. Rebus —Saturn, Love, England, Eve, Plutarch —Sleep. Conundrums. —1. When it’s madder. 2. Because it’s the grub that makes the butter- fly. 3. Because bankrupts are broken , while idiots are only cracked. Too Smart for the Minister. —An acquaintance of ours, who lias a bright, keen little girl in her family, related to us yesterday the following incident: The family were dining, when the conversa tion turned upon an excursion about to take place. A clergyman at the table spoke to the little girl and asked her it she could repeat the alphabet backwards. She said, “No, sir.’ when the gentleman remarked, “Then you can’t goon the ex clusion.” She looked very demure for a moment, when she asked. “Can you say the Lord’s Prayer backwards?” “No, dear.*’ “Then,” replied the girl, “you can’t go to heaven.” Her interrogator stopped. [Pre«r>*rod for tho Banner of the South by Uncle Buddy. 1 FAMILIAR SCIENCE ELECTRICITY CONCLUDED —THUNDER. In our last week s remarks, we tieated of lightning and its effects. This week we continue the subject, and speak of Thunder, for thunder is but the noise made by the concussion of the air when it closes again, after it has been separated by the lightning flash, and by certain ’ physical and chemical changes produced in the air by the electric fluid. Thunder, sometimes, sounds like one vast crash, because the lightning cloud is at a great distance, and the several vibrations of the air reaching the ear at different times produces a continuous sound. Those produced in the lowest portions of the air, and those which are made last will be heard first, because the fla«li which produces the sound is almost instantaneous, hut sound takes a whole seeond of time to travel 380 yards. if .a thunder cloud were 1.900 yards off, the peal would last five seconds. We should first hear the vibrations produced in those portions of the air contiguous to the earth, then those more remote, and it would be five seconds before those vibra tions could reach us, which were made in the immediate vicinity of the cloud. A popular method of telling how far off a storm is, is in this way: the moment you see the flash, put your hand upon your pulse, and count how many times it beats before you bear the thunder. It it beats six pulsations, the thuuder is one mile off; if twelve pulsations, two miles off? and so on. Thunder sometimes sounds like a deep growl, because the storm is far distant, and the sound of the thunder indistinct. Sometimes the sound is affected by local causes. Thus, the flatter the country, the more unbroken the peal. Mountains break the peal, and make it harsh and irregular. Rolling thunder is caused by the vibrations of the air (having different lengths to travel), reaching the ear at successive intervals; and the reverbera tion, or echo, among the massive or heavy clouds contribute also, in some measure, to this effect. “Thunderbolts” do nut drop from the clouds, as is popularly supposed # This notion arises either from the fact that lightning sometimes assumes a globular form, or else, from the gaseous lire balls which sometimes fall from the clouds. Thunder is frequently heard several moments after the lightning flash, because it lias a long distance to travel. Light ning travels nearly a million times faster than thunder. If, therefore, the thunder is very distant, the sound will not reach the earth till a considerable time after the flash. A thunder storm generally follows very dry weather, because dry air, being a non-conductor, will not relieve the clouds of their electricity ; therefore, the fluid accumulates till the clouds are discharged by a storm. It rarely succeeds wet weather, because the moist air, or falling rain, being a good conductor, conveys the electric fluid gradually and silently to j the earth. ' A thunder-storm is generally preceded by hot weather. The chemical action be tween the oxygen of the air and any com bustible substance as wood, coal, &c., will produce heat. CATS. With women it may be different—for are there not witches in the world ?—but 1 never yet knew a wicked man who was fond of cats. Children may be disliked upon the ground of their being spoilt and noisy, but no such arguments can be urged 'against my favorites ; the more you pet them, the tamer, the more content, the more charming elo they grow. As for a noise, they don’t know how to make it. I know there is a misunderstanding upon this point, in connection with the nocturnal disturbance called caterwauling, the ex planation of which is as follows. (It re quires a musical voice to state the circum stances. but 1 hope to make myself intel ligible.) Suppose you very much desired to visit a friend—a female friend —a lovely creature to whom you were paying your addresses; only an immense wall — which you could not blow down like the Clerkenwell wall, because you had not the Fenian carelessness of results—inter ! sered between you and the beloved object. Well, that is exactly the case with these poor maligned pussies. “Come over the waur” (feline for wall, just as it is Scotch for worse), “the waur, the waur,” cries the imprisoned puss; “why dou’t you come over the waur?” “Spikes, spikes, spikes,” cries Tom, explaining the nature of the obstruction, whereas we call it “swearing.” Now a cat is incapable of an oath. But the fact is, there are so many false accu sations brought against cats, that I scarcely know, although prepared at all points, where to begin my defence of them. Their foes are legion, beginning with the British boy, and not ending with his grandmother. Their friends are so cowed and disheartened by the number of assail ants, that they are often*-silent when it behooves them to put in their good word. When 1 saw* advertised, the other day, the Book of Cats, by 0. 11. Ross, my heart leaped within me, and I cried: “O, sacred mews!” I thought that Mr. Ross, whose sketches have so much real humor in them that genteel folks are united in calling them vulgar, would do this noble subject justice—would give us a mono graph on cats that would put them right with the public at large. The illustra tions of the volume are of course excellent, but I am far from satisfied with the lite rary matter. Half the book is devoted to the shocking scandals that have been circulated about cats, and to repeat them, even for the purpose of refutation, is not the part of a friend. One chapter is headed, “Os some wicked stories that have been told about cats,” and, indeed, they are most injurious and scurrilous. I shall not, of course, defile my pages, as Mr. Ross has done his, by quoting any one of them. But what is worse, he has introduced stories of his own, which do not appear to me to be altogether in favor of his clients. Perhaps, being so fond of a joke, he can’t resist making one even at the expense of those whose vir tues it is his object to set before an unap preciating world ; but that’s very wrong. “Do you know why cats always wash themselves after a meal ?” says he. “A cat caught a sparrow, and was about to devour it, when tho sparrow said : ‘No gentleman eats till he has first washed his face.’ The cat, struck with this remark, set Iho sparrow down, and began to wash his face with his paw ; but the sparrow flew away. “This vexed pussy extremely and he said: ‘As long as 1 live, I will eat first, and wash my face afterwards.’ Which all cats do even to this day.” Now, I do hot believe a word of this story ; cats are naturally clean, and wash their faces at all times. I also object to the word “devour.” We don’t say of any gentleman that he devours partridges or even larks. The whole narration of Mr. R. exhibits an .irreverent spirit. Again, there is an endeavor in this ill-judged book to allow that a cat is superior to a dog. “The lashed hound crawls back, and licks the boot that kicked him. Pussy will not do that (I should rather think not). If you want to be friendly (and who does not ?) with a cat on Tues day, you must not kick him on Monday. This really human way of behaving makes pussy unpopular.” Yes ; but only with tyrants. I dare say there are some bigoted persons, who object to cats be cause they are not among the animals mentioned in the Scriptures' But it is surely not worth while to mention such people or their prejudices. I dare say Mr. Ross means no harm ; but it is not judicious to assist in circulating ridiculous stories about these charming creatures ; such, for instance, as is told of the gram matical child, who had to decline (which nobody should wish to do, by the by) Cat, and when he came to the vocative, said, ‘O Cat !’ in spite of being reminded that if lie addressed the animal he should say, ‘Pussy.’ ” And, again, here is an unseemly jest : “ During the progress of the late American war, I was sitting one day in the office of Able A Cos. ’s wharf-boat at Cairo, Illinois. At that time, a tax was collected on all goods shipped South by private parties, and it was necessary that duplicate invoices of shipments should be furnished to the Collector before the per mits could be issued. The ignorance of this fact in majiv skippers frequently caused them much annoyance, and in voices were oftimes made out with great haste, in order to insure shipment by boats on the eve of departure. A sutler with a lot of stores had made out a hasty list of his stock, and gave it to one of the youngest clerks on the boat to copy out iu due form. The boy worked away down the list; but suddenly he stopped, and electrified the whole office by ex claiming in ti voice of undisguised amaze ment : “What the dickens is that fellow uoing to do with four boxes of Tom-cats ? ’ o o An incredulous laugh from the other clerks was the reply; but ihe boy pointed triumphantlv to the list, exclaiming : “That’s what it is, T-O-M, Tom, C-A-T-S, cats—Tom-cats, if I know* how to read.’ “The entrance of the sudor at that mo ment explained the mystery. “Why, you stupid fellow,” said he, “that i means four boxes Tomato Catsup. Don’t j you understand abbreviations V j . i There is nothing very objectionable in | the above commercial incident; but 1 \ should like to ask Mr. Ross, upon his ; honor, whether he thinks the following narration calculated to breed a respect for j cats or otherwise. It is the story ot a cat j in a cellar, whose age—his very name , was Senior—one would have hoped, j would have protected him from such ridiculous experiments: “Senior had the rare talent of being able to carry a bottle of champagne from ! one end of the cellar to the other—per- J haps a distance of a hundred and fifty j feet. (Thus far the matter is to the cat’s credit, for I know many human beings who cannot carry a bottle of champagne ; but just listen.) The performance (as if he were an acrobat!) was managed in this wise : You gently and lovingly ap proached the cat, as if you did not mean to perpetrate anything wicked ; having gained his confidence, by fondly stroking his back, you suddenly seized his tail, and : by that member raised the animal bodily \ from the ground—his fore-feet sprawling in the air ready to catch hold of any ob- i ject within reach. You gave him the 1 bottle of wine, which Pussy clutched with a kind of despairing grip. Then, by means of the aforesaid tail, you carried him, bottle and all, from one part of the cellar to the other. Pussy, however, soon became so disgusted with this ma noeuvre, that, whenever he saw a friend with a bottle of champagne looming, he used to beat a precipitate retreat.” All comment upon this infamous anecdote is, I think, superfluous.” Scarcely more judicious than the men tion of these jokes on the animal, our author affects to honor, are his quotations from the poets in their praise. Every body knows that Canning did his best to sing their virtues, as likewise Gray and Cowper. It is no such wonder, surely, that men of genius, with a sympathy for all good, should have eulogised one of the attractive forms of it, namely, Cats. Mrt Ross, indeed, contributes an original ballad on this subject, illustrative of a curious legend, but it is doubtful whether even this—though narrating a hideous catastrophe —may not be turned into ridicule by the vapid and unfeeling. It concerns a. certain Tom-Cat, the com panion and friend of one Widow Tom kins, but whom she left locked up in her room, without either milk or mice: “Poor Tlioma*, soon us daylight, came, walked up and down the floor, And heard the dogs’-meat woman cry, ‘Cats’-meat at the door; With hunger he got fairly wild, though formerly so tamo— Another clay passed slowly, another just tho same. With hunger ho so hungry was, it did so strong assail, That, although very loath, he was obliged to eat his tail. This whetted quite his appetite, and though bis stump was sore, The next day he was tempted (sad) to eat a little more. To make his life the. longer, then, he made his body shorter, And one after the other attacked each hinder quarter. Ho wiiked about on two fore-legs—alas l without be holders— Till, more and more by hunger pressed, he diued_on both his shoulders. Next day ho found (the cannibal!) to eating more a check, Although he tried and did reach all ho could reach of his neck; But as he could not bite his ear, all mournfully he cried— Towards the door he turned his eyes, cocked up hi s nose, and died. The widow did at last return, and o. how *he did sh.ru! She guessed the tale as soon as she saw Tom's head lying there. With grief sincerely heartfelt sli» owned his fate a hard ’un, And buried it beneath an apple-tree just down her garden. To mark what strange effects from little causes will appear, The fruit of this said tree was changed, and strangt iv, too, next year. Tho neighbors say (’tis truth, for they are folks who go to chapels), This cat’s head was the sole first cause of all the cats’- head apples!” It is my belief that the details of this shocking catastrophe will awaken heartless mirth, rather than the pity which it was our author’s object to inspire. There are many persons who would be ashamed (so much false shame there is hi the world,) to shed a tear about a cat. To such i t me narrate a classical story. Lieituus Crassus so loved a lampicy that when it died he put on mourning and wept for it. But when Domini tins, his e Dengue, re proached him with tlii.saveakuess, ho an swered with animation : 1 And are not you the man who has buried three, wives without shedding a tear for one of them ?” There are stories in Mr. Ross's book that one would think would melt a millstone. “One \ when repairing the organ in West minster Abbey, a dal a e m was found : recumbent in one of the largo wooden 1 pipes, that had been out of tune for some time.” This seems to be a malignant, or at least depreciating mode ot describing the occurrence. Why out of tune ? and our author prefaces this nairation by the statement that cats are fond of creeping’ into out-01-the-way holes and cor ners, and sometimes pay dearly for so doing. The intelligent animal soenis to me to have fallen a victim to passion for music. Again, another dried cat was lately found on a shelf behind some hup* volumes in the 1 oreign Office ; yet lo government inquiry seems to have been instituted, no popular feeling been aroused ! Yet how feebio w ere the pathos of the “Old Oak Chest,” compared to that which might be«evoke 1 by a bal lad upon this incident. This honest animal evidently perished in pursuit of facts; she wished to “get behind” some Blue-books —probably cooked by the offi cials and thus, as it were, breathed her last in the public service. I have shown that cats never swear ; they sometimes, however, make a sort of affirmation when the interests of justice demand it. “A woman was murdered at Lyons, and when the body was found weltering in blood, a large wnite cat was seen mounted on the cornice of a cu. - board. He sat motionless, his eyes thud on the corpse, and his attitude aud looks expressing horror and affright. Next morning he was still found there ; and when the room was filled by police, neither the clattering of their arms, nor their loud talk, frightened him away. As soon, however, as the suspected persons were brought in, his eyes glared with (just) fury, and his hair bristled. He darted into the middle of the room, where he stopped for a moment to ga r Zo on them (for the purpose of identification), and then fled precipitately. Then the faces oi the assassins showed, for the first time signs of guilt. They confessed, and were exe cuted.” In France, indeed, cats are much more highly esteemed thau in this country —not only, of course, as credible witnesses. Yet this appreciation, curiously enough, is the cause of delinquency Cat-stealing is, in Paris, a trade, just as dog-stealing is in London. “A certain dishonest owner of a marked French cat, made quite a nice little income by selling his i line property to the iadies in his neighbor hood. You see, pussy (thinking nuevd of anybody), had no notion of what an unprincipled ruffian he was, nor what was I the nature of the contract between him and her other owners. She loved him very much, fretted in her new 7 home, wafted impatiently for an opportunity, and at last, finding the door open, always returned rejoicing to her robber-master. He, worthless creature, also rejoiced at sight of her, and hugged her to his manly breast. Then he gave her some nice j warm milk and a large slice of meat. : Next day, he sold her again, if he got a chance.” At last, an old lady, who iiad been one of the many purchasers of this treasure, changed her residence unbe known to this astute man, and when lie called upon her, as a stranger, and offered to sell her his cat, “some unpleasantness occurred, and 1 believe the cat-merchant got into trouble.” I have now done with Mr. Ross’ “Book of Cats.” I dare say he meant well, but like most humorists, he has not a reverent mind. He throws stones —or, at least, snow-balls and roasted apples—at the very idol lie affects to worship. There is nothing told in the volume concerning these admirable creatures half so remark able as has come under my own person., experience. A great deal is made *'> a cat ringing a door-bell, when it requires admittance into a certain home. \ E. there is a cat in Margaret Street, Cave. - dish Square, who does that eve: y day and (very much to the footman’s disgu a good many times a da} 7 ; and that is on" of the least Ot his accomplishments. It s rather an exceptional sort oi cut —van ; feline intelligence below the avt rage— that does no! ring bells. Mr. i.» )>- -■ very superficial iv studied th’s great re - ject. Now, cats and l have always under stood one another, i was a bad buy, * u never so wicked as to torment pu y . One of the saddest recollections of my school days is of how a band of juvenile ruffians once murdered a cat under my very eyes. They were punished for smoking, and for going out of bourn s (boih comparatively 7 natural pleasure.-), but for this fiendish act they g< t no r - buke. It did not, indeed, need this im punity To convince me of the union —a of school discipline, but it a glaring example of it. Lt is impo-.-d-a’ that these embryo Greenacres, of Hare and Cos. . Neros, Caligula-. < un have grown up good citizens. i ‘ lM, y who can lift his hand to a cat, exovjn the way of kindness. Bat. 1 forg-ai. Who that evei’ know the Tooleu io ; > but i >ved . her i Yes, 1 oaten “ Why not. Vrh-'u men are called id*l - Connor Fun. ’he O’Donoghue, a* 1 ’* Cluny ?