Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1908 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

When tho Elephant Bnoezod. Superstitious showmen say that when an elephaut sneezes it is a sign of luck. It is an interesting spectacle anyhow. One morning when Jolly, a zoo elephant, sneezed all the zoo attendants took n vacation to laugh. Everything was quiet In the zoo when somebody shouted: “Look out! The elephant’s going to sneeze!” All the attendants deserted their posts and ran to look. Jolly had drawn up bis sides until his back was bumped. Ills tall was stiffly horizontal. His mouth was open, his eyes shut, while tears us large as peanuts rolled down his leathery face. There was a great drawing up of the sides, a long continued convulsion, a trembling of the floor and then an explosion like the report of the Boer cannon Long Tom at Ladysmith. Half a bucket of water shot out In a stream toward the monkeys’ cage, while the elephant’s legs trembled as he prepared for a second sneeze. There was a rumbling like that of an earthquake and a volcanic crack. All the animals set up a roar, and every monkey screamed The qnagga brayed, and the kangaroo barked. The leopards snarled, and Prince Tiny Mite nearly tumbled off his platform. Jolly had been known to sneeze only twice before since he came to the zoo. —London Mail.

A Good Trick. Take a string ftbout eighteen Inches long and tie the two ends securely together. Pass one end through one of the rings of a pair of scissors, then thread the other eml through It and after that through the other handle or ring of the scissors. Now hang the scissors up by the string, which is knotted at the end. The trick is to get the string off the scissors or the scissors off the string without touching the knotted end of the string. It seems Impossible, yet It is quite easy. The way to do it is to pull the loop loose from the one handle of the scissors, pass it through the other handle In exactly the reverse way to the way It was brought through in the first place, puli it through until It is long enough to carry it over the scissors and bring it around back to the handle from whietr you started.

A Mystery of Plant Life. Of all the mysteries of plant life the greatest perhaps is the power that various sjteeimens have of drawing from the same soil secretions that are of a wholly opposite chemical nature. Of half a dozen plants growing in the same soil, surrounded by the same air, supplied with the same water and living under precisely the same conditions in every respect one will give man food, another will give him medicine, another a delicate perfume, another a disgusting odor and another a poison will kill him. The scientists have solved many of the problems of nature, but this is one that they have almost given up. It is. indeed, as the scientists themselves confess, one of the most perplexing in the universe, yet they do'not despair of solving It one of these days.—Chicago News.

Knotty Problems. A fanner moving has a fox, a goose and a basket of corn. He comes to a river, and the l>oat will carry only the farmer and one of his charges. Now. if he leaves the fox and goose alone the fox will eat the goose, and if lie leaves the goose and corn alone the goose will eat the corn. How can he safely take them all across the river? He must take the goose over, come back and take the fox over; bring the goose back, take the corn over and come back for the goose. A l>oy driving home some ducks was asked how many he had. He replied, “When in line there are two ducks ahead of a duck and two ducks behind a duck and one duck In the middle. How many ducks had he? Answer, three ducks.

Making a Blue Print. If you have ever been lu an architect’s office you have doubtless noticed on the wall or on tables plans of houses printed in white lines on a blue background. Many persons wonder how prints of that kind are made. The printing is doue by sunlight, much as a photograph is printed from a negative. Specially prepared paper Is used for the purpose. Architects’ tracing paper, with the plan in black, is laid on the prepared paper, and the whole Is then exposed to the sun, the effect being to turn the body of the paper blue, leaving the parts under the black lines of the drawing light in color. A water bath then darkens the blue and whitens the transferred lines of the drawing.

Digging In the Sand. I am digging, digging, digging. Just as fast asT can. I am digging In the sand by the sea. For I think that down below Where the palms and Ilona grow A little boy Is digging up to me. He Is digging, digging, digging. Just as fast as he can. He is digging in the desert hot and dry, And if he doesn't stop While I work at the top We shall tunnel through the world, he and I. I am digging, digging, digging, and the sun is nearly set. I am digging, but the bell has rung for tea. Oh, suppose while I’m away The waves come up to play—- • They often do—how dreadful that wouH be! I am digging, digging, digging, and I’m hungry as caq be. But I must 1111 the hole before I go. For the waves are creeping near, And I have a dreadful fear Lest they should catch the little boy below! —Youth’s Companion.