tray a spark may be drawn from it. This may be repeated several times without rubbing the paper again. ELECTRO-PLATING. To plate with silver, dissolve equal quantities of nitrate of silver and cyanide of potassium in water, separately, and mix the two solutions. (Great care must be taken with the cyanide of potassium, as it is very poisonous.) The liquid will become turbid owing to the formation of a precipitate. Add more of the cyanide solution till this precipitate almost, but not quite, disappears. The solution now contains cyanide of silver. Place in the solution a piece of silver (such as a coin), and the article to be plated, connecting the coin with the positive pole of an ELECTRIC BATTERY, and the article with the negative pole. The article to be plated must first be thoroughly cleaned with ammonia, to remove grease. The electric current will decompose the cyanide of silver, depositing the silver on the article to be plated. The silver thus deposited has its place taken by part of the coin, which is slowly dissolved. The plating will be done faster the more powerful the battery. If several cells are used, they should be connected tandem (see ELECTRIC BATTERIES). When the coat of silver is as thick as desired, the article is removed and polished with whiting. The best metals to plate are brass or copper, or the alloys called German silver and Britannia metal, of which plated forks and spoons are commonly made. Most other metals have to be coated with copper before they can be silver plated. Iron can be covered with copper by simply putting it in a solution of BLUE VITRIOL. Gold-Plating. The process is the same as that just described, except that chloride of gold is used instead of nitrate of silver, and a gold coin is attached to the positive pole of the battery. Nickel-Plating. The same process is used, except that the solution is formed of salts of nickel, dissolved in water. A piece of nickel may be suspended from the positive pole, but it is sufficient to add salts of nickel to the solution as fast as it becomes weakened. The figure shows the arrangement of apparatus for any kind of plating, a, a, a, are bits of the metal used, B, B, B, the articles to be plated, d and e two metal rods, and D the battery. ELECTROSCOPE, an instrument for showing whether or not a body is charged with electricity, and, if so, whether it is positive or negative. A simple one can be made as follows. Take a flask or bottle, clean and dry it, and insert in the cork a piece of glass tubing about an inch, long. Cut a disk of tin or zinc, about an inch and a half in diameter, and drill two holes in it, one at the center and the other near the edge. Have one end of a brass or copper wire soldered in the central hole. Fill the glass tube with shellac, softened by warming, and before it is hard run the wire through it so that the disk is an inch or so above the tube. The lower end of the wire is cut off and bent at right angles so that it will be about in the middle of the bottle when the cork is in place. Now gum to the sides of the hook made by thus bending the wire, two leaves of "Dutch Metal" (which can be bought of a sign-painter), each half an inch broad and long enough to reach within an inch of the bottom of the bottle. The cork, with its wire, is now inserted in the bottle. To ascertain whether a body be negatively. By touching the disk electrified, bring it near the disk with a piece of wax so rubbed, we without touching. If it be elec- cause the leaves to diverge, and on trified, the leaves of Dutch metal removing the wax they should rewill fly apart, for the charged body main apart for some time, if the indraws near itself one kind of elec- strument has been well made. By tricity and repels the other to the now bringing the body to be tested leaves. The leaves, being both thus near the disk, without touching it, the charged with the same kind of elec- leaves will either collapse or fly tricity, repel each other. But this farther apart. If the former, the does not tell us what kind of elec- body is positive; if the latter, negatricity the body possesses. To find tive. out this, the electroscope must be charged by touching the disk with a body whose kind of electricity is known. For instance, we know that wax rubbed with flannel is electrified | Instead of this the electroscope may be charged by touching it with the body to be tested, and then a body whose electricity is known may be brought near it. If the body is Electroscope. large it may be connected with the electroscope by a wire, one end of which is fastened to the disk by hooking it in the hole in the edge. The electrical pendulum, or suspended pith ball, may also be used as an electroscope, as described in the article on FRICTIONAL ELECTRICITY. ELEPHANT, THE, a diversion in which two persons imitate an elephant. One stands behind the other, as in Fig. 1, both bending their bodies so that their backs are horizontal, and the rear one rests his head and his hands on the one in front of him, as shown in the illustration. The first one holds a black cane with a curved handle to represent the elephant's trunk, and the second has in each hand a roll of white paper for tusks. The tusks must be long enough to project in front of the trunk. A gray shawl is now thrown over both boys, two pieces of gray cloth are pinned in the proper places for ears, and round bits of white paper, with black spots in the middle, are fastened on for eyes (see Fig. 2). As by the illustration, taken from hours. The heat must not be great an old manuscript. One man is enough to melt the wax, and the seen dressed as a deer, while saucer must be placed so that the another beats a drum for him to fumes arising from the paste will not dance. be breathed by any one, as they are poisonous. A good place is on the hearth of an open fireplace, or at the back of a range provided with a hood for the escape of the odors of cooking. When the glass is removed, the wax must be cleaned off with turpentine, and the design will be seen etched in the glass. The etching is done by the fumes of hydro-fluoric acid, which rise from the saucer and eat into the glass where it has been exposed by scraping away the wax. ELLS OF CLOTH, a children's game played by any number of boys or girls, two of whom represent a weaver and a merchant, while the others are called ells of cloth. The ells stand in a row, holding hands, and stretching apart as widely as possible. The cloth is then said to be unfolded. After making a bargain with the weaver, the merchant "measures "the cloth by taking hold of each ell by his hands. He then goes away, as if to get his money, whereupon each of the other players turns to one side, and clasps the one in front of him tightly around the waist, the weaver taking his place at the head of the line. On the merchant's return he is told that his cloth is folded and that he must unfold it. He then tries to make one of the players loosen his hold, by seizing the weaver's hands and pulling him about. As soon as any one lets go, he must stand on one side, and the game begins again. It may be continued till only one ell of cloth is left, or for any time the players choose. Sometimes those who let go are required to pay a forfeit. ENGLISH AND AMERICANS. See TUG OF WAR. EUCHRE (yoo'-ker), a game of CARDS, played by two, three, or four persons, with a pack from which all cards lower than the Seven are excluded. In the lay suits, the cards rank as in WHIST, but in the trump suit the Knave, which is called the Right Bower, is the highest card. The other Knave of the same color is called the Left Bower, and ranks next, both the Bowers being higher than the Ace. Thus, if Clubs are turned as trumps, the Knave of Clubs is the highest card, the Knave of Spades next, the Ace of Clubs next, and then the other clubs follow in the usual order. The Left Bower is also regarded as a trump in following suit. In the two-handed game, which will be described first, the dealer gives each player five cards, two and three at a time. He may give the two cards or the three cards first, but he must not give, for instance, two to his opponent and then three to himself. After dealing, he turns the top card of the stock face upward as trump. The nondealer looks at his hand, and, if he thinks he can take three tricks, says “I order it up." The dealer then ETCHING. The preparation, by etching, of plates from which pictures are printed, is described in C.C.T., under ENGRAVING. Directions for etching an autograph or design deeply on brass or copper are given in this book in the article NITRIC ACID. To etch on glass, cover it with a thin layer of wax, as directed in that article, and scratch the design to be etched, as in the case of the metal. In an old saucer mix a teaspoonful of powdered fluor-spar with takes the trump into his own hand, enough sulphuric acid to makpaband, discards his weakest paste. Place the glass, waxed side placing it under the stock. If he is down, over the saucer. and then heat not strong enough to order it up, he the mixture gently, The dealer may then tapor three says I pass either take up the trump as if it had three points, so that two more would been ordered up, saying, "I take put him out, it is for B's advantage it up," or he may pass, turning to let A make a point rather than the trump card face downward, join with C to euchre him. and saying, "I turn it down." Four-Handed Euchre. This is alIf the dealer pass, his opponent ways played in partnership, two can now name any suit he chooses against two. Each player has a as trumps except the one turned chance to adopt or make the trump, down, saying, for instance, "I make as before, but the dealer's partner it Spades," or, "I make it Hearts." must say "I assist," instead of “I If he does not choose to make order it up," if he wishes his partner the trump, he may pass again to take the trump card into his hand. and the dealer is given a chance to If a player thinks, before playing do so. If the dealer does not make has begun, that he has a strong the trump there must be a new deal. enough hand to do without his partAs soon as the trump is ordered up ner's aid he says, "I play it alone,' or taken up, or a new trump is and his partner takes no further part made, play begins. Suit must be fol- in the hand. If he makes all five lowed, but when this cannot be done tricks alone, he scores four points; anything may be played. If the player if he makes less than three tricks, he that orders up, takes up, or makes a is euchred, and the adversary scores trump, win three tricks, he scores a two points. point. If he fail to win three tricks he is euchred and his opponent scores two points. If either player take all five tricks, he is said to make a "march," and scores two points. Four tricks count no more than three tricks. Each player usually keeps score by means of two of the small cards that were thrown out of the pack, either a two and a three, or a three and a four, placing one on the other so as to show as many pips as he wishes. Three-Handed Euchre. Each player in turn has the option of passing or ordering up, beginning at the dealer's left, and if each passes and the dealer turns it down, each has a chance to make the trump, as in two-handed euchre. If a player order up, take up, or make the trump, his two adversaries generally play together against him, and if they euchre him, each scores two points. Because two often play thus against one, the three-handed game is often called "cutthroat euchre.' In the three-handed game a march usually counts three. The play varies according to the score. Thus, when A, B, and C are playing, if A takes up the trump, and C has already In playing the game the beginner should remember that to order up the trump requires a stronger hand than to take it up, since in the latter case the trump card is taken into his own hand; in the former, into that of an opponent. In making a trump, other things being equal, make it the other suit of the same color as the one turned down (called "making it next in suit"), if opposed to the dealer, otherwise make it one of the other suits (called "crossing the suit"). The reason for this is that as the dealer and his partner both passed, it is likely that neither of them had one of the bowers, and the same cards will be bowers if the trump is made "next in suit." The lead depends largely on what the actions of the other players show their hands to be. Thus, if the dealer has taken up the trump, the eldest hand should not lead trumps, but when (in playing the four handed game) the eldest hand's partner has ordered up or made the trump, the eldest hand should lead his best trump. A skillful player will vary his play according to the state of the score. |