THE SUNDAY OBEGONIAN, PORTLAND, MARCH 11, 1900.
21
TIic Children's Page.
"When you tiro of stern "war and of troubles.
When ou'.e conned all the skill and lore;
Bead of fortunes escaping like bubbles.
And of those that earth holds in store
Turn from, theae, and from ort and excur
sion That Incite the unlearned and cage.
To the innocent pleasing diversion.
That is found on th Children's Page.
Let the north wind call shrill from the moun
ta'ns
While tee rit where the firelight glows;
And the musical drip like a fountain.
From the roof and the- bare branch flows:
And in muslns, this thought heart and brain
cleaves,
"All through youth and in soMr age,
In our life book, the fairest of all leaves
Is the one called 'The Children's Page.' "
Lou Spencer Ellis in S. F. Chronicle.
ALL OF A SABBATH MORN
Wise Saramie and Trnstfnl Georgle
3Iake a. Curious Mistake, on,
"Way to Sunday School.
"You can't miss the place; it's right
around the corner from Trinity Church,"
their father said,, as he started them off
for Sunday school, one Spring morning.
Mr. "White remained at the gate and
watched with pride until Sammle, in his
brand-new brown suit, and Georgle, In his
brand-new blue suit, with pearl buttons,
had disappeared from view.
Georgle disliked those pearl buttons Just
as he disliked the lisp in his speech, which,
try as he would, ho could not overcome.
He was small for his age, instead of be
ing large, like Sammie, who, though only
nine, wore a suit made for a boy of eleven,
because it fitted him perfectly. Nor was it
altogether on account of the babyish but
tons that, this morning, Georgle felt more
Insignificant by contrast with Sammie than
he usually did. A happening of the day
before had something to do with the feel
ing. Sammie had been sent to help him buy a
sponge for washing his elate, and had In
sisted upon doing it all himself, not even
letting Georgle carry the money, or take
a ioolcat the sponge before it was bought.
Georgle had been dissatisfied with the
size.
"It's littler 'en yours, an' you know it,"
he had said, beginning to cry.
"No; it ain't; it's the best we can get
for ten cents. You saw mine wet. "When
this gets water In it, it'll swell up, too."
Shamed Into Silence.
But Georgle had continued crying, un
til his brother's gruff "Be still! Don't you
see everybody's making fun of you?"
caused him to notice that passers-by were
Indeed smiling in amusement at the little
scene, which was easily understood not
any more because of Georgie's crying,
however, than because of the way Sammie
pointed to the sponge as he talked.
Sure enough, when Georgle had put the
sponge in water, it had grown large, just
as Sammie had said It would, and how
foolish the 6-year-old boy had felt, espe
cially as Sammie teased him about hia
Ignorance until bedtime, and would have
commenced again at the breakfast table,
had he been permitted to do so. However,
Georcle. being naturally the brighter boy
of the two, Sammie didn't often have such
a chance to tease him.
"Here's the place," the older brother
said, without hesitation, as they came to a
certain small building, in front of which
boys and girls were playing.
2Cow. little as Georgle knew about Sun
dayschool, something told him that games
of tops and marbles would not be carried
on at the very door, and even in the hall,
o. few minutes before commencing' time.
"I don't believe it ith," he replied.
Sammie condescended to glance at the
surroundings, and answered: "Of course,
It is; see the church!"
Yes, Trinity Church stood on the nearest
corner, as their father had said; still
Georgio thought there was a mistake, and
remarked: "There ith Ikle Klopothkle;
he dotbn't go to the Pithcopal Thunday
thkool."
"What's the reason he don't?" replied
Sammie. "Go on in! They're beginning
to guy you," he added, as he pushed
Georgle before him.
No boys were in the room, and several
of the girls were chewing gum. Presently,
though, the boys outside were sent for.
School commenced in a very business-like
way. "When the door was locked, to pre
vent any one running out, even Sammie
looked serious, though without suspecting
the fact of the case, which was that they
had gone into the Synagogue, instead of
the Episcopal Sunday school.
Quite Different.
Since Jewish religious exercises are held
Saturdays. Instead of Sundays, there was
no singing, of songs, or giving out of pa
pers or pretty cards. On the contrary. It
seemed quite like a regular school. There
was the same arrangement of seats, ex
cept that each was large enough for three
pupils, and desks were lacking. The boys
and girls were separated, the former gath
ering In one part of the room, the latter
in the other part. Each boy seemed to
I have his own particular place, and after
he had taken it, tho only seats left for
Sammie and Georgle to occupy were two
in the front row, where they were direct
ly under the eye of the man who taught
the lesson. The man looked at them curi
ously, but It probably never occurred to
him that they had come, thinking this
was the Episcopal Sunday school; else he
would have directed them to Trinity Chap
el, which was then, as It is now, very
near the Synagogue. You understand, of
course, that this happened in Portland,
and know that the Chapel and Synagogue
have their backs nearly adjoining, the
Chapel facing, on Fifth street, the .Syna
gogue on Sixth.
"Well, the lesson commenced, and tedi
ous enough was the first hour's work,
embracing, as It did, the study of He
brew. Besides the teacher, there was a
stories. How those children must have
studied, In order to learn them as well as
they had. Georgle, who possessed a nat
ural taste for stories, became so Interested
that he forgot his fear of the man with
the long rod. Probably this Interest
showed In his face, for when some one
broke down while telling about Jacob and
Esau, the teacher said: "Perhaps this lit
tle boy can. go on," meaning Georgle, who,
never having even heard, the story before,
could only answer: "No, thlr; I can't."
After the stories came a little more
Hebrew and then dismissal. Sammie hat
ed to be guyed, but be had to endure
plenty of it, for, when they were outside,
tho Jewish boys fairly shouted in derision
of him. and. Georgle; nor did it make him
feel better to hear his father laugh heart
ily, upon learning where they had been.
Of course, Georgle wasn't held In the least
you?" Sammie asked, while they were
going home.
"I couldnth." lisped Georgie.
PRAIRIE-DOG ANTICS.
Among; the City Park Captives, and
on the Plains.
Children- who, when the weather Is
pleasant, go to the City Park thus early
in the season, find a special pleasure in
watching the prairie-dogs, which seem,
qulto at home there, after a residence of
six months, the parent dogs having been
brought from Nebraska last September.
"How cunning! or "Oh, bow cute!"
people say, as they watch the little creat
ures tumble about, or sit up stralgbter,
iwiro trmopfitllv nnr) lnTTErAr nt n tlmp thfin
responsible, for Sammie had taken him the most carefully trained fox terrier or
by the collar and slowly choking, by the i charming-looking- little creatures sing. It
token of his outpopplng eyes. He was
promptly lifted to the wall and se down
on the path again, with sundry remorse
ful pettings and caresslngs.
"Oh, forgive mo, Andre!" exclaimed his
mistress. "Honest. I stumbled."
But Andre shook himself sullenly and
walked along by her side in an unforgiv
ing and suspicious mood.
is not only the Japanese who have had
their attention drawn to this matter, for
Italy has taken up the novelty, and, al
though caged insects are by no means so
common in Italy as In the land of tho
Chrysanthemum, It Is Interesting to know
that tho strange custom Is not entirely
confined to tho East.
The regular trade in "musical Insects be
gan in the last century, when- a "food stal
er" captured a few of the suzumushl, or
bell Insects to try the experimtnt of
feeding them at home. They throve ?nd
made muskv and his neighbors bought
! enmo from htm Tho (tmnnd rrrp.w PO
Baltimore Sun. that wild, animals bom engit that hc soon devoted aU ot hts -j-ne
In captivity do not attain tho savageness 1 10 catching and .selling lnsos.
of those bred in their native jungle, and One of his customers, says tho Bror k
that the teeth of such animals do not be- ' lyn Eagle, discovered by accident the sc-
LIONS BRED IS CAPTIVITY.
us
They Develop Ferocity and Are
Healthy as "Wild Ones.
There was a current tradition, says the
chlrorin. chiq;chirorIn." P,oems'"'Vn this
now. ,v h. .ir f nr- n rVr'.n.n1 vears. olcv-
Insect go back-for a.tcQusana years, pick
ing upon a secmd translation of i3 n.ene,
"the waiting; Insect."
The suzumushl, or bell Insect, is a great
favorite, and at night the noise made by
many of them resembles the sound of
rapids.
The kusa-hlbarl. or grass lark. Is very
small. andr sings by day. The kin-hlbarl.
or golden lark. Is now very scarce, and
the kuro-hibarl. or black lark. Is by no
means common. The emrnakorogl cricket
of Emma (Kins of the Dead) is blackish
brown, and the kutsuwamushl. or bridle
bit insect, owes its name to the noise it
makes, which resembles the jingling and
ringing or the old-f3h!oned Japanese bridle-bit.
The cages for holding the singing in-
out, just as he had taken him. to buy the
slate sponge.
"Now don't say anything about where
we were before," admonished Sammie, a
week later, when the brothers were again
on their way to Trinity Chapel, this time
knowing definitely Its location.
Georgle Intended to obey, if for no other
reason that that, unless he did, Sammie
was likely to treat him as though he were
too young to play with; but during the
lesson, ancient Jewish customs were
spoken of.
Gcoreie Betrays Himself.
"Little Hebrew boys don't keep their.
STOPPED THE BIRDIE, ALL RIGHT.
Photographer Now, Willie, keep etlll and ece the little birdie come outt
Bang! Crasht ' . f
itr 1 1 .in m.i , i , ii . aum . . , i.
' " i 93 j j i . i j fr j ,
spaniel. While sitting up, they nibble
daintily at a blade of grass or kernel of
wheat. Occasionally they come together
after the manner of dancing bears, only
instead of moving around, they cuff each
other with tiny paws, standing straight
as knitting' needles the while. Their
sparkling black eyes remain fixed
upon the bystanders. In a way that leads
the latter to suspect that they aro full
of vanity and are so disporting themselves
merely to 'show off." This is probably
not the case, however.
Prairie-Dog: Villages.
A prairie-dog "town," or 'Village," cov-
esr several acres of ground, and consists
L of earth mounds marking the entrance to
the holes of the Industrious burrowers.
Tho dogs themselves may be seen In
scores,, and even In hundreds, for they
perch saucily up on top of the mounds;
from which point they view the surround
ing country. Railway travelers often, see
the villages from car windows.
Any person going afoot or riding a
horse through a prairie-dog region: is, at
first, impressed by the apparent lack of
fear the inhabitants show. This bravery
Is explained by the fact that they are at
tho very edge of their burrows, down
which they drop, with, a funny kicking
together of little heels, the moment the
horseman or man afoot makes too near
an approach. Horsc3 may we51 dTcad a
trip through, such a settlement, for the
accidental setting of a hoof Into one ot
the holes that honeycomb the ground Is
quite likely to result In a broken leg.
Tho existence of these villages In arid
regions has caused a belief that prairie
dogs possess the peculiarity of being
ablo to do without water, but most peo
ple think that they haye a system of well
digging, and that they conceal the en
trances to their wells.' The City Park
captives partake of the water given them
quite as freely as they do of the food.
To Bo-Thankful For.
The captives have one thing for which
jto be thankful. When they have bur
rowed deep Into tho ground and patiently
carried down straws, one by one. In order
to make their habitations more comfort
able by covering Its earth floor with them,
no rattlesnake will glide down to destroy
the happiness of the family by devouring
tho young, nor will any marauding owl
take forcible possession. Prairie-dogs, In
their native viKages, have to endure be
ing molested by rattlesnakes and owls.
Some think that prairie-dogs, rattlesnakes
and owls live together, because they are
fond of one another's company. It is safe
to say such Is not tho case, since young
prairie-dogs have been found In the stom
achs of rattlesnakes, and owls prefer de
serted holes, when they can find them.
WHY WILLIE WAS SO STUDIOUS.
Teacher Yes, you can ee- that your Willie Ib
tho most studious boy in school. He Is really a
wonder. '
But if she had known what Willie was ntudy
lng so hard she would not have been pleased.
&:
w
velop as they do In the wild state. Mr. I cret of breeding them. He had kept hla
Alexander Day, assistant superintendent ' Pets in a jar half filled with moist cloy,
at the Zoo. whose experience with wild but the' dIed in th cold season- The
animals has been almost life long, says following Summer he was surprised to
that he has not found these assertions to I find thc 3ar newl' Peopled with a number
be true. ! of young ones, evidently born from eggs
However Innocent and apparently tame ' left 1 the cla b tne flrst Prisoners. Then
the ctfbs may appear, he says there Is a ' came the Invention of Insect cages, and
time when they attain savageness. ap- the breeding and sale of Insects were made
parently from Instinct, and show all the a special trade. A guild of insect-sellera
characteristics of the animals whose home sprang Into existence before very long,
has always been the forest, or the' grown ; There are 12 varieties of musical Insects
lions which were born and reared In cap- sold In Tokyo, nine of which can be artl-
tlvlty and may be eeen any day cracking
bones of meat with which they are fed,
with even evidence of possessing tho most
sound teeth possible.
The only way In which wild animals In
captivity usually suffer with their teeth Is
ficlally bred. Males and females are usu
ally secured at the same time, lor they
travel In couples. Only the male sings,
j The breeding palr3 are kept .n jars or
' other earthen vessels, half filed with
moistened clay, and are supplied with food
'TIS TRUE;' 'TIS P1TYI
TVillle Well, I thought I saw the birdie co min out!
New York "World.
man who carried a long, slender rod. and,
with the end of this, ho rapped sharply
upon the bead any boy who was Inattent
ive or disorderly. Sammie and Georgle
expected every minute to get rapped for
twisting about. In order to wntch his
movements.
The Jewish boya and girls were fairly
brimming over with mischief, and fear of
the long rod did not keep them from
throwing an occasional spit-ball, flrst at
Georgle, then at Sammie. Once tho teach
er and monitor went out of the room, and
then a volley of paper wads was fired at
the visitors. Sammie stood up and threw
back. But he was only one against at
least ten.
Old Testament Stories.
After Hebrew came Old Testament
heads uncovered In the synagogue as you
do here," said Miss Ford, the teacher.
"Yeth; they wear their caps," Georgle
remarked.
Miss Ford looked pleased. "Perhaps
you can tell us something more about
them," she said. "Have you been in a
snyagogue?"
"Yeth'b; me and Sammie I mean Sam
mie and me."
"Sammie and I would be better," inter
rupted. Miss Ford.
"Sammie and I went there last week.
"We thought It wath here."
So the "cat was let out of the bag," as
Is the saying. Then Georgle told all he
could remember, and proved that he had
been very abservant.
"Why didn't you keep still, as I told
ON TO PRETORIA A MILITARY PUZZLE.
A SOX OF FRANCE.
(The incident of which this poem treats is re
lated in Gulzot's History of France. Trince
Philip was but 14 leara old.)
"When John, tho Good, was Kin? ot France.
Bolfl men, Edwards' men.
Crossed, tho sea, with sword and lance;
Crossed the a, with might and main.
To scge the 'Province of Aqualtalne;
Marched them up. marched them down;
Ravaged country, pillaged town.
Rallied 'round the King o France,
Brave men, loyal men;
Counto. barons, well-loved eons.'
Charles. Louis. Philip, John, -
Two leagues north of Poleteurs Town.
On the field of Maupertuls.
Fiercely waged the flght, that day.
Evil day for the King of France!
Base men, craen men.
With Charles, John and Louis-, fled,
LeXt the good king oore be-stead.
But 'round him Philip's arms clung tight
To shield his etre in that dread flght
"Father, 'ware left! Father, 'ware right!"
Facing death with the King ot Trance,
True knights, chosen knights.
"Knights of the Star." drove sword and lance;
And still, aboe the awful din
Of clashing arms and shouting men.
The sweet oice rang, In love's affright:
"Father, 'ware left! Father, 'ware right!"
O'er John, tho Good. King of France,
And dear son, -valiant son.
The English raised their weapons high:
"Yield you! Yield jou! Else you dl!"
Four years at Edwardrf court did dwell
Sire and son. faring well;
Then ransomed free, rscrossed the sea.
Joy-bells rantf for the King of France,
And fair princo, noble prince.
Loved from Paris to Aquatalna.
"For what ho did at Maupertuls.
Tho' oore be-stead," the good king said:
"Burgundy's duke ehall Philip be.
Honored lord of a great domain.
"Charles, Lou la and John, of France..
False sons! cruel sons!
Here's for you, tho eldest born.
Cowards' guerdon, meed cf scorn! -Philip
well hla spurs hath won; -.-j
Faithful ooldler, faithful son, - -On
the field of Maupertuls."
Mary a BelL
." '"N - -2S,'"
sects are quaint little contrivances, some
not being so large as a penny reel of cot
ton, while others are quite spacious, quite
capable of holding two or three small
birds. As might be expected, they are
sold at all prices, and not a few very
elaborate specimen cages are to be seen In
the houses; of the upper ten of Japan.
" . iliWVi
.ji-V,,,I Of
THE ALPHABET BALL.
Harold went to the alphabet ball.
"Where he caw the queerest sight.
For every letter from A to Z
Was dancing with all its might.
Broad H went balancing up to I,
And P seized Q by her curl:
"When, locked In each other's arms, they fie
Around the room in a whirl.
A. B and. C mc- ed no easily .
That Harold Joined in the fun.
"When E came tripping up after D,
As soft and sweet as a nun.
F in a. frolic is alwaj s flrst.
Although also flret In a fight.
And G, who comes in the morning las
Comes early enough In night.
X was so cress ha refused to dance.
And Y hopped on one great toe;
J jumped a Jig, -while clumsy old K
Pushed In where'er he could go.
L wa3 a gentl-sman bo polite
That he neer failed to please.
So beautiful partners ecryvshere
He found with the greatet ease.
R was treading an old-fashioned reel
With a slow and steady pace;.
In a cotillion, stood graceful ?. ,
And Q with hts big round face.
T was precise and prim, as a pole.
In a, stately minuet.
Whllo S and M went winding about
With every letter they met.
Z went staggering over the floor
With a step more bold than neat.
And ha could dance as well on his head.
As he could upon his feet.
But then the funniest thing of all
"Was to sep old Double U. r
Who gQt so mLxftd up with U and Y
He scarcely knew what to do.
And Harold woke with the morning bright
When, he heard his mamma, call. t
And told her all hla wonderful dream
About the alphabet ball.
And now with alphabet blocks he builds
A house that 1 tall and tight;
But he longs to see Y and Z
Dance again some other night.
Lue Vernon.
MEXTAI, EXERCISES FOR "WOIXD-BE STRATEGISTS.
This imaginary map ot the Sonth African battleground is Intended, by the Philadelphia Inquirer, from which it !o reproduced, to show
the Boers driven to their last stand-Pretoria-wlth the British forces awaiting final orders to clcre in and capture the place. The puxxle'ls
to work out the Shortest routes by which the seven British Generals, Trhcse names are mentioned and Investment stations axe Indicated
ott tbs map, may lead their respective force Into the Dutch capital.
BEGGED ANDRE'S PARDOS.
Bat Master Bnlldoc: Declined to Con
sider Her'A-poIogies.
There is pretty little miss of 12 In the
West End, says the New York Mall "and
Express, who Is sometimes seen on Riv
erside Drive, giving a- small French bull
dog an airing. Tho o"hIy polrit of resem
blance between herself and her charge Is
that both are young and fond of a sprint.
She has deep blue eyes" and golden brown
locks that fall over her shoulders, while
he Is palpably cross-eyed and short-haired.
He Is also crook-legged.
They were out thc other afternoon and
had a glorious sprint together. For many
blocks a stone wall runs along the path,
and sometimes It Is a good distance to
the foot of the wall, on the river side.
The bulldog was lifted upon this wall by
his little -mistress, and straightway dart
ed off at a surprising pace, considering
the contour of his legs. The girl had him
by a strap, and she kept well abreast of
him. running like a deer.
It was a pretty sight. Both parties to
the race enjoyed it. to judge from the
wagging tall and delighted countenance
of the dog and the glowing cheeks and
artless heels of his mistress. For blocks
it looked like a dead heat. Then the lit
tle girl began to pull ahead. Suddenly
she stum-bled and, to save herself, thrust
out the hand that held her pet.
The race ended suddenly with the tab
leau of a slim young girl with disheveled
hair leaning breathlessly over a steep
wall and holding by a strap a small,
crook-legged, very much alarmed bulldog
that was spinning helplessly in midair
Baby Elephant to Its Mamma So It Is true, mamma, that the elephants are afraid of mice?
Then I suppose they clamber upon the chalra when they see a. mouse! Mergendorfer Blaet-ter.
that when they are fed they may grab
at the meat which is pushed through the
bars with a big iron fork and break a
tooth on the fork, or they may. In jumping
against the bars. Injure a tooth and suffer
afterwards from Its loss. The little lions,
when baby cubs, are shy at first; then be
pnmft as olavful as kittens. For the first
year of their life, usually, they may be j
of about 12 weeks the cubs are taken from
their mother, but In the meantime she
has taught them to eat meat. At flrst the
cubs suck a bone or a scrap of raw meat
which tho mother tears off for them. Often
they may be seen gnawing upon a bone
which the mother Hon holds In her jaws
and paws.
"When first taken from their mother,
the cubs are given finely chopped meat,
the pieces being gradually made larger
until they are jiveh bones, upon which
they s-harpen and develop their teeth. In
time the lions can crash the "bones with
ease. From 12 to 14 months of age the;
young lions are, lt. is said, so cross as to'
be almost unmangcable. At the age of
IS months or 2 years the cubs are taken
In hand by the trainer and then, having
reached their growth, they are ready to be
perfected In their tricks and to be ex
hibited. It Is 6ald by those familiar with Hon
taming and training that lions which have
been brought, up as pets are the hardest
to train for performances. They do not
seem to take the training seriously, and
arc not so easily mastered as those which
have grown to maturity without petting.
TRAINED SIXGIXG INSECTS.
Confined in Cages and Bred and Sold
in Japan and Italy.
Japan Is a beautiful country, with some
very curious customs, and among the
most quaint Is probably that of caging
Insects and training them to sing, just
as birds are, shall we say. taken advan
tage of In this country.
If you wandered through Japan you
would doubtless be surprised to see mi
nute cages In some quarters, containing
various sorts of insects, and still mora,
surprised to hear thc not altogether
every day. They do not live long. The
male dies first, and the female surlve3
only until her eggs have been laid. The
young Insects shed their skins in about
40 days from birth, and are fed on parings
of egg plant, melon rind, cucumber rind
or the soft Inrerior"parts of the white on
ion. The matsumpshi, or pine insest. haunts
pine woods' and makes Us music at night.
It Is very small, with a dark brown back
and yellowish body. Its little silvery tril
lings, resembling the sound of an --lectrlc
bell heard from a distance, are set down
by tho Japanese in the syllables, "chln-
A Native Daughter's Cnismn-Xo. 3.
My first is In meat, but not in bread.
My second Is In coal, but not In lead.
My third Is In klne. but not in cow.
My fourth Is in light, but not in row.
My fifth Is in man. but not in lad.
My sixth Is in quarrel, but not in mad.
My seventh Is in square, but not In
round.
My eighth Is in monkey, but not. in
hound. r;
My wholo is a man. with the people's
consent, will be elected again as our Pres
ident. MISS LAVENE MADDEN.
Sellwood, Or., Feb. 27. 1900.
Nevr Shoulder Scarf.
Tho new shoulder scarf, which Is mado
of the same material as the gown, and
edged around with a frill of lace or of the
goodc. Is exceedingly graceful and gives
a Persian touch to a toilet. It is worn
low over the shoulder and fastened at the
waist with a fancy buckle.
Peace Measures.
"What Is arbitration, pa?" .
"Well. It is a good thing for you. Tom
my. When your mother wants to whip
you I coax her off. and when I want to
whip you she coaxes me off." Indian
apolis Journal.
MARY AND HEPv LITTLE PIG.
r- i. ..ii - 1
Mary had a little pig.
Most bad and umpty bold;
Tou never saw a tail so swee!
That piggy couW unfold.
Oh. yea; that pig was full of tricks.
And winked its other eye!
One windy day it sprouted wings,
And sailed Into the sky.
-Arthur Layard in London Ladies" Field,
V