The jig-saw has done much to convince people that girls can handle tools, but there is still room for a great advance in this direction. There is no reason in the nature of things why a girl should wait a week or a month to have a shelf put up, when very slight knowledge would enable her to do it precisely as well as the village carpenter. In every house there are small repairs that wait the leisure of some one who is"handy about house,"and which, in waiting, often become irreparable. Every girl can learn how to drive a nail properly, how to plane and joint, and all the more delicate operations in carpentery. And any girl who is willing to carry a book-agent's bag would find herself welcomed in almost every house, if she bore, instead, a set of light tools, and could do the countless little jobs that wait. Certain portions of such work are now taught in one or two industrial schools ; and a manual of great value, the full title of which is given on p. 412, has been issued in Boston, and is so clear and full, that the most ignorant will gain some knowledge from it. Some slight training is necessary, too, for all who have a bent toward wood-carving, which will be greatly aided by a knowledge of woods, and how to handle them.

Wood-carving is as practicable for all as drawing. But whoever undertakes it, or, indeed, any thing else, must be willing to go slowly, and not work eagerly a few days or weeks, and then pass on to something else. To do a little of every thing is a modern tendency ; and this is the reason that we so often see bad work, whether mental or manual, pass unchallenged. We do not mean bad as compared with some one's else work, but bad in proportion to the talent and power of the employed. Ruskin inveighs strongly against this practice, and speaks very plainly, in his"Elements of Drawing,"on the necessity of doing nothing short of our very best in whatever work we take in hand. It would be well if every girl were to read his book; for she would there learn the right spirit in which every new pursuit - whether it be carving, drawing, or any thing else - should be undertaken. And now to pass on from the theoretical to the more practical part of our subject. A real genius for carving will show itself at a very early age, by the child spending its half-holidays playing with carpenter's tools, and by a general hankering for penknives, and inclination to hoard up scraps of wood, or any thing in the shape of a tool, on which it can lay hands. Perhaps few children would be allowed, however great their latent talent might be, to endanger their eyes and fingers by following their own inclinations in these matters. Nor, indeed, would they gain much, were they permitted to do so, as little good work could be expected from such young hands. For, if we remember rightly, the boxes of which, in those early days, we were so proud, would bear none but the gentlest usage; and our paper-knives (by courtesy so called) answered their purpose but indifferently well. But they were the best of which we were then capable, and had, at least, the merit of forming the first step in a progress, of which each success, and, indeed, we may say each failure (if the failure be of the right sort, making us only the more determined to succeed in the end), brings us nearer to real facility. Dexterity in handling one's tools is more easily acquired by beginning as a child than when older; but in other respects it is as well, and perhaps better, not to attempt much in the carving line until the age of fourteen or fifteen. But then you have probably little time which you can call your own; the greater part of the day being occupied with lessons and necessary employments, so that half an hour, or perhaps even less, is all the time you can spare for your carving. This, however, is ample. Had you the whole day at your own disposal, an hour is the most you should allow yourself to spend in this manner; for you will find it hard, tiring work until you have become accustomed to it. If you are growing rapidly, you must be particularly careful that your work-table be made high enough to prevent the necessity of stooping over your work ; and you should also avoid the bad habit of resting or pressing the wood against your chest, which is very hurtful, as, in course of time, the bone is pushed out of its place. You will find it an advantage, if you can accustom yourself, to use your right and left hand equally well; for by so doing you will counteract any tendency of the right shoulder to"grow out,"as the phrase is, by giving equal work to the muscles of the left side and arm. Besides this great consideration, there are also many minor ones; for instance, supposing you were at work on a large piece of carving, it would progress far easier and quicker if you had two able hands instead of only one, as you could then go from one part to another without changing the position of either yourself or your wood. Another benefit of having both hands available is, that in case you should cut or hurt yourself, as beginners are very apt to do, you can bind up the wounded hand, and supply its place with the other until it is able to do its own work again. Perhaps this may seem a cool way of speaking of your injuries; but, to be a thorough workman, you must make up your mind to a few cuts and scratches, and not (as do some young ladies) think it necessary to faint or scream at the sight of a little blood. However, it is right to take every precaution against injuring yourself; and one great safeguard is, never to carve without a vice to hold your wood firmly; for, by having both hands at liberty to guide the tool, you can work with much greater ease and safety. Wearing gloves is also a protection, as it saves the hands from many knocks and bruises while engaged in sawing or any rough work. The gloves should be provided with stout gauntlets to cover the wrist, which is the part most liable to injury. Girls, as a rule, do not care greatly about the preservation of their clothes ; but, as their friends are probably not so indifferent on this subject, it is advisable that they should wear a thick chamois-leather apron while working, made with a bib to protect the front of the dress, and a deep pocket to hold tools, etc. Add to this a pair of balloon-sleeves of the same material, reaching above the elbow, and the equipment will be complete, and many scoldings on the score of cut and dirty dresses avoided, besides adding much to the carver's own comfort. Few of our readers, probably, are fortunate enough to possess a room that they can devote entirely to their carving-affairs. A corner of the playroom, or perhaps part of an outhouse, is the most that they can expect. But, however small the allotted space may be, at least they can find room for their work-table; and concerning this table it is necessary to be very particular. A common, rickety thing won't do at all. It must be a carpenter's bench in miniature, and made as heavy and strong as the size will permit, and should not be less than three feet by a foot and a half; but, if the space will admit of its being made larger, so much the better. Any common carpenter could make it; and it should be fitted with a rest and screw, and in all respects similar to the one he uses himself. It should be made of some common wood, such as deal or elm, which may be cut and hacked without compunction. This, with the addition of a stool, and a box in which to keep tools and odds and ends, or, better still, a lock-up cupboard, is all the carving-furniture required. We take it for granted that many of our readers are accustomed to get their mother or some older friend to spend an occasional half-hour or so with them in a carpenter's shop ; for, from watching him at work, the use of some of the simpler sort of tools, such as the saw, hammer, gimlet, etc. (all of which knowledge it is well to acquire before you take to your carving-tools), may be gained. And, supposing the carpenter to be intelligent and communicative, there is much, besides the manual part of his business, that you may learn from him with advantage; as, for instance, the names and qualities of the different woods which he uses in the course of his work. All information of this kind you will eventually find of the greatest value, in enabling you to choose and prepare your own carving-materials. It is wrong for any one, but especially for growing girls, to overtask their strength; and therefore we would advise you to employ a carpenter to do any really laborious work that you may require. But the lighter sort of carpentering you ought to do for yourself, even should you find it uninteresting and wearisome; for it is capital practice, and, the handier you are in doing this rough work, the easier you will find it to manage your carving-tools. We do not mean to say, by this, that those who are already artistic carvers should waste their time in preparing their own wood, but simply to recommend the novice, who is not as yet accustomed to the work, to lose no opportunity of improving herself; for it is precisely while"roughing out,"or getting your block of wood into shape, that the firmness of hand, and command over the mallet and chisel, are acquired, which make all the difference between a good and a bad worker.