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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1925-12-31, Page 3TRE BIRD'S CHRISTMAS TREE It was the week before .Christmas teacher coulddo it if sho felt sym- and real Christmas: weather. Young. people; in .the country like snow • and ice. They don't complain if Jack Frost does nip their noses and their fingers, for he brings coasting and skating, and he makes wonderful pic- tures of mountains and castles on the windowpanes. The Wells children were at the front window watching for the station wagon, "Qh, why doesn't It come! cried'. Susie, one of the ten -year-old twins "Perhaps Auntie . Martha, can't come," said Mary, the other twin, who was always the desponding one. "Of course she'll come," cried George, a sturdy boy of twelve, "She always comes for Christmas. There she is!" The five children rushed to the door. "Do let your auntie get in out of the cold," exclaimed Mrs. Wells, as she held. out a welcoming hand to.a srnil- • lug. young woman who stood in the doorway surrounded by children. "Oh, I'll get in all right. I'm so glad .to be here. I've been looking for- wardto this all through my fall term," said the newcomer. "We've got all sorts of surprises for you," said Emma, a bright little girl of eight. "Don't try to tell your auntie every- pathy for suffering animals: "Tlten.I began toteech'them..to love the flowers too much to tear them up' by the roots, and to love trees. I' thought about this very tree you want to, have cut down. I have watched that tree in any vacations and seen it grow from a little baby tree to what it is now,• and I loved it. I tailed • It the 'birds' tree'." "Wo didn't know you cared about that tree, or we would not have asked to have it cut down," said George thoughtfully. "I love alt the trees, George. 'Just before I came here 1 had my class learn that beautiful poem of Joyce Kilmer abouta tree. Surely you know that." "I'm afraid they don't," said Mrs. Wells. "I ought to have read it tq them." "Shall 1 repeat it?" asked Mar-tha. "Please do," they all said, and she began: "'I think that k shall' never see A poem lovely as a tree; 'r'A tree whose hungry mouth is pleat ;Against the earth's sweet flowing. breast; "'A tree that looks at God all day And lifts her leafy arms to pray; "'A tree that may in summer- wear thing before she gets her hat off," A nest of robins in her hair; said Mrs. Wells, "Let her go up to "`Upon whose bosom snow has lain: her room and rest before your father Who intimately lives with rain. gets home." "'Poems aro made by fools like me, Martha Wells, with the twins still But only God can make a tree'." clinging to her, went up to a sunny For a moment no one spoke, then room which her brother had furnished Mary said, "What does a 'nest of for her when her home was broken up robins in her hair' mean? A tree after her mother's death, There was hasn't any hair." a cheerful fire in an open fireplace, "When I was here on my spring va- and Martha sank into her favorite cation a robin was building a`nest in chair with a sigh .of content. "Now that very tree you want to cut down. we are going to have a happy week Do you remember you wrote me, Mary, together," she said. that there were five little birdies in "Every one of us has got a Christ- the nest and that they all came off the mas gift for you," said Susie, "even nest safely, and that Mr. Tommy -Cat Billy -Boy." did not try, to catch one of them?" "And Rex, and Mr. Tommy -Cat," "Of course he didn't," said little added Mary. Emma, fondly stroking the head of "We're going to have the biggest the pretty cat curled up in her lap. tree we ever had," shouted George, Tommy never catches birds or chick - putting his head in the door.. ens.. We talked to him when he was "Just come to the window and, we little and told him h6 mustn't." will show it to you," cried Susie, drag- "It seems strange to me," said Mrs. ng her auntie to the window. Wells, "that so few persons under - "Father is going to cut it down for stand cats. They, think theycan us the day before Christmas." teach a dog anything, but do not know "Cut that beautiful young evergreen that with a little patience and with tree down just for Christmas holi- out harsh treatment, a cat can be day?" exclaimed Martha; "why it taught to mind. Plenty of cats live Would be cruel." in the room with birds and when the Cruel? What do you mean?" cried birds are out of the cage never think the children. - of touching them. They have been "Let us not talk about it now," said taught better." Martha soberly. "Run away and let Sometimes mg ,cat 'and my dog me rest a little while, then I will come mind me better than my children," down and talk to you." . said:Mr. Wells, with a smile. "I don't think Rex ever disobeys me." II, It was after supper and the chil- dren, excepting Billy -Boy, were sitting around their beloved auntie in the parlor. Mr. and Mrs. Wells were with them, also Rex and Tommy -Cat. George suddenly spoke up,—"Father, I winds are blowing and the snow fall - auntie says it would be 'cruel to cut + ing. I am sure you would not wish to down our Christmas tree." take away the birds' comfortable "I rather felt that way myself;"house?" said Mr. Wells, slowly. "I was wait -t "Oh, no, auntie," the children all ing to hear what your auntie would cried in chorus. say about it. Speak up, sister!"I "But our presents—it'll sort of spoil "I shall begin by telling you some- our fun, won't it?" said George, thing about my work," said Martha. I "Not a bit of it," answered his aun- "When I first began to teach school,; tie. "I have thought out a fine way fiveyears. ago, I soon realized that the to give the Christmas presents." children had not been taught to think. l "Tell us !" cried the children, so I saw, that a good deal of the trouble eagerly that they jumped up from and the suffering in the world was their seats and set Rex to barking. because older people as well as chil- "Let us go back to the tree again," dren did not stop to think whether Martha. "Suppose we make our first what they wanted for their own coni- Christmas present to the birds." fort or pleasure was going to hurt "How can we do that?" asked anybody else. When I say anybody George. else, I mean any creature that lives "We can begin right away to get and can suffer. I have always felt the presents for the birds. We will. that we have no right to cause suffer- buy two pounds of beef suet and cut it into squares, or any shape you Iike, then make little wire baskets that we can fasten on the branches and the trunk of the tree. That will be a great male, and flowers and trees, and it was attraction to the wood -peckers and surprising what a difference it made chickadees. The blue jays will be in that neighborhood in a short time. greedy and get more than their share, The boys stopped robbing birds' nests but we can't help that—we don't want and firing air guns at living targets. them to starve. If the squirrels, or They unchained their dogs, but did tha sparrows, are very hungry, they may take some of it, but we will pro- vide other food for them, Then we will bake two dozen large potatoes long Rex, who was lying on the floor by Mr. Wells' chair, hearing his name called, lifted his head and thumped his tail on the floor. "To get back to the tree," said Martha, "That is Nat the tree for - birds to take shelter in when the cold ABANDON. 8.51 SALVAGE' FOR. WINTER Due to the fact that the lives of the divers, were imperiled through the freezing of the air lines, the work Of raising the sunken U.S. submarine from 129 fathoms off Block Island has s' been postponed to the spring. Photo shows the final descent into the icy watersbeing made. grain, and fasten them to the branches all over the tree with finewire or cord for handles. Next, get your father to give you some of his cracked corn to spread under the tree for blue jays, squirrels, and perhaps pheasants, if there are any about here. That will make a Birds' Christmas Tree that will keep a good many of our dear little friends happy for days,— in fact, Iain sure you will keep It supplied all winter, when once you see what a joy it is." "Auntie, that is splendid! We shall love to do it," said Susie. "Indeed we will," ' echoed Mary. "It's surely a fine idea," said Mr. Wells, and his wife added,—"indeed it is." III. Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Snow covered the ground and the children shouted with delight when Iooking'out the window, they saw the Birds' Christmas Tree alive with birds. Susie, who had been making a study of birds, announced prondiy that she had seen the winter chippie, jun- cos, blue jays, chickadees; woodpeck- ers, a lame blackbird, cedar birds, and . English sparrows, at different times, since she first began looking out her window as she was dressing. The crows were calling to each other back of the barn, where cracked corn had been placed, and she was al- most sure that she saw a pheasant. "I can vouch for that," said Mr. Wells. "I saw three pheasants come out of the woods and enjoy our Christ- mas treat when I went to the barn just as the sun was rising, and the squirrels were scampering around as busy and happy as they could be." "Our teacher told us to drive away the English sparrows," said George. "I am sorry she should say that, for two reasons," said Auntie Martha, "one is, that the greatest lesson in the world to teach children is to be kind to every living creature. If we once begin to teach children to do anything to hurt or frighten any kind of bird or animal, we can't tell where it will end. We are teaching unkind- ness and hardening their hearts so that that first thing we know they will be cruel to each other,.. or to unfortunate dogs or eats that have no one to care for them, and they will get air guns and shoot at any kind.of bird." • "It is strange that so few persona know how useful English sparrows are," said Mr. Wells. "I have watched them feed their little ones and seen them fly to their nests again and. again with their little beaks full of ing to others for our own selfish com- fort. "I began to have my pupils commit M memory poems about birds and ani - not let them chase after their bicycles, -or cats. They did not desert their poor cats and kittens and let them starve. The grocer's boy no longer enough to make tho skin hard so that whipped the poor horse he was driv- we earl cut them in halves. Each po- ing. All this I did without interfa'•ing tato will make two baskets. Pill them at all with my other k-ssons, .and any with a mixture of bread crumbs and MUTT AND JEFF -By Bud Fisher. 23 Z2 t'i'• 1 . • • '3 19e •42 035 7.' .36 .1 29 T7 °2138 17 • 2µ• 20� 3� 39 2fi2g 33:'•3!4' x9 . '30 . 0 .2. 111 5 Io 9 10 • "I vant to learn skiing, skating, climbing and yodeling," said Whews, "Flow mucic do you charge?" "Charge," replied they Swiss guide. "I'11 teach you all without pay if you promise to instruct me in that Yankee _ s uff you are now exhibiting," (Kindly draw straight lines between the numbers). ' wriggling green worms. I should hate to see any bird or animal go hungry, IV. and winter is a hard time for English sparrows, as well as other birds in the city or country." Christmas afternoon was a happy time at the Wells farm. The chil- dren were kept out of the parlor all the forenoon. When the door was opened they all exclaimed with delight. The tables were covered like a coun- ter in a store, with all sorts of delight- ful things. To each article a narrow ribbon was attached and carried across the table to hang over the sides like a fringe, the ends finished with a round shining button. There were five different colors, a color for each child. Susie was invited'to begin by drawing toward her any ono of the blue rib- bons, and the article at the end of the blue ribbon was hers. The children took turns, each seizing one of the ribbon ends, and carefully pulling it toward them. If the present at the end of the ribbon was large and heavy like a train of ears or a boa of blocks, it made a'1 the more fun. There was a great uproar when George, fol- lowing his color, a red ribbon, all across the table, found that it led to a new sled that was hidden under the table. Another smaller table had: gifts for the older ones with pretty cards, and still another table, when a snowy cover was lifted, displayed a feast of sandwiches, fruit, candy, cake, set out in readiness for the children's supper. So the day ended, and as the chil- dren. were going to their night's rest ;George said, "I think this is the best and merriest Christmas we have ever had, and I'm awfully glad we gave the birds our Christmas tree." "It will make us all happy when we listen to the bitter wind that is blow- ing to -night to think of the dear little birds and the crows and squirrels that will sleep warmer and better because The Glory of the common. i Mouth -Breathing. Plate* Bow the glary of the commonplace shinea upon our ways! That'weicome teiktale ecliick o1 the ^• swingiug;gamden torte, The homey sound of plitekuota burn- ing in the .open grate, The ring of childish ;lees:litter that comes floating down the stair, And that silent, holy moment that is kept for evening 'pt'ayer_ The nightly round of tucking in the quilts of little beds, And the soft kisses placed' on sleeping golden heads The glory of the -commonplace casts a halo round our days, —Ruth Rola/ay. Faith. If on this night of still, white cold, I can remember May, New green of tree am uriderbush, A hillside orchard's mounting flush, The scent of •eanth and noon's blue hush, A robin's jaunty way, • If on this night of bitter frost, I know such things can be, That lovely Mayistrue—ah, well, I shall believe the tales men tell, Wonders• of bliss and asphodel, And immortality, —Hortense Flexner, : Vitamins. The two subjects that are engaging the attention of medical men more per- haps than any others, at the present time are.vitamines pad Nie internal secretions, or hormones. And the two are in, a manner one, for it has been found that the proper action of the glands that give origin to the Internal secretions depends largely upon a suf- ficient quantity of • vitamines in the food. It Is difficult to give a satisfactory definition, of vitaminess for their ehemi- cal composition has not yet been dis- covered, and we know them and can classify them only by their effects and by the evil, results to men and animals when they aro absent from the food. We know only that they are substances contained in small amounts in fresh foods, and that they are es- sential to normal nutrition; they are different from the energy -producing principles in food�proteine, fats and carbohydrates. Perhaps the best ex- planation is that given by a recent English writer, who likens them to the spark that ignites the fuel mixture of a gasoline engine, the srpark, he says, is of no use without the fuel, or the fuel without the spark. There are at least three different valuables. that aro classed broadly by the diseases that the lack of Neem causes. Rickets results from 'the leek of A vitamine, beriberi from the lack of B vitamine, and scurvy from the lack of 0 vitamine. It Is thought that the so-called "hunger dropsy" is caused by a deficiency of D vitamine, but that is pure speculation as yet. Vitamines are not manufactured in the animal body, and such of them as aro contained' in fresh meat, milk, but- ter and eggs are derived from the vegetable food of the animal or the fowl. The diseases above mentioned are not the only ones caused by a de- ficiency of vltamines; they are seen only occasionally when there is an al- most total lack of the essential vita - mine. The usual manifestation is i11 health—poor appetite, headaches, dys- pepsia, intestinal indigestion, neural- gia and neuritis, sleeplessness, fatigue after slight exe:rtioa, anaemia, neuras- thenia and so on. The prevention or cure of the trou- bles that are traced to lack of vita - Ines is a change to protective foods n the dietary -whole-wheat bread, ggs, milk, butter, fresh fruits, salads and fresh vegetables cooked rapidly, or prolonged boiling or even simmer - ng destroys the vitamines, Tome- oes have all the vitamins in fair amount and so are very useful, but hey can seldom be eaten in large uanttties because of the acid they contain. Canning meats and vege- bies destroys the vitamins in large easure, theyare not m going hungry to their 1 cold beds in the trees," said tender- e hearted little Emma, and Mrs. Wella, 1 q to m as she ied the little ones upstairs, re- peated: "'He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small, For tho dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all'." —Anna Harris Smith. - n Early Marriage Rite. Hymen was isrobably originated by the Greeks In the olden days It was Hymen who led the torch dance, as he carried the real "wedding torch" at the front of tho procession which conduct- ed the bride to the ,hone of the groom. In Rome as late as 1800 Hymen and his torch -bearers were always part of royal marriages. Canada is the chief tale producer within the British Empire. Talc and stone, are found in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. 4 Eyeglasses enable about sixty per cont. of our business and professional nien to continue working after middle - age has been reached, Jeff Wa1 is to )!lave a Paaettaaal CJntlel•s>srldin� 1=4. Mi.. Tiger JeFE, You GOTTA HAND IT it. ME. Z'IIf LANDCD Y-eu. A SWELL PART r IN AN -ANIMAL pICTVRc, sa _. RIGR10; kNOWING YOVR FoNDNc55 Feta gNMMAtS z.I SIGNC U You UP Fe 'THIS AIT 2 AT owe: NO; A BeniGAL'`�=�-`'111C 11G62:.1N SCENE 1' :ONE YOU fo(vte Oh'I ea ~ ' pa OP ADELICATCSseN'---1.4.. TIGG(a Lem.s l .,,-xq oN YOU AND '40 � ." ��,.,, - — ENGAGE iN A I L"Jil b' "= F(G(2CE STRUGGLE Ae _ BUT DoN'T WoIeRY a wl-- IADOtSrTHAT: YoLI'LL , KNOW IT'S ONLY A i iIUT Cb 1V )0He • TIGER KNOW tT'S oNty A % MAkc-13ct Ii vE 3 T- a ') FiNE ANIMAL.% lS 4,, ;, 'I t 7 IS THE ANIMAL GONNA Be A buck, IN iN INDiA AND A Is SITTING ,';t^' aY A HYDRANT: - ' MAKE,-B6LIGu6 sTRvG�Lc: YFS, �' '''�%lrl 1 ,. r�.'. 4 n� y 0 J; - ..s � .�It, til , e„G . , I /1� fr. } '... lzi .x `�^ ••yn 49 `'9,� �, - ;�'+..I �y 'N c� SC(2UCaGLCr, A NsweR Il �" `.,i �3 ' t ? Me- IliAT, £�`. Al IA 1.V. �I �l� • `. ren am !f4.� Ili :.. ,,_. o,4.� ��`. �° •_ m� ill ;MY DtSNi -�' iP'•y C. . ,., 111 �� @• ,✓ti'y * a to r yr+` a • e ----. •,-..' A DoG, J/. it,,c,`�j kt'�•: !�yq r:.': ry.c •., o[z- f AND WKAT? ait^"� l•--,,. •,':' IP."`, � 6��il .:. f ,t, . �. - v— � �`.. . '_t-.,. �.`�'— --.. TN6N 41l-li. �.-"Yi `. G..^g 'tf` �;r�. � :.o =r III r* IIGill ; '1 I �I'ill{i111-/ gfiir, :' - 1! 111S 1 '.� ( p illl�l I - II i.' 4 r l Ino l:- ,111, u.w ��� Ila Z I vi Zit -: .\- NIi - �,, I 'II III 1 �� i II 1181 . a, '= Ili�T :, ...*l,,,, , - -� > .; j I iI 1 �,.. "• . ` _ �i� l , ,, 151 0 ,1 ,, 1 '`S• r�,r :. 1 We do not need to -1.ave allx special kuowledge•'of nislikicine to widorstand' the dangers anddrawbacksof Mouth breatiiing, Parente aro aware that no Ichild mann develop properly, either men- tally or physically, until the condition at underlie mouth breathing 'have :en, removed. Enlarged tonsils or 'adenoids bleatipg the breathing pass- ages are uettaliy to blame, and in such. a case it le useless to tell the child to keep his' mouth shut. Fortuuatoly, the poorest parent is new able to get treatment for leis child in our city clinics, ,but great disap- pointment sometimes follows the operation for the removal of adenoids. Tlie.shill' does, -not respond as expect ed, but remains delicate and slow with his studies, and his another may ex- -claim: "He had hda adenoids removed, and he is just as bad as ever."' On examination, a child of whem that is true wilt generally be, found to be still breathing through his mouth, probably on account of nasal passages that need to be cleared of mucus+; and &to,partly because mouth breathing baa become, a. habit with :•him, When Mouth breathing has persisted for some 'time the muscles all round the lower part of the face become weak and disinclined. to perform Their job of holding the face in proper position, and it is necessary to resort .to weer - :vises. to train these to do tteeir work. Thus a few minutes spent with the -child every day will meet with good reward. First •Ina must be encouraged to draw deep breaths with the mouth shut. The nasal passages must of estirse receive attention it necessary, .for no being, young or old,, can keep en' breathing through- blocked nostrils. Than the child should be taught the difference between superficial top -lung breathing and deep, or bottom lung, breathing; he should practice gym - nestles with the arms while breathing deeply. But all effort will avail little if the habits of sleep nude the work of the day. If the mowth falls open as Soon as the child is asleep, then misohief goes steadily on all night. The teeth and the mucous membrane of the mouth and throat are exposed. to germs; the natural moisture of the mouth dries out, and the child awak- ens with parched throat and tongue. In such a case a simple and most ef- flcacious remedy is the use of a amall square of thin sticking plaster to fast- en the lips together, It is not at all an unpleasant remedy, and it helps to es- tablish a good habit. The Milkmaid Sings. Tis Mary tite milkmaid singing, A -singing, a -singing So rarely and sweet' that'the lark at her feet, All ready to start with a song in his heart, Presses closer the nest with his warm little breast, Forgetting his lay as hadrinks in the swee t Pure music of Mary singing. —Norman Gale. • Ancient Dental Tools. The better classes of people had various methods of cleaning their teeth after each meal but it just hap- pened that the scheme was 'sometimes dangerous as exemplified by the ex- perience of a Sicilian king, Agahera Agathocles, who passed away 288' B.C. This k1 g had a pretty good• assort- ment of soldiers and with them Ire roamed all over his kingdom, slaugh- tering people right and left. He spent many years at this sort of thing - and finally had his subjects under absolute control, but—he was not able to sub- due his own family. One fine day young Aehagathus per- suaded the favorite of the old king, Maenon, to assist his grandfather on the way to the other world. The young women simply sprinkled a little poison on the "feather with which the king cleaned his teeth every day” and while Agathocles was still writhing in pain the grandsons and sons cast him upon the funeral pyre. tt Centenary of Aluminum. The centenary of the discovery of aluminum occurs' this year, for Oer- sted chiles to have prepared this metal in 1825 by converting aluminia Into chloride and then reducing this by means of an amalgam of potasetum. His results were published in the early part of 1825 and a specimen of the new metal was exhibited before the Danish Society of Scionoe. Two years Later Wailer obtained aluitlinum in the farm of a grey powder. In Commercial Aviation. British commercial aviation com- panies say that their machines flew 778,000 miles in 1922 and more than $1,000,000 miles In 1924, carrying 15,- 000 passengers with only one fatal ac- cident, Hot Muscat. The hottest sun temperature ever recorded was at Muscat,-ou the Per - min Gulf, where the black bulb solar thermometer has registered 187 de- grees. " Quoen of Gypsies Dead. Familiarly known among the Ro- many tribe as 6)tteeri of the Gipsies, Georgina Ayres died recently at the gipsy encampment, Ash Vale, Surrey„ ' aged 88.• Tags on Sick People. Tho Delaware state board of health recently titled that all persons haring , whooping. "cough should he compelled ' to wear a bright yellow arra bawl bear- ing rise 'made "Whooping Coil5n State: poard of Health,"