Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1909 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

A List of Books For Boys. The following Is a course of reading suitable for a boy of high school age. from twelve to seventeen years, prepared by Frederick K. Law of the English department In Stuyvesant high school, New York city, to covei a period of four years: First Year-rl, “The Talisman,” by Scott; 2, “Marmion,” by Scott; 3 “Oregon Trail,” by Parkman; 4, “Bracebridge Hall,” by Irving; 5, “The Jungle,” by Kipling; 6, “The Tent on the Beach,” by Whittier. Second Year—l, “She Stoops to Conquer,” by Goldsmith; 2, “A Comedy of Errors,” by Shakespeare; 3, “Essays,” by Lamb; 4, “The Mill on the Floss,” by Eliot; 5, “Enoch Arden, by Tennyson; 6, “Cranford,” by Mrs. Gaskell. Third Year—l, “Henry 1V.,” by Shakespeare; 2, “David Copperfield,” by Dickens; 3, “King of the Golden River,” by Ruskin; 4, “The White Company,” by Doyle; 5, “The Cloister and the Hearth,” by Reade; 6, “Birds, Bees and Sharp Eyes,” by Burroughs. Fourth Year—l, “King Lear,” by Shakespeare; 2, “Lorna Doone,” by Blackmore; 3, “Westward Ho!” by Kingsley; 4, “Paradise Lost,” by Milton; 5, “Little Rivers,” by Van Dyke; 6, “Kenilworth,” by Scott. When a boy has read the books named and has read them well he will have developed a taste for good literature.—New York World. The Game of Fives. In this game the players take turns to hit a ball with the hand above the line marked on a wall. Sometimes bats are substituted for the band. This is the simple game of fives, but the more complicated kind is played in court. There are two kinds of courts, the Eton court and the Rugby court. In both games the players try to hit the ball above a line about three feet or four feet from the ground or ledge on the front wall In such a way as to prevent their opponents hitting it back again over the line before it has touched the ground for the second time. The game begins by one of the players “serving” the ball by striking it against the wall and making it fall into the side of the court where his adversary Is. Tfie latter returns it, and the game goes on until one of the players misses the ball or else fails to strike it above the line. The miss counts a point for the adversary. The game counts fifteen points, but the rules vary according to the different courts In which they are played.

The Value of a Comma. The trustee of a country school was on his rounds, and at one of his examinations of the pupils tfie question was raised as to the value of a comma. This the trustee treated with something like scorn, claiming that the comma didn’t amount to a row of pins. The teacher, who had at various times Impressed its value on his pupils, thereupon called on one of the bright boys of the school to give an example of what he thought was the comma’s value by writing a sentence on the blackboard. The boy smiled at the teacher and promptly Wrote on the board. “Henry Jones says the trustee is a dunce.” Naturally the trustee got angry and demanded that the teacher punish the boy for his impertinence. But the boy, with a word of apology, told the teacher that his example was not complete. Then he wrote, “Henry Jones, says the trustee, is a dunce.” And the trustee had to acknowledge that the comma, after all, is sometimes a good thing to use.—Chicago News.

Old Sir Simon and Young Sir Simon. All the players join bands and form a circle, dancing round and singing “Old Sir Simon, the knight, and young Sir Simon, the squire.” Then they stop, and, saying “This is bow old Sir Simon goes,” they hobble about like decrepit old men, after which they strut about with their chins in the air, saying, “But this Is Simon goes.” z ' They then join hands and dance round, singing as before, “Old Sir Simon, the knight, and young Sir Simon, the squire.” Next time they may imitate the stroking of beards for the old man and the twirling of mustaches for the young one, but the game can be varied indefinitely If the leader la a good one. Light From Crystals. Many crystals wtien split or crushed give a faint flash of light visible in the dark. Sugar Is one of the substances which do this. The cause of this behavior is not very well understood.—St Nicholas.

My Woodland Friends. As I go singing al! alone Down woodland paths, so green and cool. That wind through flickering sun and shade. By rushing brook or silent pool, The tall trees seem to bend their tops, The pine cones tumble at my feet. The nodding ferns stand quietly, As though they wished my song to greet. „ And tn some dim and shadowy cove The wild lobelia, flaming red, Stands listening on its slender stem Or waves a welcome from Its bed. The squirrel peeps from out the’leaves. The sun comes stealing through to see Who dares to hush the wild bird's song And saunters by so carelessly. to as I wander all alone Through dusky paths that bend and wind I move amid a company Of wildwood friends most dear and kind. —•t. Nicholas.