TWO OLD CRONIES.--1. A boy aged eighteen is not too old to learn how to play the piano, violin or any other musical instrument. There are thousands of stenographers who did not take up that profession until they were twenty-five or thirty years of age. They were firm believers in the adage, "It is never too late to learn." 2. Munson's appears to be the most popular system of shorthand. 3. A ten or fifteen minutes' walk in the open air before taking breakfast will do no harm; but indulgence in other forms of exercise should be reserved for the middle of the day, if possible, or an hour or so after eating supper. H.T.C., BIZ AND J.A.M.--Candidates for clerkships in the government departments must pass a civil service examination in arithmetic, geography, grammar, history, reading, writing and spelling, and in some cases a knowledge of book-keeping is required. This depends upon the branch of the service and the special position for which application is made. Those desiring to enter the railway mail service must, among other things, give the boundaries of their own county, State and country; the location of all the States and Territories, locate all the counties along a specified mail route, locate offices on the route and exhibit a thorough understanding of the geography of the United States. FRANK W.--1. According to Caesar, the first coins of what is now called Great Britain were of tin, and he has been substantiated by the discovery of pieces made of that material. The first copper coins made by the United States Mint were one cent and one-half cent pieces, of which there were four designs, designated the "chain cent," the "wreath cent," the "flowing-hair cent" and the "liberty cap cent." 2. The letter, or mark on a coin designating the mint at which it was struck, is called the "mint mark." The U.S. coins struck at the parent mint, at Philadelphia, bear no such mark; those displaying a small "S" immediately under the denomination are coined in San Francisco, while "C.C." stands for Carson City, and "O" for New Orleans. EX-CONFED.--A glue well adapted for any work which requires particular strength is made by dissolving an ounce of the best isinglass, by the application of a moderate heat, in a pint of water. After straining this solution an ounce of the best glue, previously soaked in water for twenty-four hours, and a gill of vinegar should be added. After all of these materials have been brought into a solution, the mixture should be allowed to boil up once, and then the impurities must be strained off. A handy method of making glue for ready use is to employ common whisky instead of water in dissolving any quantity of glue. Put both together in a bottle, cork it tight and let it stand for three or four days, when it will be ready for use without the application of heat.