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It is in the elementary schools that one must look in order to find the seeds from which the after-mischief springs ; and Mr. Carter recently intimated to the London School Board that he would be willing to make an ex haustive investiga’ion regarding this matter if facility were granted him. The Board, in a boorish and charac teristically ungrammatical letter, declined the offer, but without thanks. An investigation as to the influence of retouching and dark-room work on the eyesight would probably yield results of much value. The negative retoucher, it must be remembered, exe cutes very finely detailed work on a transparent medium strongly illuminated from behind; while the dark-room worker may pass the greater part of the day in a badly- ventilated apartment, illuminated with a ruby light so faint as to appear darkness to a person just entering. Either of these occupations must, one would think, be bad for the eyesight, but they are often combined ; the same individual dividing his time about equally between the retouching desk and the dark-room. The new printing paper proved of value the other day, when the detectives wanted some prints of their latest cap ture. A photographer received a negative with an urgent request for a large number of copies; the original of the portrait being, according to the statement of the bearer of the negative, on the point of leaving the country, and desired to present each of his numerous sorrowing friends with a likeness. Whether the printer believed this story or not, may be left an open question ; but he produced the photographs in a remarkably short space of time, and charged a tolerably high price for them. Another dynamitish story, but this time not really photographic. One of the electrical members of the British Association took with him to Canada a dynamo meter, for the purpose of illustrating a paper he intended to read at Montreal. Having performed his experiments, and read his paper, he went off, dynamometer and all, into the States. Uncle Sam’s Custom-house officers, however, are very keen after anything that looks capable of being made to pay duty, and our friend was asked the nature and purport of his mysterious apparatus. Thoughtlessly he answered, “ Dynamometer,” and minute inspection by the official revealed the words “ Dynamometer—Siemens Bros. Patent,” on the dial. Report says it would have gone hard with onr philosopher (who had not been long enough in the States to estimate at their true value the statements he had heard as to the incorruptibility of American officials) but for the intervention of a friendly telegraph clerk. There would seem to be some ingenious paragraphist at large who, when other topics run short, contrives to make of photography a peg on which to hang some novel specimens of his inventive " lining.” The latest “ dis covery ” is, that enterprising photographers now place a pair of small and shapely feet at the disposal of such of their fair patrons who may desire to have a portrait taken without putting their own feet in it. The result of this insidious temptation is said to be that already many spinsters—both old and young—whose “ under-standings ” are large, have availed themselves of the proffered pedal substitutes, thus consenting to a piece of deception which, if discovered, would literally leave them (in their portraits) no leg—or, at any rate, no foot—to stand upon. One thing is inevitable. If the standing reproach which can be founded on the above act of deceit is really well grounded, we may be sure that “enterprising photo graphers ” and vain sitters will not be contented with false feet only. They will forthwith proceed to other “ ex tremities,” and the well chiselled fingers we may expect to see in certain likenesses of the future will also be as false as the hearts or the hair of the ladies who avail themselves of the obliging artist’s “ helping hands.” A camera with its tripod-stand seems to have been the means of saving the life of that plucky young African traveller, Mr. H. H. Johnstone, who has just returned from the Mount Kilimangaro district. He was out one day with his servants, collecting specimens, and procuring negatives, when suddenly the alarm was raised that a large band of unfriendly natives were approaching. The young Englishman at once called his sixteen men together, and prepared, as he thought, to sell his life dearly. On came the savages, whooping and yelling and brandishing their spears until they were about fifty yards off. Then they halted dead, and stood silent. Looking to see the cause of the halt, Mr. Johnstone saw that midway between him and his foes stood his camera on its stand, its brass eye-piece pointing towards the savages. He had in his hurry left it where he had pitched it; and the strange natives, taking it to be a fetish of some sort, or an article of deadly magical powers, were afraid to approach it. And, in fact, they never did pass it, but presently with drew, leaving the young traveller unharmed. " But it is not a bit like you : the attitude is altogether absurd,” said the wife when the photographs arrived. “I fancied so,” responded her husband ; “ but M. DArcslyde trotted me round his place and showed me how his pic tures had taken medals in all parts of the globe, so we may conclude it is the best that can be done.” It has been said, over and over again, that to obtain a pleasant expression the photographer should put the sitter on good terms with himself. We are not sure that the recipe should not be the other way about. A somewhat “ uppish ” young gentleman went the other day to have his portrait taken, and having flung himself on a chair, bid the photographer take him as he was—“ None of your fancy, artificial poses, you know.” His extreme cleverness rather nettled the photographer, who observed that, “ with his legs sprawling all over the place, the picture wouldn’t