ical was the comment of a lad who was taken to church one
Sunday for the first time.

"You see, Augustus," said his fond mamma, anxious to impress his
tender mind at such a moment with lasting remembrances, "how many
people come here to pray to God?"

"Yes, but not so many as go to the circus," says the practical lad.

Quite natural, also, was the reply of a little lady who was found
crying by her mother because one of her companions had given her a
slap.

"Well, I hope you paid her back?" cried the angry mother, her
indignation getting the better of her judgment.

"Oh yes, I paid her back _before-hand_!"

Another little girl, after attending the funeral of one of her
schoolmates, which ceremony had been conducted at the school, was
giving an animated account of the exercises on her return home.

"And I suppose you were all sobbing as if your hearts would break,
poor things!" says papa.

"Oh no," replies the child: "only the front row cried."

* * * * *

It was one of the features of the shah-mania that British journalism
was overrun and surfeited with Persian topics, Persian allusions and
fragments of the Persian language and literature. Every pedant of
the press displayed an unexpected and astonishing acquaintance with
Persian history, Persian geography, Persian manners and customs.
Desperate cramming was done to get up Persian quotations for leading
articles, or at least a saying or two from Hafiz or Saadi of the sort
commonly found at the end of a lexicon or in some popular book of
maxims. Ludicrous disputes arose between morning papers as to the
comparative profundity of each other's researches into Persian lore;
but the climax was capped, we think, by one London journal, which
politely offered advice to Nasr-ed-Din about his conduct and his
reading. "Should Nasr-ed-Din be impressed by English flattery," said
this editor gravely, "with an exaggerated sense of his own importance,
His Majesty, as a corrective, may recall to mind the Persian fable of
'Ushter wa Diraz-kush,' from the 'Baharistan' of Jaumy." In ordinary
times an explanation might be vouchsafed of what the said fable
is, but none was given in the present instance, it being taken for
granted, during the shah's visit, that the Baharistan of Jaumy was as
familiar to the average Englishman as Mother Goose. Upon the whole,
our country has not been wholly unfortunate in not seeing the shah.
Horace's famous "Persicos