Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1907 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

Leading Quotations. One person in this very delightful and instructive game gives a familiar quotation, which must be promptly followed by another question from the next player beginning with the letter that concluded the preceding quotation.

For example: First Player—“lf you’ve ’eard the east a-callin’, you won’t never ’eed naught elsE.” Second Player—“ England expects every man to do his dutY.” Third Player “Young folks are smart, but all ain’t good that’s new; I guess the gran’thers they knowed suthin’ tU.” Fourth Player—“ United we stand, divided we falL.” Fifth Player—“ Life, what is it but a dreaM?” Sixth Player—“ Man wants but little here below, nor wants that little lonG.” Seventh Player—“ God’s in the heaven. All’s right with the world,” etc. This game is not quite so easy to play the first time, because most people are only too unaccustomed to exchange quotations, but in a few evenings you will find yourself quoting quickly and enjoying the pastime wonderfully well.

The Twinkling Stars. The twinkling of a star has never been explained to the satisfaction of all investigators, but it is generally believed to be due to controlling causes within the earth’s atmosphere. That the cause may be looked for within the belt of air that surrounds our planet (to particles of vapor, dust, etc.) may be inferred from the fact that the planets never exhibit the characteristic twinkling so noticeable in the star. One reason for this Is the size (apparent) of the planets, each of which shows a sensible disk, even to the naked eye, while the strongest Instrument in the world only shows the stars as being mere points of light This being the case, any foreign substance in the atmosphere would momentarily hide the light and make the star appear to twinkle.—New York American.

Things Worth Knowing. That a growing mushroom can lift up a paving stone and that creeping plants sometimes kill the plants round which they climb. That there are scarcely any wild goldfishes left anywhere. That the gray buzzard is the heaviest bird that.flies..

That some hedgehogs like blacking and will lick people’s boots. That the first electric railway in the world was built in Ireland. That Turkish men are more polite to their mothers than to any one else. That Japanese workmen are obliged to wear on their caps a card saying what their business is and who is their master. That steamships can move much more quickly in deep than in shallow water.

Walter Scott as a Boy. When Sir Walter Scott was only eighteen mouths old be was taken with a severe fever, which affected his right leg so that he was lame thrqnghout his whole life. At the age of four a favorite aunt took him to Bath in hope that the waters there might lessen if not entirely cure his lameness, but they did not give him any relief. He lived at Bath for several years, learning to read at a dame school, taking private lessons of an aunt and often attending the theater with his uncle, Captain Robert Scott. It is told that one evening upon seeing the play “As You Like It’’ youug Scott became so excited during the quarrel between Orlando and his brother that he screamed out at the top of his voice, “Ain’t they brothers?’’

A Curious Needle. A former king of Prussia one day visited a needle manufactory in his dominions to see what machinery aided by the human hand could produce. He saw a number of needles, called superfine, thousands of which put together did not weigh half an ounce, and expressed his astonishment that such minute objects could be pierced with an eye. At this, the borer—the workman whose business is to bore the eyes in the needles—asked for a hair from the king’s head. It was readily given, when the workman placed it under the boring machine, made a hole In it with the greatest care, furnished It with a thread and then handed the singular needle to the king.

Remember that The Democrat handles the genuine “Quaker Brand” parchment butter wrappers, the best paper for this purpose manufactured, and that we charge no more for this than others charge for inferior paper. An armful of old papers for a uickle. ‘J ' ’