Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1916 — BOY’S DEFINITION OF DESERT [ARTICLE]

BOY’S DEFINITION OF DESERT

Mother’s Suggestion r That It Was Place Where Nothing Would Grew Leads to Amusing Reply. A fond mother was assisting the little boy the other evening in the mastery of his geography lesson, and coming to the description of a desert, which formed part of the lesson to be memorized, she quoted the words of the text-book to the effect that it was “a barren tract.” _ , The little fellow repeated the phrase after her, but his air of mystification showed that he hadn’t the slightest idea of the meaning conveyed by the group of words, and the better to reach his understanding, she endeavored to simplify the description by defining it as “a place where nothing would grow.” ~— The boy's face brightened with the light •of awakened intelligence, and the mother, proud and expectant, put the question: “Now, Johnny, what is a desert?” Prompt came the response: “Pa’s bald head.”