Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1911 — FOR THE CHILDREN [ARTICLE]

FOR THE CHILDREN

What Was It? Guess wbst he had In his pocket. Marbles and tops and sundry toys, Such as always belong to boys? A bitter apple, a leather ball? Not at all. / What did he have In his pocket? A bubble pipe and a rusty screw. A brassy watch key hroken In two, A fishhook In a tangle of string? * No such a thing. - What did he have In his pocket? Gingerbread crumbs, a whistle he mads. Buttons, a knife with a broken blade, A nail or two with a rubber gun? Neither one. What did he have in his pocket? Before he knew It It slyly crept Under the treasures carefully kept, And away they all of them quickly stole—'Twas a hole! —Child's Hour. A New Kind of Policeman. Did you ever hear of a bear acting the part of a policeman? Yet I knew one, and. although he did not wear a uniform nor helmet nor did he carry a club, he captured a thief. His name was Bruin, and he danced to gather In the pennies for his young Italian master. Late one afternoon the Italian stopped at a farmhouse and begged to stay all night. He ordered Bruin to dance for the farmer’s children, and before retiring he shut the bear In the barn for safe keeping. During the night the family was aroused by a great noise coming from the barn and a load cry of “Help! Help!” The farmer ran to the spot, followed by Bruin’s master. They saw a strange sight Bruin with his huge arms around a man’s neck, hugging him tightly. The bear was muzzled, so he could do the man no great harm, but the man was too frightened to notice tbe..mnzzle. The man was a dishonest neighbor who had entered the bam to steal a fine calf. In the darkness be bad stumbled over the bear, who seized him and held him fast. ~ The Italian called out. “Hug him, Bruin!” The bear continued to hug until hIS master called him away, anc| the neighbor went away a frightened and wiser man.

Serpentine Tag. Every boy and girl plays tag, but few are acquainted with it in its liveliest form—namely, as serpentine tag. For this good variation a large square is drawn on the ground or on the bare floor, and the person who is to be “it” takes up the position within this boundary line, while the rest remain outside. He is armed with a long wand, at the end of which is a tuft of raw cotton dipped in flour. Any one crossing the chalk line or, in fact, venturing within reach of the tufted wand can be tagged, jf the tagger can catch him. A white flour mark on dress or coat is proof positive that a boy or girl has been tagged. As soon as any one Is tagged he must take the free hand of the person tagging and accompany him in his sorties against other invaders. Each person when tagged joins hanc& with the pursuers, and it is when the pursuing line has become really long and unwieldy that the game is funniest and most exciting, though there is laughter all through it. Plants and Animals. V Plants are like animals in many ways. The animal breathes; so does the plant. The animal has veins through which the blood flows, carrying life and vigor to every part The plant, too, has veins through which the plant’s blood flows to every part Through the center of the leaf runs a tough, heavy vein from which are sent oat many branches. These in turn send out smaller branches, and these last still smaller ones until the whole leaf is covered with a network of veins. The moisture is drawn from the earth through the roots and carried by these veins to every part of the leaf. « Look again at the surface of the leaf and you will see little pores. Through these the leaf breathes, taking in the air as we take it into our lungs. But the leaf takes that part of the air which' the animal cannot use, and the animal takes the part the plant cannot use. In this we see the wisdom of God, who made all things. Conundrums. What grows the less tired the more it works? An auto wheel. What fruit is the most visionary? The apple of the eve. Why should a hairdresser be sad? Because be curls up and dyes. What causes a coid, cures a cold and

pays for the doctor? A draft. What did Job’s wardrobe consist oft Three poor comforters. What is worse than raining cats and dogs? Hailing cabs and cars. When is a chicken’s neck like a bell? When it is wrung for dinner. Why are pianos noble characters? Because they are upright, grand and square. If tough meat cmild speak what English poet would it mention? Chaucer. What should a clergyman preach about? About half an hour. Japanese Maxim. Not every one knows that the group of three monkeys so often seen In photographs from Japan represent a favorite maxim of the Japanese. One monkey holds his hand over his ear that he may “hear no evil.” the center one covers his mouth with his hand that he may “speak no evil,” and the third covers both eyes with his hands that he may “see no evil.” This group is found above one of the temples of Nikko and was carved by a famous left handed sculptor. At a Luncheon. Six or eight persons make a good number for an Informal luncheon. In the arrangement of luncheons as well as dinners there Is a decided tendency to simplicity of effect. Not only Is the menu shorter than lu former years, but the dishes nre lighter and not so rich, the equipment of sliver, glass and china not so elaborate and the display of flowers more simple. At a luncheon guests remove wraps in a dressing room on arrival, but bats are kept on. Cloves are removed when taking one’s seat at table. The hostess may lead the way In go- • lng in to luncheon, walking beside a guest, or she may ask her friends to precede her. At an Informal party the hostess tells the guests where to ait Instead of having name cards, i Guests are not expected to remain more than hulf an hour after a luncheon. - & " “ A Man's Devotion. Womanly dignity will always receive respect. Yet bow many wives are there who do not demand respect of their husbands. They ask for admiration, devotion, yet know that a man’s nature will not cling, will not be constant, when he cannot look up to the woman he loves. The mother who permits rudeness from hes sons, the wife who permits it from her husband, the sweetheart who does not resent It In her lover, will all find themselves some day wondering why they are not treated with deference and consideration, and tbft real reason will be that they have permitted In themselves some lack of mnnI ners or of morals which has lowered them In the eyes of the men they love. Using Christian Namss. A vulgar habit is prevalent among young girls, that of too freely using the Christian names of their young male acquaintances. Girls when grown up do not use the Christian names or nicknames of young men unless they here some special reason for so doing. , An Intimacy of years may be an ex- ’ cuse for retaining the use of the Christian name, for when Angelina In a plg- ' tall has played hide and seek or blind J man’s buff with Edwin In knickerbocki ers It Is difficult te become suddenly ceremonious. But acquaintances of a few months' standing—unless a love affair has changed the position of the parties toward each other—ls no excuse for excessive familiarity. Telephone Etiquette. Correct though it is to employ a telephone for social purposes, there have been established certain rules In regard to It, and to offend against them Is to show ignorance of etiquette. It Is not good form to reply to a written invitation with a telephone message, both because the manner of invitations should always be duplicated and also that it Is by no means certain that a hostess will receive a verba! message if it is sent through a maid.