John Hicklin - "The Ladies of Llangollen"

Edna Ferber - "Gigolo"

Walt Whitman - "Complete Prose Works"

Various - "The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. I, No. 1, Nov. 1857"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing

J >> Joseph Triemens >> The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing




Moss, Rosebud and Myrtle--"A confession of love."

Mignonette and Colored Daisy--"Your qualities surpass your charms of
beauty."

Lily of the Valley and Ferns--"Your unconscious sweetness has fascinated
me."

Yellow Rose, Broken Straw and Ivy--"Your jealousy has broken our
friendship."

Scarlet Geranium, Passion Flower, Purple Hyacinth, and Arbor Vitae--"I
trust you will find consolation, through faith, in your sorrow; be
assured of my unchanging friendship."

Columbine, Day Lily, Broken Straw, Witch Hazel and Colored Daisy--"Your
folly and coquetry have broken the spell of your beauty."

White Pink, Canary Grass and Laurel--"Your talent and perseverance will
win you glory."

Golden-Rod and Monkshead, Sweet Pea and Forge-me-not--"Be cautious;
danger is near; I depart soon; forget me not."


Significance of Single Flowers.

Arbor Vitae--Unchanging friendship.

Camelia, White--Loveliness.

Candy-Tuft--Indifference.

Carnation, Deep Red--Alas! for my poor heart.

Carnation, White--Disdain.

China-Aster--Variety.

Clover, Four-Leaf--Be mine.

Clover, White--Think of me.

Clover, Red--Industry.

Columbine--Folly.

Columbine, Purple--Resolved to win.

Daisy--Innocence.

Dead Leaves--Sadness.

Deadly Nightshade--Falsehood.

Fern--Fascination.

Forget-me-not--True love, Forget me not.

Fuschia, Scarlet--Taste.

Geranium, Rose--Preference.

Geranium, Scarlet--Consolation.

Golden-Rod--Be cautious.

Heliotrope--Devotion.

Honey-Flower--Love, sweet and secret.

Hyacinth, White--Unobtrusive loveliness.

Ivy--Fidelity.

Lady's Slipper--Win me and wear me.

Lily, Day--Coquetry.

Lily, White-Sweetness.

Lily, Yellow--Gaiety.

Lily of the Valley--Return of happiness.

Mignonette--Your qualities surpass your charm.

Monkshead--Danger is near.

Myrtle--Love.

Oats--The witching soul of music.

Orange Blossoms--Chastity.

Pansy--Thoughts.

Passion Flower--Faith.

Peach Blossom--I am your captive.

Pear--Affection.

Primrose--Inconstancy.

Quaking Grass--Agitation.

Rose--Love.

Rose, Deep Red--Bashful shame.

Rose, Yellow--Jealousy.

Rose, White--I am worthy of you.

Rosebud, Moss--Confession of love.

Shamrock--Lightheartedness.

Straw--Agreement.

Straw, Broken--Broken agreement.

Sweet Pea--Depart.

Tuberose--Dangerous pleasures.

Verbena--Pray for me.

Witch Hazel--A spell.



ALPHABET OF ADVICE TO WRITERS.

A word out of place spoils the most beautiful thought.--Voltaire.

Begin humbly. Labor faithfully. Be patient.--Elizabeth Stuart Phelps.

Cultivate accuracy in words and things; amass sound knowledge; avoid all
affectation; write all topics which interest you.--F. W. Newman.

Don't be afraid. Fight right along. Hope right along.--S.L. Clemens.

Every good writer has much idiom; it is the life and spirit of
Language.--W. S. Landor.

Follow this: If you write from the heart, you will write to the
heart.--Beaconsfield

Genius may begin great works, but only continued labor completes
them.--Joubert.

Half the writer's art consists in learning what to leave in the
ink-pot.--Stevenson.

It is by suggestion, not cumulation, that profound impressions are made
on the imagination.--Lowell.

Joy in one's work is an asset beyond the valuing in mere dollars.--C. D.
Warner.

Keep writing--and profit by criticism. Use for a motto Michael Angelo's
wise words: "Genius is infinite patience."--L. M. Alcott.

Lord, let me never tag a moral to a story, nor tell a story without a
meaning.--Van Dyke.

More failures come from vanity than carelessness.--Joseph Jefferson.

Never do a "pot-boiler." Let one of your best things go to boil the
pot.--"O. Henry."

Originality does not mean oddity, but freshness. It means vitality, not
novelty.--Norman Hapgood.

Pluck feathers from the wings of your imagination, and stick them in the
tail of your judgment.--Horace Greeley.

Quintessence approximates genius. Gather much though into few words.
--Schopenhauer.

Revise. Revise. Revise.--E. E. Hale.

Simplicity has been held a mark of truth: it is also it mark of
genius.--Carlyle.

The first principle of composition of whatever sort is that it should be
natural and appear to have happened so.--Frederick Macmonnies.

Utilize your enthusiasms. Get the habit of happiness in
work.--Beveridge.

Very few voices but sound repellent under violent exertion.--Lessing.

Whatever in this world one has to say, there is a word, and just one
word, to express it. Seek that out and use it.--De Maupassant.

Yes, yes; believe me, you must draw your pen
Not once, nor twice, but o'er and o'er again
Through what you've written, if you would entice
The man who reads you once to read you twice.
-Horace (Conington, Tr.)

Zeal with scanty capacity often accomplishes more than capacity with no
zeal at all.--George Eliot.



WHAT DIFFERENT EYES INDICATE.

The long, almond-shaped eye with thick eyelids covering nearly half of
the pupil, when taken in connection with the full brow, is indicative of
genius, and is often found in artists, literary and scientific men. It
is the eye of talent, or impressibility. The large, open, transparent
eye, of whatever color, is indicative of elegance, of taste, of
refinement, of wit, of intelligence. Weakly marked eyebrows indicate a
feeble constitution and a tendency to melancholia, Deep sunken eyes are
selfish, while eyes in which the whole iris shows indicate erraticism,
if not lunacy. Round eyes are indicative of innocence; strongly
protuberant eyes of weakness of both mind and body. Eyes small and close
together typify cunning, while those far apart and open indicate
frankness. The normal distance between the eyes is the width of one eye;
a distance greater or less than this intensifies the character supposed
to be symbolized. Sharp angles, turning down at the corners of the eyes,
are seen in persons of acute judgment and penetration. Well-opened
steady eyes belong to the sincere; wide staring eyes to the impertinent.



THE MYSTERIES OF PALMISTRY

[Illustration: Various Forms of Fingers and Hands.
Nine hands with various markings and eleven fingers.]

The following points, upon which the Science of Palmistry is based,
explain its mysteries, and will be found very interesting, amusing and
instructive:


Form of the Hand.

Hands are classed into seven types, each of which is illustrated by the
cuts on the preceding page, and described as follows:

Plate I--The Elementary or Bilious Hand, indicating brutal instinct
instead of reason as the governing power of the character.

Plate II--The Square or Jupiter Hand, indicating a practical, stubborn,
methodical, and conventional character; one apt to be suspicious of
strangers and radical in views.

Plate III--The Spatulate or Nervous Hand, so named because of its
imagined resemblance to a spatula. It is broad at the base of the
fingers, and indicates great energy and push to discover; also, courage
and fearlessness.

Plate IV--The Philosophic or Venus Hand, has a long, thin, muscular
palm, with long, knotty fingers; indicates a student of nature and
searcher after truth.

Plate V--The Mercury or Artistic Hand, indicates quick temper,
impulsiveness; a character that is light-hearted, gay and charitable,
to-day; and to-morrow, sad, tearful and uncharitable.

Plate VI--The Lunar or Idealistic Hand, indicates an extremely sensitive
nature.

Plate VII--The Harmonic or Solar Hand, indicates a character of great
versatility, brilliant in conversation, and an adept in diplomacy.


The Fingers.

For fortune-telling the fingers from first to fourth are designated as
Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo and Mercury.

Note the cut on preceding page, representing the different types of
fingers, numbered from one to eleven.

1--Large fingers indicate a person of vulgar tastes and a cruel, selfish
disposition.

2--Small, thin fingers indicate a keen, quick acting mind and a person
not very particular about personal appearance.

3--Long, lean fingers indicate an inquiring disposition; love of details
in narrative; short fingers imply simple tastes and selfishness.

4--Fat fingers, largely developed at base, indicate sensualness; if
small at base, the reverse.

5--Smooth fingers indicate artistic ability.

6--Knotty fingers indicate truthfulness and good order in business
affairs.

7--Pointed fingers indicate a very magnetic and enthusiastic
personality.

8--Square fingers indicate a strong mind, regularity and love of good
order.

9--Spatulate fingers indicate a character of positiveness in opinions
and lacking in gentleness.

10--Fingers of mixed shape indicate a harmonious disposition, with
ability to easily adapt oneself to all conditions.

11--Obtuse fingers indicate coarse and cruel sensibilities.


The Phalanges of the Fingers.

See plate VIII, 1, 2, 3--The Phalanges of the Thumb: 4, 5, 6--Repeated
on each finger, indicate the phalanges of the four fingers.


The Mounts of the Hands.

See plate IX--A, Mount Venus; B, Mount Jupiter; C, Mount Saturn; D,
Mount Apollo; E. Mount Mercury; F, Mount Luna; G, Mount Mars.


The Shape and Length of the Phalanges
represent certain qualities and features of character, as presented in
the following:

Jupiter, the first finger; if the first phalange is longer than the
second, it indicates ability to control others, direct and maintain
order; if the second phalange is long and well developed, it indicates
leadership; if short and thin, intellectual weakness; if the third
phalange is long, it indicates love of power in material things.

Saturn, second finger; if the first phalange is longer than the second,
it indicates ability for mastering scientific subjects; if the second
phalange is long, it indicates great interest in subjects requiring deep
study; if the third phalange is long, it indicates a love of metaphysics
and money.

Apollo, third finger; if the first phalange is longer than the second,
it indicates love of the arts; if the second phalange is long, it
indicates success and love of riches; if the third phalange is thick, it
indicates an inherited talent of the arts.

Mercury, fourth finger; if the first phalange is longer than the second,
it indicates a taste for and love of research; if the second phalange is
long and well developed, it indicates industrious habits; if the third
phalange is long and fat, it indicates a desire for the comforts of
life.


The Mountains.

These are points or elevations on the palm.

Mount Venus, if prominent, indicates a person of strong passions, great
energy in business, and admiration of physical beauty in the opposite
sex; it also indicates love of children, home and wife, or husband. When
not well developed there is a lack of love for home, children, wife or
husband; and in a man, it indicates egotism and laziness,--in a woman,
hysteria.

Mount Jupiter, if prominent, indicates a person who is generous, loves
power, and is brilliant in conversation; if a woman, she desires to
shine and be a social leader. When not well developed, it indicates lack
of self-esteem, slovenliness and indifference to personal appearance.

Mount Saturn, if prominent, indicates a serious-minded person,
religiously inclined, slow to reach a conclusion, very prudent, free in
the expression of opinions, but inclined to be pessimistic.

Mount Apollo, if prominent, indicates ability as an artist, generosity,
courageousness, and a poetical nature, apt to be a spendthrift. When not
well developed, it indicates cautiousness and prudence.

Mount Mercury, if prominent, indicates keen perceptions, cleverness in
conversation, a talent for the sciences, industry, and deceitfulness. If
not well developed, it indicates a phlegmatic, stupid disposition.

Mount Luna, if prominent, indicates a dreamy, changeable, capricious,
enthusiastic, and inventive nature. When not well developed, it
indicates constancy, love of home, and ability to imitate others.

Mount Mars, if prominent, indicates self-respect, coolness, and control
of self under trying circumstances, courage, venturesomeness and
confidence in one's ability for anything undertaken. When not well
developed, it indicates the opposite of these characteristics.


Lines On the Hand.

If the lines of the hand are not well defined, this fact indicates poor
health.

Deep red lines indicate good, robust health. Yellow lines indicate
excessive biliousness.

Dark-colored lines indicate a melancholy and reserved disposition.

The Life Line extends from the outer base of Mount Jupiter, entirely
around the base of Mount Venus. If chained under Jupiter, it indicates
bad health in early life. Hair lines extending from it imply weakness,
and if cut by small lines from Mount Venus, misplaced affections and
domestic broils. If arising from Mount Jupiter, an ambition to be
wealthy and learned. If it is joined by the Line of the Head at its
beginning, prudence and wisdom are indicated. If it joins Heart and Head
line's at its commencement, a great catastrophe will be experienced by
the person so marked. A square on it denotes success. All lines that
follow it give it strength. Lines that cut the Life Line extending
through the Heart Line denote interference in a love affair. If it is
crossed by small lines, illness is indicated. Short and badly drawn
lines, unequal in size, imply bad blood and a tendency to fevers.

The Heart Line, if it extends across the hand at the base of the finger
mounts, and is deep and well defined, indicates purity and devotion; if
well defined from Mount Jupiter only, a jealous and tyrannical
disposition is indicated; if it begins at Mount Saturn and is without
branches, it is a fatal sign; if short and well defined in the Harmonic
type of hand it indicates intense affection when it is reciprocated; if
short on the Mercury type of hand, it implies deep interest in
intellectual pursuits; it short and deep in the Elementary type of hand,
it implies the disposition to satisfy desire by brutal force, instead of
by love.

The Head Line is parallel to Heart Line and forms the second branch of
letter M, generally very plain in most hands; if long and deep it
indicates ability to care for one's self; if hair lines are attached to
it, mental worry; if it divides toward Mount Mercury love affairs will
be first, and business secondary; if well defined its whole length, it
implies a well-balanced brain; a line from it extending into a star on
Mount Jupiter, great versatility, pride and love for knowledge are
indicated; if it extend to Mount Luna interest in occult studies is
implied; separated from the Life Line, indicates aggressiveness; if it
is broken, death is indicated from an injury in the head.

The Rascettes are lines across the wrist where the palm joins it.

It is claimed they indicate length of life; if straight it is a good
sign. One Rascette indicates thirty years of life; two lines, sixty;
three lines, ninety.

The Fate Line commences at Rascettes, and if it extends straight to
Mount Saturn, uninterrupted, and alike in both hands, good luck and
success are realized without personal exertion. If not in one hand and
interrupted in the other, success will be experienced only by great
effort. If well defined at the wrist the early life is bright and
promising; if broken in the center, misery for middle life is indicated.
If this line touches Mounts Luna and Venus, it indicates a good
disposition and wealth; if inclined toward any mount, it implies success
in that line for which the mount stands. If it is made up of
disconnected links, it indicates serious physical and moral struggles.
Should it end at Heart Line, the life has been ruined by unrequited
love. If it runs through a square, the life has been in danger and
saved. Should it merge into the Heart Line and continue to Mount
Jupiter, it denotes distinction and power secured through love.

The Girdle of Venus is a curved line extending from Mount Jupiter to
Mercury, encircling Saturn and Apollo. It appears on few hands, but it
indicates superior intellect, a sensitive and capricious nature; if it
extends to base of Jupiter it denotes divorce; ending in Mercury,
implies great energy; should it be cut by parallel lines in a man, it
indicates a hard drinker and gambler.

Lines of Reputation, commencing in the middle of the hand, at the Head
Line, Mount Luna or Mount Mars, indicate financial success from
intellectual pursuits after years of struggling with adversity. If from
Heart Line, real love of occupation and success; if from Head Line,
success from selfishness. An island on this line denotes loss of
character, a start on it near Apollo implies that success will be
permanent, and a square, brilliant success. The absence of this line
implies a struggle for recognition of one's abilities.

Line of Intuition, beginning at base of Mount Mercury, extends around
Mars and Luna; it is frequently found in the Venus, Mercury and Lunar
types of hands; when deeply dented with a triangle on Mount Saturn it
denotes clairvoyant power; if it forms a triangle with Fate Line, or
Life Line, a voyage will be taken.

Health Line commences at center of the Rascettes, takes an oblique
course from Fate Line, ending toward Mount Mercury. If straight and well
defined, there is little liability to constitutional diseases; when it
does not extend to Head Line, steady mental labor cannot be performed;
when it is broad and deep on Mount Mercury, diminishing as it enters the
Life Line, death from heart disease is indicated; small lines cutting it
denote sickness from biliousness. When joined to Heart Line, health and
business are neglected for Love; if made up of short, fine lines, there
is suffering from stomach catarrh; if it is checked by islands there is
a constitutional tendency to lung disease.

Marriage Lines extend straight across Mount Mercury; if short, affairs
of the heart without marriage are denoted. When near Heart Line early
marriage is indicated; if it turns directly to Heart Line, marriage will
occur between the ages of 16 and 21; if close to the top of the mount,
marriage will not take place before the 35th year; if it curves upward
it indicates a single life; when pronged and running toward the center
or to Mount Mars, divorce will occur. If the end at this line droops the
subject will outlive wife or husband; if broken, divorce is implied; if
it ends in a cross, the wife or husband will die from an accident. A
branch from this line upward implies a high position attained by
marriage. A black spot on this line means widowhood.

Children's Lines are small and upright, extending from the end of
Marriage Lines. If broad and well defined, males; if fine and narrow,
females are indicated. A line of this order that is deep and well
defined denotes prominence for that child.

Small Lines have a signification depending upon their position and
number.

A single line on Jupiter signifies success; on Saturn, happiness; on
Apollo, fame and talent.

Ascending small lines are favorable, while descending lines are
unfavorable signs.

Several small lines on Mars indicate warfare constantly.

Cross lines, failure.



RIDDLES, OLD AND NEW.

Feet have they, but they walk not--stoves.

Eyes have they, but they see not--potatoes.

Noses have they, but they smell not--tea-pots.

Mouths have they, but they taste not--rivers.

Hands have they, but they handle not--clocks.

Ears have they, but they hear not--corn stalks.

Tongues have they, but they talk not--wagons.

What thing is that which is lengthened by being cut at both ends? A
ditch.

Why do we all go to bed? Because the bed will not come to us.

Why Paris like the letter F? Because it is the capital of France.

In which month do ladies talk least? In February.

Why is a room full of married folks like an empty room? There is not a
single person in it.

Why is a peach-stone like a regiment? It has a kernel (Colonel).

Why is an island like the letter T? Because it is in the midst of
wa-t-er.

Why is a bee-hive like a spectator? Because it is a beeholder
(beholder).

What is that which a train cannot move without, and yet is not the least
use to it? A noise.

When is a man over head and ears in debt? When the hat he has on is not
paid for.

Why is a man led astray like one governed by a girl? He is misled
(miss-led).

Why is a Jew in a fever like a diamond? He is a Jew ill (jewel).

Why are fixed stars like pen, ink and paper? They are stationary
(stationery).

What is that which is always invisible and never out of sight? The
letter I.

Why is a cook like a barber? He dresses hare (hair).

Why is a waiter like a race horse? He often runs for a plate or a cup.

Why is a madman like two men? He is one beside himself.

Why is a good story like a church bell? It is often told (tolled).

What is the weight of the moon? Four quarters.

What sea would make the best bed-room? Adriatic (a-dry attic).

Why is Ireland likely to become rich? Because the capital is always
Dublin (doubling).

What two letters make a county in Massachusetts? S. X. (Essex).

Why is a good saloon like a bad one? Both inn convenient

Why do dentists make good politicians? Because they have a great pull.

Why is the Hudson River like a shoe? Because it is a great place for
tows (toes).

Why is a race at a circus like a big conflagration? Because the heat is
in tents (intense).

Which is the left side of a plum pudding? The part that is not eaten.

Why is a man who runs in debt like a clock? He goes on tick.

Why is the wick of a candle like Athens? It is in the midst of grease
(Greece).

Why are deep sighs like long stockings? Heigh-ho's (high hose).

What occupation is the sun? A tanner.

Why are your eyes like stage horses? They are always under lashes.

Why are your teeth like verbs? Regular, irregular and defective?

What word makes you sick if you leave out one of its letters? Music.

What word of ten letters can be spelled with five? Expediency (X P D N
C).

Why should red-headed men be chosen for soldiers? They carry fire-locks.


Why is the letter D like a sailor? It follows the sea (C).

Why is a theological student like a merchant? Both study the Prophets
(profits).

If the alphabet were invited out to dine what time would U, V, W, X, Y
and Z go? After tea (T).

How can you take one from nineteen and leave twenty? XIX--XX



LAST WORDS OF FAMOUS MEN AND WOMEN.

"'Tis well."--George Washington.

"Tete d'armee."--Napoleon.

"I thank God that I have done my duty."--Admiral Nelson.

"I pray thee see me safe up, but for my coming down I can shift for
myself," were the last words of Sir Thomas More when ascending the
scaffold.

"God bless you."--Dr. Johnson.

"I have finished."--Hogarth.

"Dying, dying."--Thos. Hood.

"Drop the curtain, the farce is played out."--Rabelais.

"I am what I am. I am what I am."--Swift.

"I still live."--Daniel Webster.

"How grand these rays. They seem to beckon earth to heaven."--Humboldt.

"It is now time that we depart--I to die, you to live: but which is the
better destination is unknown."--Socrates.

"Adieu, my dear Morand, I am dying."--Voltaire.

"My beautiful flowers, my lovely flowers."--Richter.

"James, take good care of the horse."--Winfield Scott.

"Many things are becoming clearer to me."--Schiller.

"I feel the daisies growing over me."--John Keats.

"What, is there no bribing death?"--Cardinal Beaufort.

"Taking a leap in the dark. O, mystery."--Thomas Paine.

"There is not a drop of blood on my hands."'--Frederick V.

"I am taking a fearful leap in the dark."--Thomas Hobbes.

"Don't let that awkward squad fire over my grave."--Burns.

"Here, veteran, if you think it right, strike."--Cicero.

"My days are past as a shadow that returns not."--R. Hooker.

"I thought that dying had been more difficult,"--Louis XIV.

"O Lord, forgive me specially my sins of omission."--Usher.

"Let me die to the sounds of delicious music."--Mirabeau.

"It is small, very small," alluding to her neck.--Anna Boleyn.

"Let me hear those notes so long my solace and delight."--Mozart.

"We are as near heaven by sea as by land,"--Sir Humphrey Gilbert.

"I do not sleep. I wish to meet death awake."--Maria Theresa.

"I resign my soul to God; my daughter to my country."--Jefferson.



TOASTS AND SENTIMENTS

Merit to gain a heart, and sense to keep it.

Money to him that has spirit to use it.

More friends and less need of them.

May those who deceive us be always deceived.

May the sword of justice be swayed by the hand of mercy.

May the brow of the brave never want a wreath of laurel.

May we be slaves to nothing but our duty, and friends to nothing but
real merit.

May he that turns his back on his friend, fall into the hands of his
enemy.

May honor be the commander when love takes the field.

May reason guide the helm when passion blows the gale.

May those who would enslave become slaves themselves.

May genius and merit never want a friend.

May the road of happiness be lighted by virtue.

May life last as long as it is worth wearing.

May we never murmur without a cause, and never have a cause to murmur.

May the eye that drops for the misfortunes of others never shed a tear
for its own.

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