Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 63, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1909 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

The Beta and the Death’s Head. The bees have an enemy who cares little for their stings and who gorges hiniself with honey If .he can manage io enter a hive. This is the death’s head moth, an enormous and powerful insect, the markings of whose back suggest a skull. He is covered with long fluffy balr. Some seasons in Switzerland when these moths are plentiful the hives are as barren in the autumn as they were in the spring. He boldly walks in at the door of the hive, and, though the infuriated inmates pounce upon him and try to kill him, their stings are not long enough to penetrate bls fleece. When these fellows are about the news seems to be forwarded to even’ bee village, for soon the wise little insects put their heads together and construct ample fortifications. Borne swarms close the entrance of their hives with wax. leaving only a narrow opening Just big enough for themselves, but far too small for the huge tbief. Others build up before the entrance a series of parallel walls, leaving a zigzag corridor, through which only the bees can pass. It works on the same principle as a turnstile in a field, through which a man can pass, but not a cow.

Intelligent Ducks. A young duck by some accident had Its leg broken, and, the wounded limb having been put in splints, the duck was placed in a railed coup, or crate, to prevent it for a time from running about. The prisoner looked very forlorn, and the pity of its brothers and sisters was excited in its behalf, and they tried to release their companion by forcing their necks under the crate and so lifting it, but the effort was beyond their strength. Then they held a consultation and marched away. Presently they reappeared with al] the ducks in the farmyard, amounting to about forty After a great deal of quacking they surrounded the crate, and every neck was used in a united effort to raise the crate, and it did raise an inch or two. but that was all.

Another consultation was held, and after another storm of quacking the whole army came to one side of the crate. As many as possibly could now thrust their necks beneath the rail, the rest pushing the forward from behind. This time they succeeded. The crate was raised, and their imprisoned friend was liberated and limped out to receive the noisy greetings of its rescuers.

Th* Liberty Cap. Many persons think that the “liberty cap,” which is one of our national emblems, is of American origin; but, as a matter of fact, It comes to us from ancient times, when the Phrygians conquered the eastern part of Asia Minor. These warlike people wore It to distinguish themselves from those whom they had conquered. The ancient Romans borrowed the emblem from the Phrygians, though they made it distinctly a symbol of liberty. They used a red cap and were in the habit of putting one on the head of a slave when he was made a freedman. At the time of the assassination of Julius Caesar a cap on a spear was carried by the conspirators as a token of liberty to Rome, and a medal was struck bearing that device. England and France both adopted the cap as an emblem of liberty, the former using a blue cap with a white border and the latter a red cap. The American cap is blue with a border of gilt stars on a white background.

Watching th* Spider.

A man who is interested in spiders saw one crawling up bis coat sleeve one day, and he watched to see what it was going to do. When it reached the highest attainable point It raised its spinneret and threw out a thread. Gradually the thread grew longer, and as it grew it floated straight up in the air, which showed, of course, that it was lighter than the air. The thread continued to get longer and longer, or, rather, higher and higher, until it rose to a height of about three feet. And what do you suppose happened then? The little worker after running a short distance up the thread that be himself had spun sailed away through the air as easily and gracefully as you please. A Tongue Twister. If your tongues be in good condition for doing a little acrobatic work try reading the following word curiosity aloud. It may be familiar to some of you, for it is one of the treasures dug up out of an old scrap book: If you stick a stick across a stick, Or stick a cross across a stick. Or cross a stick across a stick. Or stick a cross across a cross. Or cross a cross across a stick. Or cross a cross across a cross. Or stick a cross stick across a stick. Or stick a crossed stick across a crossed stick. Or cross a crossed stick across a cross. Or cross a crossed stick across a stick. Or cross a crossed stick across a crossed stick, Would that be an acrostic? —Chicago News. The Atmosphere. It the earth were deprived of its atmosphere the mean temperature at the equator would be about 94 degrees below zero and that at the poles about *2B degrees below aero. The mean temperature of the entire globe would be about 133 degrees below zero, which means, of course, that we could not exist as we are now constituted. ——: Polly talk. 1 have n parrot. Her name is Po. , And ail she can say to toMeroL But grandma says this Is not much amiss. For some folks talk and say nothing at ait