In a letter from a circle in =New Orleans, La.=, we find some interesting points. The circle selects topics for discussions at their meetings. Each member is required to bring in thoughts, statistics or quotations bearing upon the subject. Popular topics are taken, as for example, one given at a recent meeting was “The Higher Education of Women.” The idea is a good one. Such discussions give an agreeable change from so much historical and scientific reading. Among their officers they have a chaplain who conducts the opening exercises of the evening; another excellent plan. Just now they are meeting a difficulty which comes to many circles. The writer says: “The majority of the circle are of class of ’85. They commenced the course as _young_ members, with no outside interests, and now at their maturity are branching off to their respective callings; one an ordained Episcopalian minister, in a distant parish; another leaves this summer to finish a collegiate course for the Presbyterian ministry, and others go elsewhere, yet we may feel assured, never to lose interest in the C. L. S. C.” Losing the tried, trusty “stand-bys” of a society is generally one of the most dangerous trials it goes through. Only a persistent putting of the shoulder to the wheel will carry it over, but that _always_ does it. From =Cañon City, Col.=, a lady writes: “We have organized a little circle of about ten members and have worked hard up to this time to demonstrate to ourselves our interest and determination to prosecute the studies. For housekeepers who have long been out of the discipline of students the work pushes us so that we, as yet, have not been able to read anything additional to the course. One of our number prepares questions on the lessons and acts as president or referee. These questions are on slips of paper, and each member draws one, on which to gather information to report to the class at the next meeting. Enough to say thus far we enjoy our reading very much, and hope it is but the beginning of a systematic study, which will end only with life.”