I have just arrived home from school.  I wish to tell you of the very large fire down-town.  I go to school about one block from where the fire was.  The fire started in a grocery store belonging to Hanson Brothers, about 7:30 o’clock.  This grocery is No. 1317 Market Street.  From there the fire spread to an umbrella store, which had the numbers 1309 to 1313 Market Street.  From there a spark set fire to Wanamaker’s store; it started there in the large clock tower, which soon after was a mass of flames.  It fell with a loud crash soon after.  The fire spread to the woodwork of the City Hall, where it was soon put out.

Wishing your magazine years of success, I am
Your reader, R.R.

PHILA., Jan. 25th., 1897.

DEAR EDITOR: 

I like THE GREAT ROUND WORLD very much, and anticipate
their coming.

I receive them from my auntie of New York City.  She reads them
first, and then sends them to me.

    They are very enjoyable, and as I am just in the interesting
    part of school, they help me very much.  Perhaps you would like
    to know where Maywood is.  It is a suburb of Chicago.

    A very pretty place, and so much nicer than living in the city,
    because here we have fresh air and green grass.

Would you not rather live in the country?

We have a park here which is kept in order by the town
authorities.  This winter they have flooded it, and made a very
nice skating pond, which is free to all.

So after school hours we boys and girls have a bonny time.

Hoping to receive an answer, I remain,
Yours affectionately, HELEN Z.C.

P.S.—­These “Sylvia’s Caramels” you speak of in No. 3 are what
we call “Fudges.”

They are very nice.  We make them often.

MAYWOOD, ILL., Jan. 25th, 1897.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE GREAT ROUND WORLD: 

    I am an enthusiastic reader of your most interesting little
    paper, and would like you to send me a “Who?  When? and What?”
    chart.

I am up in the mountains for the winter, and there is fine skating and tobogganing here, and I have also a fine big snow house.  We belong to the “Pontiac Club,” and can therefore skate whenever we want.  Wishing your paper much success.  I remain

Your fond reader, SEYMOUR U.P.

    SARANAC LAKE, N.Y., Jan. 22d, 1897.

In reply to questions from Miss Lena Penn: 

George du Maurier died in London, October 8, 1896, of heart disease.

There is a statue of Hans Christian Andersen in the market-place of Copenhagen.  He was the author of the famous Fairy Tales which have given so much pleasure to so many millions of children.

If there are any statistics of the population of the earth since Adam, we are unaware of them.

The population of the earth, estimated in 1891, was 1,487,900,000.