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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1921-05-05, Page 6reek ' ,ese The Gifts the Trees Gave. Many moons ago all the trees of the Big Green Forest held a consulta- tion. The birds had tekl them that a tribe of Indians was above to settle near the edge of the forest. "Soon the Indian -children will be coining to play in •our shade," they said. "Let us each have a gift for them." So all through the summer the trees prepared gifts, to be ready for the Indian children. • One day after the sanuner had gone the little Indian,s went scampering along the edge of the lake called Shining Water until they came to the Big Green Forest. "The oak tree is the king of trees; we will go and play under the oak tree first," said the children. So away they ran to the tall oak tree; and there tihey were overjoyed to find in the green grass at the foot of the tree hundreds of little golden -brown cups and saucers. Ali day long the children played with. their new treasures, and when they went home in the evening they picked. up some of the little cups and saucers to carry to the old people at the camp. "Good-bye, beautiful tree!" they ealled. "We thank you for your gifts. The next day the children came again to the Big Green Forest. That time they stopped to play under a tall, straight beech tree. The Little Bro- thers of the Weed, the red squirrels arid the chipmunks and the rabbits, who were playing there, too, were not in the least afraid of the new- comers. All the morning the little wood folk and the little Indians played happily together in the cool shade of the slender beech. Toward noon they became hungry. Then the beech was ready with its gifts. It scattered hundreds of prickly nuts over the thildren and little animals. They ate the nuts and found them! good. When the West Wind began to; sing her evening song the children! went singing back to the camp; with' them they took handfuls of the sweet nuts to give to the wise chief. The Little Brothers of the Wood also took some of the nuts; their share they hid deep down among the leaves and in the hollow trunks of old trees. There it would stay until the snow began to fall thick and fast over the Big Green Forest. One day the abildren went to play near the singing brook instead of go- ing into the forest. They played um the banks of the brook and picked ferns and late flowers. They waded ankle-deep in the clear brown water and listened to its song as it went hurrying to the deep blue sea. At noon when the children were tired of ,alaying they flung themselves down to rest under an elni tree that grew beside the stream. Now, a bird had told the elm tree of the gifts that the forest trees were preparing for the little Indian children, and. so the elm, too, was ready with its gift. It spread such a cool, deep shade for them and moved its low, friendly branches above " I them with such a soothing sweet I sound that the ehildren fell asleep and ' tock a long uap. When they waked they said, Good- bye, dear elm tree. We love you for the pleasant dreams we On another day, a clear cold day after a night of heavy frost, the young Indians spent their playtime under the chestnut tree that stood near the edge of the forest. While they were in the midst of their genies a strong wind came and thraihed the branches of the tree. Brown burs came tumbling to the ground. They fell helter-skel- ter among the little scampering In - dans. Presently the children, were as busy as beavers; they opened the prickly burs • and picked out the shin- ing sweet Tints. They gathered reeds from the side of the brook and wove themselves a basket for the nuts. That night when the moon rose behind the tall mountains they sat rotmd the evening lodge fire and sang a song of ggrifattsitude to the chestnut tree for its The autumn passed, and one day when white flakes woke driving across the land the children ran laughing into the forest for a last game before the ground should be covered with snow. "It will be cold to -night," they said to one another. "The winter has came." They stopped for a moment under a beautiful balsam tree; the houghs stretched green and fragrant among the snowflakes. The branches looked so soft and warm that the children gathered arm- fuls of sprigs to earry home and use for beds. They stopped, too, to gather fragrant cones to toss into the evening lodge fire. But before they went away they looked up and thank- ed the balsam tree for its gifts. Near the edge of the forest and not far from the wigwam's stood a birch tree, tall and slender, very graceful in the sunlight, and in the moonlight as lovely as if it were clothed in silver. The birch tree knew about the happy gifts that the other tree had given, and because it had no gifts to offer it was sad. "If I could be changed into fire- wood," it said to itself, "I could pro- vide them • with comfort at least." But it gave them something better than firewood. One clay in the spring the wise aid sent two of his men • to strip the tall birch of its bark: Many days the men worked building first a basket -like frame of the shape of an open pea pod, then covering it evil& the tough bark of the birch tree, until they had made a wonderful canoe that ley like a feather on the water. And all through the spring and sum- mer days the children paddled it oe the lake among the starlike lilies. One day at twilight the trees talked together until the Great Spirit hung the silver moon among the stars in the purple sky. Then all the fluttering, whispering leaves grew still and went to sleep, for each tree felt sure that some In- dian child loved it best of all. Threshold. Beauty. We are too apt to complain and re- pine because in our comnaon, daily, hum -drum living we have not access to the great strange beauty of the world. We feel that what would real- ly satisfy us is the remote, the unus- ual, far countries, unaseended moun- tains, vast, untravelled rivers, the snowy solitudes of the north or the wide sands and blue, warm waters of the tropic climes. We are restless for what we have not seen and keep our eyes tight shut to the beauty that throngs about us every day. Yet, after all, the beauty that en- dures is what is coinmon and near and simple., A great French writer said that only conimonplaces and well- known countries have inexhaustible charm. That is because what really touches us , is what is inextricably betiad up with the human heart. The exceptional, the extraordinary, may thrill tis for a moment. But it almost instantly becomes ordinary, and we only renew the restless craving for something else that we have not seen before. What satisfies us is what touches the deep, quiet; perraanent instincts of our nature, stich beauty • A great deal of energy is be- ing constantly dissipated in puts ting more force than is neces- sary into the doing of certain things. A. noted physician says .that most people expend ten times the energy really neces- sary in almost everything they do. Many grasp n pen as if it were a crowbar, keep the mus- cles of the arm tense when they weite, and pour out as much vital farce in igeing their names as an atluete would in throwing a heavy weight a greet dieta,nee. Not one person in a hundred; he says, knows how 'a alike proper use of hie muscles ct to relax perfectly when at rest. %.04,0110., as is intensely fraught with memory and hope. Flowers, trees, birds that we have every day about us are the sources of neural loveliness that are indeed worth while. Even. the dwell- er in cities, who complains that na- ture does riot come near him, has the sky, and what is more inexhaustibly beautiful than that? The trouble is that our busy hearts become indifferent to beauty that is familiar. In the adrnirable phrase of the poet we let familiar things Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook. Incomparable loveliness in winds and clouds and stars flows by us and flows and flows; and, absorbed in the delv- ing hurry of our sordid cares, we heed it not. And yet the wise do heed it, all the same. Even half felt andnoted strangely as in a dream, the threshold beauty enters into their lives and moulds them and sweetens Item. lend to souls sane, simple and well temper - edit is the threshold beauty above all that counts. Just to step out the door „and be filled with the ample splendor of the world humanizes, harmonizes, tranquilizes the spirit more than to travel in far countries or to see strange sights. • Flying Target. • A new kind of flying target has been patented by Alexander McMil- lan, of Princeton, N.S. It is an arti- ficial bird, meant to be discharged like a clay pigeon from a machine. I A clay pigeon, when hit, is smashed. ! The target here described simply files to pieces, which can be readily put to- gether again, making it as good es ever. The target is composed of several wingehaped pieces, with turned -up edges, so that in revolving through the air it has a tendency to fly. In this respect it claims superiority to the or- dinary clay target.. The oomponent pieces aro so Con- structed With resilient gripping en- gagemente, that, while readily detach. able one frpm another, they are eaeily tssembled again after the tafget haa been hit by a shot. FISHERIES ARE BIG CANADIAN ASSET MOST EXTENSIVE FISH- ERIES IN THE WORLD. Ignorance of Food Values is Responsible for Wastage in Discarding Some Varieties. Among the first of Canada,'s assets, in the shape of the tremendous na- tural resources which have been lav- ished upon her, are her fisheries. Canada possesses the most exten- sive fisheries in the world, and the' abundance, quality, and variety of their products are unexcelled. The coast line of the Atlantic provinces from Grand Manan to Labrador, not Including lesser bays and indentations, measures over five thousand miles, whilst the sea areas to which this forms the natural basin embrace: the Bay of Fundy, 8,000 square miles in extent; the Gulf of St. Lawrence, fully ten times that size; and other ocean waters aggregating not less than 200,000 square miles, or more than four fifths of the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. The Pacific coast of the Dominion measures seven thousand miles long and is exceptionally well sheltered, for fishermen. Throughout the in- terior of the vast Dominion, from coast to coast, Is a series of lakes which together cover 220,000 square nines or more than half of the fresh water of the globe, Canada's share of the great lakes of the St. Lawrence basin. amounting to 72,700 square miles. Then, if further resources were wanting, there are the countless rivers, creeks and other streams In practically all cases teeming with many palatable fish. Many Varied Species. The fertility of Canadian waters is evidenced by the fact that the entire catch of salmon, lobsters, herring, mackerel and sardines, nearly all the haddock, and a large portion of the cod, hake, and pollock landed are taken within ten or twelve miles from shore. The most extensive lobster fishery in the world is carried on along the whole of the eastern shore of Canada whilst excellent oyster beds exist in many parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, notably off Prince Edward Island. • The commercial fishes taken in- shore on the Atlantic are -cod, hake, halibut, pollock, haddock, herrina mackerel, alewives, shad, smelt, flounder and sardine. The salmon fishery is the predomi- nant one on the Pacific coast, though a very extensive halibut fishery is care seed on in the Northern waters at tri- tis,h Columbia. Herring is also found in. great abundance off the Pacific coast and provides a plentiful supply , of bait for the halibut fishery. The , lakes and rivers all over the vast area team with whitefish, trout, pike, pick- erel, perch and tullibee. The fisheries of Canada are aniong her first exploited assets, and the fishing industry is of a staple and con- tinuous nature, providing at all times, I with very little fluctuation, employ- ment for a vast army of people, and I supplying an important export market. Canadian fisheries produce in all about $50,000,000 annually and give employment to beween 80,000 and 100,000 persons. About 70,000 people are engaged on the sea fisheries, the inland, freshwater fisheries, employ' about 10,000, whilst approximately 20,- 000 persons find employment in can- ning, curing, and otherwise dealing with the product for the market. In 1920, the fish products of her two coasts netted to Canada the sum of $26,153,344, and in the previous year the eatce from the inland waters was irth $4,314,962; Cetinina and Curing Plants. There were 928 fish canning and curing establishments in operation in tho D n inhal at the epti pf 193.9 it 18,356 -employees receiving wages and salaries totalling $4,257,811, The total value of the products of these plants in, that year was: fish marketed for consumption, fresh, $4,067,041; canned, cured or otherwise preparea, • $27,505,712, The value of materials used in these establishments amount- ed to $19,329,960. Subdivided these canneries are found to be: 520 lobster canneries; 1 sardine cannery; 13 clam and other canneries; 76 salmon can tisosislieess;; ald73h0a8leiisnhil ,..tinrdinfissiiestoailblif;he merits. It is stated that edible fish in Cana da comprise six hundred different varieties of which only about one hun- dred and fifty are known, whilst hard- ly more than twenty have become really important factors on the mar- ket The lack of knowledge as to the food values of many of these fish is resulting in a lamentable wastage of regrettable proportions, as well as a loss of considerable revenue to Cana, da. A good deal of work has been done by the Dominion Government and others to increase this knowledge and to popularize in diet the use of more fish, • some varieties of which are Stated to be almost the equal of beef. Though the fishery resources of the Dominion of Canada can he said to have been barely tapped as yet, the same fields are being continually ex- ploited and it is the constant care of the government that these grounds shall not become depleted or exhaust- ed. To safeguard this a valuable work is performed by the Government Fisheries Branch in conducting ex- perimentation and investigation, and most of all in restocking these waters. IThere are nearly fifty hatcheries producing young fish to replenish the lakes and streams and the commer- cial fishing fields of the Atlantic and Pacific. In one year these hatcheries were responsible for putting back into the waters the equivalent of 985,024,- 250 fish. Unexploited Waters. If the waters of Canada generally known and exploited are only at the present time tapped, what c& be said of the enormous resources of the Do- minion which up to the present time are practically unexplored. In the Hudson's Bay and along the Arctic coast are fisheries whose potentiality ean be only a matter of rough esti- mate, but hose waters in future years, with the expansion of the Dominion, will inevitably become a fruitful source of food to Canada and her ex- port markets,. The waters of British Columbia too, according to experts, contain many valuable varieties Of fish ,which up to the present time are un- eAsrketable because people have not b4en educated in their food values. This lack Of fish knowledge is also forming a handicap in the develop- ment of the branch of the industry in- terested in canning; curing, and put- ting up fish for the market. The ig- norance of food values is responsible for an extensive wastage in the dis- carding of many varieties of fish whicli could be utilized. The fish canning and curing indus- try offers opportunities for initiative. Germany's New Army. The new army of Germany will be based on a voluntary service, with a total establishment ol 100,000 men, including 4,000 officers. The force will be made up of 21 infantry regiments, eighteen cavalry squadrons and seven artillery regiments. The Government contemplates an annual expenditure upon it of 5,000,000,000 marks. Our blood constitutes 7- .7 per cent. of our weight. A Topsy-iurvy Country A hurry call for cargoes of ice for Iceland, to prevent its winter herring crop from spoiling, was recently re- ceived in Norway, and pr•omptly re- sponded to, 'float down from' the north. Grain can- not be grown satisfactorily, and all breadstuff& must be imported. Hay, potatoes and turnips are the only ag- ricultural products of any importance. This, to the world at large, seemed Cattle, horses and sheep are raised in about as logical a thing to do as for considerable numbers, and large quan- Pennsylvania to send to Cuba for coal. tities of fish—chiefly cid and herring Nevertheless, when it is understood --are taken from the neighboring what a "topsy-turvy land" climatically waters. Iceland is, the wonder cohcerning the Though Iceland has an extensive) call for ice will cease. Foe. in Janus area, for all practical purposes It ary, the temperature of this northern might just as well be only a seventh country and neighbor to Greenland is its actual size. Although Europeans milder than that of Milan, Italy; and, emigrated to Iceland about seven hun- on the other hand, in summer it is deed years before Old World colonies much cooler than nianY points much were established in the now famed farther north, North America only the valleys and "The Land of Fire," says the Na- tional Geographic Society, would be a much more appropriate name for Ice- land than the one it is known by. Foe lowlands near the coast of the island have ever been developed. This is not because of a lack of energy On the 'part of the hardy Scandinavians who the surface of no other country, per- settled the island, but because the in - haps, is so deeply marked by the with teriorcomprising about sex -sevenths I ering blasts that well up from Tot- of the total area, is a waste of lava. canoes. In no other country of equal The island is approximately 200 area are to be found so many volcanic utiles wide and 300 miles long, but ' peaks and vents. Of the 40,000 square hardly a habitation can be found More t miles of the country's area, 5,000 are than forty miles from salt water covered by lava flowe. Iceland is about 8,000 square miles larger than Ireland, It is only a short distance off the Europeward eoast of Greenland, and its northermost cape just touches the Arctic circle. In spite of its position 80 near the North Pole, Iceland, thanks to the Gulf Stream, has a relatively mild whiter elimate. Reykjavik, the capital, is in the same latitude as Nome, Alaelta, but has a Janeery temperature metier 111011 that of Milan, Italy, Icelandic slimmers, however, are col, dee to the large fields of lee that Bible Teachings About }leak!! What? Know ye not that yam' hotly is the temple of the Bely Ghost Which 15 in you, Which ye have Of God, and ye are not your own? -e-1 Cor. 0: 10. And every men that etriveth for the mesterei' is temperate in all things, 9: 26.seiila;11Bn0 hre ewa tastcosl eoreeeel ay! ev) d,Gd ,ac41arIl ao. n6 07w, notet,11 oek that p. Many earnest Christian's fail to real- ize that they are bound to care for !their bodies, keeping them healthy, clean and chaste-, even as they care for their minds and souls. In the early days of Christianity, in spite of St. Poul's letters there was a tendency to despise the body and to think of a as a burden to be endured rather than as a divinely created temple to be reverenced. We are learning to -day, partly through interest in athletic,s and partly through a broader view of Christianity, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, made in the image of God (Gen. 1: 26), and that we are to worship and serve God with them, Christ bids us love God with all our strength, as well as with our hearts and minds and souls (St. Mark 12: 30). He sanctified the hu- man body by assuming it when He came to earth and He glorified it by His resurrection and by His ,ascension, taking it up into heaven. The reser- rection of the body has always been declared by Ohristianity as a part of our faith, and if our bodies, glorified, are to enter heaven at the last great day then we should keep them, by God's help, in health and purity and never suffer them to be defiled. St. Paul visited Corinth on his first missionary jonrney, and stayed there over e year (Acts 18: 11). This was the city where the Isthmian genies were held, and the prizes 'offered for victory in these games were very highly valued, though in themselves they were very 'simples generally a wreath. I For these great games, severe preparations were necessary-, and St. Paul Ines these exercises as illustrations in urging true Christian- ity. But he meant them as something more important than illustrations, for he demands that the bodies of Chris- tians should be cared for at least as faithfully as the contestants in the games cared for their bodies. This was particularly a message for the Corinthian Christians, since Corinth had a reputation for gross immorality and it was necessary for the Chris- tians to guard against temptations which tended to destroy the body as well as the soul; but it is also a mes- sage for us. Reverence the Body. In the Old Testament the Jews were instructed plainly as to health. The laws given in Leviticus and Deuter- onomy were for the good and happi- nese of the people, and the principles. then laid down have a ,prasent appliea- ton. Bathing, sleeping, food, temper- ance, exereise—all these things sire necessary for every Christian, and they etre to be considered not as mere. habits but as a part of the Christian life. It is true that St. Paul warns against the flesh, and he declares that he seeks to keep his body in subjee-, tion; but that does not imply any dis- regard of the body, but only a real- izati,on that it may yield to evil temp- tations and so he,rnust control it and' lead it to mastery, And tbere 18 something peculiarly fine in the apostle thus warning against wrong and a the same time calling to a reverence for the body. For all our excellent gifts, if riot ruled by the Holy Spirit, will sink under Satan's influence. Even the mind may so exalt itself against heavenly wisdom that it ean be poisoned with error. And the - soul likewise, unless it is kept near to Christ, may wander into strange labyrinths of false doctrine and idol worship. And since both mind and „soul are readily influenced by the body it is necessary to hold the body in health, that truth and godliness may be nourished. Obey Natural Laws. What methods of health, then,, should we pursue, realizing that we are exercising OUT Christianity when we care for our bodies as well as when we pray and read the Bible? And, first, we should obey God's laws, some• - times called "natural laws," because we observe them in nature. Eating, exercising, sleeping, in acedrcl with intelligent judgment, =inlet rightly be neglected. Good, simple food, enough but not too much; regular ex- ercise (and walking is the very best exercise if we walk as we should with. head erect and with a brisk and elastic step), and sleep with plenty of fresh air, and thanking God for them all— these are divine helps to make our bodies strong and fit for service. Anxiety and anger and passion of all sorts weaken the body and are the cense of ill health. Some one has said that every sigh of worry robs the body of several ounces of blood. Wrath, even if smothered and speech- less takes away health. Extreme emotion of any sort is abnormal and so unhealthy. That does not mean that we should be without enthusiasm or zeal, for we =1St put forth energy for the sake of OUT work as well as for the consecration which God asks. But we must trust God enough to let Him "do the caring" (the real meaning of 1 Peter, 5: 7), and we must control oar emotions and rule our temper.— Rev. F. We Tomkins. The Openers of Wells. "And so you are inneh discouraged, Ruth?" "Yes,. Dr. • Rankin, I'm just a sort of • 'secondhand worker.," I'm not ariginal. The Only talent I have is to cheer people along; I have never done an original bit of good in my life." Dr. Rankin smiled into the earnest young eyes. "Listen to what I have just been reading: 'And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they bad digged in the days pf Abraham his father: for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abra- ham.' "In the old Hebrew days the well digger was a benefactor, for water was scarce.. Isaac was esteemed. just as highly for reopenin.g the wells that the Philistines had filled as Abraham had been for digging them in the first. place. Do you. catch my point?" • Ruth shook her 'head in perplexity. "Why, Ruth, there is no more im- portant business in the world than just keeping open the wells which the Philistines of sin and discouragement and weakness are continually trying to fill up. And from what I hear you have quick sympathy and understand- ing, contagious cheerfulness and energy—the very qualities needed for keeping open the well -springs of cour- age. Do you see what I mean?" "I think I am beginning to under- stand." "The Suez Canal cost a hundred million dollars and nobody knows how many lives," Dr. Rankin went on. "It Is worth all it cost, but it would be worthless if dredge boats were not continually at work keeping the chan• mei free of the sands that are always drifting in and that .would soon close It again. In the same way the drift- ing stiads of temptation and -weakness vvould soon All up the channels of communication with God, — which somebody has opened,—if it were not for constant watchfulness end helpful - 1108S on the part of persons like your- self. Do you seenosv?" "Dr. Rankin,' cried Ruth, "that's the best sermon you ever preached! Won't you preach it sometime from the pill - fit? There are so Miley secondhand People like myself. ,whom it would "I might,' said Dr. Ralikin thought; ully. "The Openers .of would not be a bad subject" There are no railroads and few car- riage roads. The Inhabitants depend almost entirely on water transporta-`, tide along the coast and ia the many fiords. Iceland can he considered the half- way station between Europe and America. Nearly 700years before Columbus sailed' to the West Indies e through the warm south Atlantic in his relatively large, clocked ships, dar- 1 ing Standinaviart sea rovers in their t open boats pa,seed from Norway to Iceland and from there to the coasts Of Maine and Rhode bleed. • oe : Inward Guilt The new Chinese ambassador in Londe% Mr, Wellington 1Coo, has a pretty wit. Someone read aloud to hint a Para- g raph from a itewspalier about a Chinaeute who committee sulaitle by ating gold-leat "Don't know why that should have silled him," remarked tee member of 11:e"Aloemillidaelelyile, he was oveywheimed ).Ya tonsciousnees of inward gilt," euggeeted Mr. Roo. Science Fails to Prevent Mud Splashing. All the powere, of Modern science - were marshalled at London recently todiscover a device for combating mud. They failed. The occasion was a contest held by the Camberwell Borough Council, which had offered a -Prize for an anti - mud -splashing device to be attached to street vehicles, says a London des- patch. Ineentors brought their inven- ions—some of them coming from P aaaris, Belfast and Copenhagen—and orty motor trucks fitted :with various nti-splash contrivances were lined up. or the contest. There were mud -guards, screens, hains, rubber flanges', brush screens nd iron plates. Each one was guar- nteed to prevent mud from flying. There was almost a crisis when it vas discovered that on the day select - d it had not rained and there was no iud. A watering cart was pressed in - O commiasion and a strip of dirt road urned into a muddy sea. All the ehicles plunged through, but all plattered mud .freely and no award vas made. a Engine's Fault. One day Pat was leaning against. he wall of a railway station smoking es pipe, while an engine was getting p steam ready to leave the station. ebove Pat's head *as a 'notice with he words—"No, smoking allowed.", In short time the guard walked up to at and exclaimed: ,"Look here, my map, do you not ee the notice up there, that there is o be no smoking allowed?" "Well," said Pat, "an' shere I'm not making aloud.; it's that blessed en-, Me over there that's kicking up he row," a .t 2 The populationof Noway is now ,646,306. • .Ninety-nine per cent. of the energy stored in, a ton of coal is lost on its way to the electric bulb, so that we get only a hun- ameth part of the possible light At contains. In other words, 11inety-nine parts are dissipated • in beat, and used up 111 friction in the electric apparatus, and never become lights Just as great a waste of energy goes on -In 0 mans use of his own posers. Instead atone hue/fired per cent, of his energy appearing in results that are worth walla often a very small per cent of • It gets into his real work, the rest being dissipated In foollen and harmful ways,