Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1908 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

Gama of Teakettle. This game may be played by any number of persons, one of whom leaves the room while,tbe others agree upon a word with several different meanings or upon two or more words pronounced alike. The player who went out now returns and asks each in turn a question. The word or words agreed upon" must be introduced several times In the answer, but Instead of saying the word itself “teakettle" most be substituted. If the word is compounded with another or with a prefix or suffix, the word “teakettle" must be similarly compounded.

Thus, suppose the words rain, rein, reign, to be selected. The first question may be, “How do you do?" The answer Is returned, “Not very well, for I was out yesterday in the biggest teakettle of King Edward’s teakettle," The next may be asked, “Do you enjoy riding?” “That depends on the teakettle and also on whether It is teakettling or not.” The player from whose answer the word Is guessed becomes questioner in turn, leaving the room while another word Is decided upon.

A Who*l Gama. This game may be played by any number, though only four at time can take part, tbe others acting-as audience until their turns come. The four occupy four corners of a room or space marked ont on a lawn. As large a space as possible should be chosen. Each player Is provided with a wheel or ,a hoop. At a given signal all the players start at once to trundle their wheels. No wheel must be dropped, or if it is that player ceases to be a contestant. The trundling begins at ' the right, and each corner must be visited, and so on to the starting point of each player. who reaches home first is the prize winner, or, after all have tried, he who gets home In the shortest time wins the prize. The hurry and excitement of tbe four wheels visiting at the same time cause much merriment.

Some Oddities. Until recently it was supposed that where the ocean is deepest no organic life existed. No light penetrates there to any great extent, and the pressure of the water is terrific. Wood, for Instance, is compressed to half its size if lowered 3,000 feet But recent scientific discovery proves that Sven in those mighty deeps great forests of seaweed cover the bottom of the ocean and reach to the surface. In these strange forests spiders and dreadful wormlike animals of tremendous size exist; sea urchins, shells and millions of OTher things. It might not be • pleasant forest in which to take a walk. It might seem like a nightmare, but there Is no denying the fact that it would be a wonderful place, a real enchanted forest

The Age of Niagara Falla. It is strange bow estimates differ as to the age of the Niagara falls. Geologists have studied the question for years, but they do not agree in their conclusions. The old notion was that changes in the level of the land around the great lakes produced the Niagara river about 55,000 years ago. Later investigation reduced this estimate to 12,000 years, a wonderful difference. Then a famous geologist made it 35,000 years, which in turn was reduced to 9,000 years. The most recent estimate is that of Dr. Spencer,, who thinks that the river is about 32,000 years old and the falls 31,000 years old. At one time, thousands of years ago, the height of the falls was about 420 feet

Beware of the Dog. At Essen, Germany, where Krupp, the cannon maker, has his great works, there is a city ordinance that reads: “Any boy who shall be bitten by a dog shall be arrested and fined at least 2 marks by the magistrate. If bitten twice by the same dog, he shall be sent to the city prison for not less than three days.” ‘ The idea is to give the dog a chance, and It is perhaps the only city In the world where a stray dog is not afraid of aPstray boy. All the dog has to do ia to bite him, and away goes the boy.

Must Bs Changed. The old saying, “As savage as a rat,” must be changed. A Chicago boy caught a large rat and kept him In a cage for a month and tried many experiments on him. One of the things he did was to let loose a large grasshopper In the same cage, and the rat was so frightened by the bisect that be crouched in a corner and whined and shivered with fear. When a sparrow was ln&’oduced to the cage, the rat ran round'and round until he fell down from exhaustion. A Test of Charity. In Syria there Is a certain religious sect the members of which aqe forbidden to drink from a vessel that has touched the Ups of a stranger. In spite of this they never refuse a drink of water to a thirsty traveler, although they must immediately destroy the cup which he has used. The Land of Contraries. Will you sail with me In a magic boat To the land of the pink canaries. Where the sky la green and the trees areblue. Where Ink Is sold In the dallies. Where pigs catch mice and elephants fly. And all things go by contraries? Tou want to start this very same dayl la that what I hear you saying? But I warn you at once, before you go, That you’ll none of you dream of staying. For the children, of course, in Contraryland An allowed no leisure for playing. —Chatterbox.