Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1909 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

Why W* Need Blankets. The blankets that we sleep under at night are thicker and Jjeavier and warmer than the clothing we wear daring the day. They most be so to Insure our comfort. Why? If we lie down on a couch to take a nap in onr day clothing we are almost sure to take cold unless we add some sort of covering. Why? These are among the thousand and one “common things” that everybody knows without stopping to think about the reason, but- there Is a reason for everything; and we ought to find It out. In this case the reason may be found in the circulation of the blood. Th< warmth of the body depends on the circulation being vigorous, and when we are lying down the heart’s action is much quieter than when we are sitting up or moving, the beats being about ten less a minute. If the beats are ten less each minute they are 600 less In one hour, and In eight hours, an average night’s sleep, they are 4,800 less, or, In round numbers, they are 5,000 less. As the heart sends out six ounces of blood at each beat. It sends out or lifts about 80,000 ounces less during eight hours’ sleep than It lifts during the same time when we are Up. That makes quite a difference in the circulation and therefore In the amount of heat produced In the body. So we must have heavier clothing when we sleep. American History Game. Here Is a game In which all the members of the family may take part It is hardly fair that boys and girls should contend with grown people In games of an ordinary kind, but In this one the chances are that the boys and girls would have the advantage, for the reason that they are studying history, while the grown people stopped that long ago. Any number of persons may play. Having seated themselves around the Bitting room table or with books In the lap on which to write and appointed a timekeeper, who shall act as leader and Judge, they take the letter A and write In five minutes’ time all the names of men prominent In American history that they can remember, beginning with that letter. The leader gives notice when the time Is up, and the player having the largest list of names has the number 5 put to his credit. Every word that a player misspells takes one from his score, but not from his list The letter B Is taken next and so on as far down the alphabet as may be desired. At the end of the game the player having the highest score la declared the winner. Bkillful Hindoo Juggling. The Hindoo jugglers and acrobats are the most skillful in the world, and we are always hearing new stories of them. One of the latest stories is about a performer who went through many wonderful feats perched on top of a single bamboo stick about fifteen feet In height. The top of the stick was tied to a girdle around his waist, and a leg rest was provided by a cushion a few feet down the pole. Perched on this slender stick, he hopped and danced around in the liveliest way, accompanied by the tapping of a drum. It would be considered a skillful feat to walk about with ease on a pair of stilts fifteen feet lh height, but this Hindoo showed a marvelous power of equilibrium on a single stick. He did other things even more wonderful. For example, he balanced a light stick on his nose and a heavy one on his chin and then threw the heavy one into the air with his head and caught it on the end of the light one. While balancing the two sticks thus, end on end, he made one revolve In one d! reetion and the other In another direction. An Unexpected Reward. Some people never perform an act cf kindness without hoping to receive a reward. Often such people are disappointed, much after the fashion of the two boys in the following story: An old lady was counting her money and while doing so dropped a coin. It fell into a wood box full of wood and shavings. She was almost frantic at her loss, being a miserly woman.- Seeing two boys playing near her home, she called to them. “If you find my piece of money I will give you a cent.” The boys began hunting eagerly for the lost coin. At the end of an hour they gave a shout of delight, for tinpiece of money had been discovered. The old Indy grasped her precious coin and, saying that they had earned their reward, went to a shelf, took down a bottle which had contained some per fume and gave each boy a scent of the lingering odor. Conundrums. When is a man hospitable and at the same time a cheat? When he takes you In. Name that from which If the whole be taken some will remain. The word wholesome. What four letters of the alphabet express the feelings of an envious, person? I-N-V-U (I envy you). What is the difference between a. hungry man and a glutton? One longs to eat; the other eats too long. Nonsense Verse*. The boy stood on the burning deck Because he was afraid. He couldn’t swim to save his neck, And that was why he stayed. There tfras a little rabbit Who had a foolish habit Of standing on his head’ to speak a piece Till his teacher said, “Now, Bunny, . Such conduct isn’t funny. And really these performances must cease!" -Philadelphia Ledger.