There are three essential elements in voice production: First, the air blast, or motive power; second, the vibrating reed, or tone-producing apparatus; third, the sounding-board, or re-inforcing cavities. These, to parody a well-worn physiological metaphor, are the three legs of the tripod of voice. Defect in or mismanagement of any one of them is fatal to the musical efficiency of the vocal instrument. The air supplied by the lungs is moulded into sound by the innumerable little fingers of the muscles which move the vocal cords, and their training largely moulds the tone and volume of voice. Much of the lung and throat troubles existing can be traced to the ignorance of vocal teachers and parental indulgence in allowing the voice to be strained beyond its register. To know a teacher that understands the proper treatment of the vocal organs, from one that does not--judge them by their pupils; if a pupil has an impaired throat, and there is no improvement after six lessons, change teachers. Every vocal teacher can instruct in the rudiments of music, but only _one_ in _fifty_ knows anything about the voice. =Warts.=--A drop of cinnamon oil on each wart daily, continued for a fortnight, will usually remove them. The most successful remedy we have ever tried is to have the wart saturated three times a week for three weeks with the saliva of a person of _positive_ magnetism, not a member of the family. There is a scientific reason for it not here explained, _but try it_. =Water.=--If a small quantity of oxalic acid added to water produces a white precipitate, lime is contained in the water. Tincture of galls added to the water which contains iron will yield a black precipitate. Water which causes a bright piece of steel to turn yellow, when dipped into it, contains copper. Sulphuric acid, dropped into water and turning it black, shows that the water contains vegetable and animal matter. For detecting sewage contamination, fill a clean pint bottle three-fourths full of the water to be tested; add a teaspoonful of granulated sugar; cork the bottle, and set it in a warm place for two days; if the contents of the bottle become cloudy or muddy, the water is unfit for domestic use. Half an ounce of the neutral solution of bisulphate of alumina added to 200 gallons of water will precipitate the organic matter therein contained; the water may be then used freely for drinking purposes. To remove the odor from cistern water, suspend in the water a bag containing a peck of charcoal.