Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1908 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

Air Pressure. The weight of the earth’s atmosphere, or, in other words, the pressure exerted upon the earth by the atmosphere, is about the same as would be exerted by a flood of water thirtythree feet in height over the globe. At the sea level the pressure of the atmosphere is about fifteen pounds to the square inch. A man of ordinary size thus bears all the time a pressure of about 80,000 pounds, but he does not feel It because the pressure is exerted In every direction—above, below and around him—and because his body is filled with air and other fluids that press outward, thus maintaining a state of equilibrium. The barometric pressure decreases as we ascend at the rate of about one Inch for every 1,000 feet of elevation. At a height of« 16,000 feet the rate of decrease is about one inch for every 1,500 feet of elevation, and the proportion of decrease becomes greater at greater heights. At a height of 18,000 feet the pressure is about one-half of what it is at the sea level—that is to ■ay, the air at that elevation is only one-half as heavy as it is at the sea level. Fast Runners. A running game played by any odd number of persons. All but one are arranged In a column by pairs, all facing the same way. The odd player stands at the head of the line, alone. At a signal from him the two at the foot divide and run on the outside of the lines past the head, after which they take any direction, the object being to get back to their places and join hands before the one at the head can catch either of them. If either is caught, that one must take the place at the head of the column, and the previous head becomes the partner of the one who has escaped, standing togeth er next the head of the line. If the running couple join hands be fore either is caught they take their places next, the head, and the unsuccessful catcher is again at the head. At the signal the couple now at the foot begin to run in like manner, and so on till the players are tired. Neither of the runners can be touched til! he has passed the head of the column. A Curious Clock. Grollier de Serviere was fond of designing strange timekeepers, but perhaps his strangest was “the mantelpiece and the mouse.” On a narrow ledge projecting from the front of the mantel and extending its whole length he placed a mechanical mouse with a metal nose. On the ledge the hours of the day were marked, and Just behind It, concealed by the stone and woodwork of the mantel itself, was a strong magnet, which was made to travel slowly along the ledge by clockwork, keeping time like a clock. The mouse on the ledge, under the influence of the magnet, of course, traveled with it. and If you wanted to know the time you simply looked at the figures over which his metal nose happened to be. Unlike other mice, he was a slow mover. It took him twelve hours to go from one end of the mantelpiece to the other.—Chatterbox. An Animal That Makes HayVery provident creatures are the litthe chief hares, or pikas, of the west These animals, which seem to be related to the rabbits on one side and to the fats and mice on the other, make their homes chiefly on the mountain slopes, In holes and fissures among the rocks and bow lders. They are very industrious little fellows, and their chief preparation for winter consists In gathering plants, which they pile into haystacks very much as our own farmers do.

A Secret Alphabet. Here Is a way to write a letter so that nobody can read It except the person to whom you tell the secret. Begin printing the letters just as you would ordinarily, but leave some part of each letter Incomplete. For Instance, if you were going to print the letter II draw the two straight lines, but leave out the crosspiece. When you hare finished printing a word turn over the paper and, bolding it against the window pane, supply the missing parts of each letter. When the paper Iles on the table the writing looks like a series of meaningless scrawls, but as soon as It Is held against the light the marks on the opposite side show through, and the message can be easily read. Not So Easy as it Looks. Stick a fork or any pointed article In the wall about four or five feet from the floor and on the end of it place a piece of candy. Then tell some person to place his forefinger by the side of the candy when he has measured the height carefully. Tell him to walk backward about five yards, then shut one eye and walk forward and try to knock the candy off the fork with one blow of the forefinger. The probabilities are that he will make the attempt a dozen times before he is successful. When he is successful he may eat the candy. j Jack and His Aunt. Jack’s aunt was teaching him how to break a wishbone. “Now. we both take hold, so. and before we break it we wish for something we would like to have. Whoever gets the bigger piece will get the wish.” “Ready? Pull.” “Ah. jack, what did you wish for?” “Why,” said four-year-old Jack, “I wished I’d get the biggest piece, and I did.” Conundrums. Why is “i” the happiest of all the vowels? Because It Is In bliss, while most of the others are in purgatory.