vTHE 1 &HEM A V-A:rlAlVt E tflCAN
7
, BOOKS ARE .TRUE FRIENDS n.
"We go tbr our shelves" Pascal says,
"to take. down an author, and lo, tpv our
joy we find a.man." This .is thet ever
lasting surnrise. and joy of ithe book.,. -Ve
are slow to believe that books are human.
But books 'are human; r'some of them 'as
human as ahy 'men we ' know "books,"
as' Emerson says, Svhich take rank in
our lives with parents and lovers, and
passionate experiences. ' .
A boy may forget his eaily teachers.
No boy forgets his. first books; no boy,
at least of my generation, has forgotten
his "Arabian Nights," his, ''Robinson
i ,ii "'. . ' r- ' .1:1'.' 1 "
Crusoe," his "Pilgrim's Progress," and
Plutarch. I wish I knew their modern
equivalents, or in' fapt, whether or not
there are any. William Jewett Tucker.
THE FAITHFUL ' STARS
. Robert'Burdette writingJ in Los An
geles Times speaks of curious prophecies
that never came to pars and says: I
have often listened to my father tell of
the gfe;.t meteoric shower of 1833. He
told '' me how' they watched the stars
streaming Sown ward from thVskies" un
til it 'seemed 'there "woulclnt be one 'stir
hit 'in the'h'ea've'ns'.'" 'Ancf tne next! Wig fit
heVatche'd'witb' awe" and ' curiosity1 to
see 'what a starle'ss' syon'a'clear1 ' night
would' look like! 'And one" by lon.enthe
stars came outevery xbhe that he knew
by sight or ria me one by . one" the" old
constellations marched out onthe . azure
field and .took their majestic wayf across
the skies in the old order. - Not one miss
ing. Not a' vacant file in the symmetri
cally irregular ranks.- The same con
stellations a wuchrJpb, had, gazed ,and
David had wondered.. , Every .star in f its
place, .... ' "H ' " " ' "--' ''
OUT CfF' THEIR1 ELEMENT
The English idea of humor is excel
lently 'i'liustratect'lii a 'delightful cartoon
in a recent tiihchV wh'ich1' bear's ''' benyath
'VTXIJ -Mil; JOiL' ii..;i'.! ,1 J
it the legend: Extract from Aldershot
.Command, .Orders: x "The , Gymnasium
swimming bath is for the use.of, soldiers
in uniform only." 'The picture shosvs
soldiers in gorgeous array, With tutted hel
mets and big bearskin hats, and with
dangling swords,, diving, plunging and
variously .cavorting in the waters of ,.the
;pooL . , An attendant, has: thei most splen
didly uniformed Officer of thdm jall :in a
noose on theendof a pblewhile his help
less' handstand boots lash the water1' in
vain. ! Am occasional Highlander in kilts
and bare knees looks !rather "more in his
element than thef;rest.n' . ''- ' 1 '
GAME FOR CHILDREN" "
This is ah interesting game for children
Of 9 or 10 who know something of geo
graphy and are familiar with the names
of places. One is chosen postmaster.
Each child takes the name of any town
she'prefers. If there are too majiy for
th? postmaster to remember he writes
fdown the'names and hoT(is the list in his
hand.1 y He 'then "calls out "fam going to
send a leter, frp Richmond o Boston,"
for instance. The children bearing the
frames' of Ihe to wfrs mentioned' exchange
"seats? ': 1 If they7 fail to do 'so the' ' ohe who
does not respond pays a forfeit.' Occasion ally
he exclaims "General post!'' Then
every brie must exchange places." If any
one does not' secure a seat she must pay
a forfeit and'these' are ' redeemed when
the gamef'is'fover.:'.' Excitement' is added
if ldh'g postal routes, including'1 many
cities, are nanVed. Ex1.'' ' " " " "r ' " ,: