Wetting A Lead Pencil

London Tid-I lts: The act of put ting a lead pencil to the tongue to we it, just before writing, which we notici in so many people, is one of the odditie: of habit for which it is hard to give anj reason, unless it began in the day: when lead pencils were poorer thai now, and was oontinued by example in to the next generation. A lead pencil should never be wet It hardens the ead and ruins the pen cil. This fact is known to newspapei men and stenographers. But nearlj every one else does wet a pencil befort using it. This fact has been definiteb settled by a clerk in a newspaper office Being of a mathematical turn of mind he ascertained by actual count that ol fifty persons who came into the officf to write an advertisement or notice forty-nine wet a pencil in their mouth; before using it. Now, this clerk always uses the best pencils that can be procured - in fact, is a connoisseur in lead pencils, cherishing a good one with sometbing of the pride a soldier feeU in his gun or sword; and it hurts hif feelings to have his pencil spoiled. But politeness and business consideration; require him to lend his pencil scores ot times every day. And often, after i; had been wet, until it was hard and brittle, and refus-id to mark, his feelings would overpower him Finally, he got some cheap pencils, sharpened them and kept them to lend. The flrs! pcrson who took ip the stock pencil was a drayman. He held the point in' his mouth and soaked it for severr.l minutes, while he was torturing himself to write an advertisement for a missing buil dog. Then a sweet-lookIng young woman came into the office, witi kid gloves that buttoned half the length of her arm. She picked up the same oíd pencil and pressed it to her dainty lips, preparatory to writing an adveriisement for a lost bracelet. The clerk would have stayed her hand, even at the risk of a box of the best !s ever made, but he was too late. And thus that pencil passed from mouth to mouth for a week. It was sucked by people of all ranks and stations, and ill degrees of cleanliness and uncleanliness; but we forbear. Surely no one who reads this will ever again wet his ead pencil.