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The Brussels Post, 1920-6-3, Page 7
40. L. When You Go Auto Touring "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love" This was probably true in the days of Tennyson, but a few years after this young man's fancy has entangled him in the toils of matrimony, he and the partner of his joys and sorrows turn their fancy to thoughts of na- ture, and the Wanderlust microbe at- taelcs them, Then ho and his wife and two to five children, pack them- selves into the fiivver and, surrounded by stacks of suitcases, bedding, and tents, hie themselves to the road, and go, not caring much where, and mere- ly giving themselves over to the en- joyment of the great world out of doors. This same microbe attacked me a few years ago, and I began to plan for a "trip." The first trip was undertaken with fear and trembling, but it was successful; and since that time I have taken my family every summer some hundreds of miles in the little old ear, and we are so pleased with the result that I am impelled to pass the ex- perience along to others. In fact, new that •the automobile bas come to stay, I consider it a duty of every man to take his family and see the country. Travel is a great educator, and no money spent for education brings bet- ter or quicker results than travel. The first question you ask is, "What shall we take along'?" And let me answer right here that you cannot take the whole kitchen with you. Be- sides, you will not need it. It is sur- prising how many things we can do without. This is the first lesson. Do not overload your car. Next you should have 'evo extra casings, plenty of good tubes, and a repair kit for tires. It is best to start with new tares all around, These should be good for several thousand miles. You will need a tent, and one made of eilkaline is light and comparatively inexpensive. For four people 10x12 feet is a very convenient size, I have one of this size and material which wetrrhs 111 pounds. The first year I made a set of tent poke out of one -inch yellow pine. The rei.ee pole, 12 feet long, was hinged hi the middle, and had three upright poles hinged to it so that the whole thing folded into a package about three inches square and seven feet lone, Since that I made poles out of white fish. dreeeed round, about one Melt in cliamc'er and four feet long, I cut pieeee of bicycle tubing about eight inches long, and fastened a piece at one end of each pole so that they went together like a fishing pole, This is light and can be stowed away out of sight You may avoid carrying a ridge pole by having a rope sewed in the ridge of your tent and tying this to your ear and to a tree. In this way you will need only two poles to hold up the tent, and these may be jointed as 1 said above. I think folding cots are necessary. There is a convenient cot made which, can he hall front any mail-order house. Th's folds into five inches by three feet, and weighs 14 pounds. One of these for each person is fine, but it is ! poss,'ble for two to sleep on one. One can sleep on the ground in -goad i wether, and this is bat bad for a seasoned camper; but the. grour.d is o too hard for real comfort, and in wet weather it is not safe, We have elept in two inches of water, on the cots, through n very rainy night, and kept dry and warm, t letter be prepared for cool weather, t Provide sleeping hags, which may be i made out of eight -ounce duck er p denim, For each bag get a strip 30 h three sides about six inches tram the mule top with the same of iron. Then I cut two small holes in the tap, and when thin is placed in the ground and a small wood lire built under it it leavea nothing to be desired dor that purpose, You can get a small folding stove which burns solid alcohol, and this can be used 1» rainy weather, but It does not compare with the wood fire, A .slice of ham and some gravy made over this wood fire is equal to any hotel dinner you can .buy. I built a box on the running board of the -machine, and another I carry on a trunk rack at the rear. The box on the running board should be made as long as possibie to fit well on the aide of the machine. It may be about two inches wider than the running hoard, and should be about 18 inches high, Cover it with a tight lid and fit the joints with lead. Rain will find every crack, so do not leave any. The cupboard at the mar should be made just the size of the trunk rack, and about 30 inches high. Put two shelves in it, and make two doors at the back. Fasten a rubber curtain at the top, and make it to hang down over the doors, otherwise rain will enter. This can be fastened at the bottom with curtain buttons, which can be had at any garage and will keep out every drop of water. Make these boxes out of half-inch pine which is light and quite strong. All your bedding and the tent, etc., can go in the box at the side, and in the cupboard you can carry all your food and cooking utensils, towels, and even some bedding. Put nothing in the tonneau of the car, You will need all that room. I made a ibex like a suitcase, about four inches deep, to fit in the bottom of the car under the children's feet, and we carried clothing in it. A suitcase may be hung on the side of the car, and this will be all you need. Carry your spare tires slung to the bows of the top, inside the machine. They are free from dirt and are handy. Your stove may go under the cushion on the front seat. . "Will the trip make me tired?" not at all. Possibly the first day you may be tired, but after that you will mar- vel at how fine you feel, and there will not be the slightest tired feeling at any time. Even the driver is free from it. "Can I find a good place to camp?" There is never any trouble about this. There is nearly always a schoolhouse to be found. Here water and other conveniences are handy, but if no school ground appears any farmer will gladly allow you to camp in his orchard. We have never been refused yet. Provide yourself with one of the guide books now published. This can be had for any section, and it -rakes the road easy to follow. Besides, the hook points out the many things you should see and that you would others wise miss. Directions offered by peo- ple you, meet are usually confusing turd take time. You can count on mak- ng an average of 100 miles a day. This gives time to stop at points of ntorest, but it is better to go slower. Take your camera, You can live ver the trap for years to come, and this is the best part of it. You will also meet many amusing incilents and people. Try it this sunnier, You have no- hing to fear. Decide where you want o go, get your outfit ready, and start n August. If anything should hap - en, you can board a train for hone, ut you will not find that necessary. inches wide and 12 feet long. Double this and sew up l'he sides to make a bag 41x feet long, Inside of this fatten a good wool blanket sewed in the sante way. Woolen pajamas with n feet may be provided far use if you r meet cold weather. In addition to 0 this a good wool army blanket will be Y needed, or its equivalent. I advise wool because you get the warmth ti without carrying eo much bedding. t These blankets can de folded on time . C seats of the car and occupy 'little space, Two woolen blankets for each person should keep yeti warm in any Weather. All your dishes should be of tin or s aluminum. A tin pan, knife, fork,1 t spoon, and tin cup for each person. t A' light skillet, two or three cook pans, I e mud a water 'bucket are enough, I i made a stove out of a "grad" aboutle two feet lohg, with .four wire legs, t which push into the ground. I covered d this with stovepipe iron, and encasedlt You will enjoy your trip and come home . eft ashe d. YOU MVO it Y to onr- self :,lid family to take advantage of this opportun:ty. Touring in this manner is far better than going by ail. You have your car and can visit ut-c£-the-way places, can go when awant to and stay as Iong as you Please. You will not be a slave to timetables, nor a prey to sharks in he form of guides or taxicabs. See anada first, B. H. Galvanized Iron Dam, For checking the flow of water in mail lateral ditches, or backing it up o any required distance, the lt'r•iga- ion farmer has been accustomed to xtemporize at considerable expense n time and labor, little dams of loose arth. As a substitute for this prac- tise, he may now use small adjustable ams, Which he simply thrusts into ire ground, and as easily removes. j� Non -Producers. EN thousand statesmen rime and fret, upon the well known stump, and tell how crises should be met and cartedt to the dump. They elooute until they're hot, and rant and tear their dude; and it would help things out a lot if they'd start raising spuds, By growing Burbanks here and there, they'd help a land distraught; we need potatoes more, I swear, than we need Gems of Thought, Tea thousand .poets twang their lyres until they break the strings, and booet our aitara and our fires, our bulwarks and such things. llut nations are not saved by tunes, however nobly played; the poets should be growing prunes, which is a better trade, For prunes the hungry children cry, and stricken parents pray, while bughouse poets drool and sigh of temples in Cathay. Ten thousand agents seek our doors to sell Ile foolish books, and they'd be far more useful bores if they plied reaping hooks. The country's full of well dreeaed skates who grow no hay or straw, produce co pumpkins, figs or dates— there ought to be a law. When the Elephant Turned. Tho following personal account of an attack by an enraged elephant is from a letter written to the London Field by a major of the King's African Rifles who was hunting elephants in Uganda, central Africa. He had come up with a bull elephant, but his shots had failed. The enraged beast clashed off a few yards until hidden by a large bush; then, the writer says, suddenly scent- ing us, he emitted a shrill scream of anger and carne tearing down straight at me. Fre was on me in a second. Never had I seen anything move like that elephant; his speed was terrific. I was swept froin place to place, and battered and -beaten; I expected every moment to be crushed to a pancake or to have a tusk thrust through my heart. I kept my muscles as taut as possible and waited for the end. I was suddenly hurled into the air, and, luckily landing on my feet, I was able to start creeping away; but I scarcely had moved when the infuriated beast leaped upon me and the battering pro- cess began again, until I saw millions of stars and seemed to be thrust into the bowels of the earth. Suddenly I became aware that I was no longer being mauled, and, the instincts of self-preservation being yet strong within me, I started to crawl into the long grass to the beast's left. I think that he had scented my rifle. Any- way, I saw him tearing at something on the ground. With the greatest difficulty I made my way through the tall grass to a tree and climbed into a crotch and shouted for help. Answering cries were close at hand, and the hunters and trackers rushed up; when I fell in a heap at the bottom of the tree. They made me a hammock out of my waterproof and, slinging me in it, carried me to camp. After two hours we reached a native shamba, and there I drank copious drafts of water and kept warm 'by a circle of fires. Several days after my injuries a doctor ar- rived and discovered that, although I had been terribly bruised and shaken all over, my only real damage was a broken collarbone, Cairo to Cape Air Route. The trans -African air route, laid out lastear bythree h ro i y cop artier has now been followed from Cairo to Cape Town by a British airman. This pion- eer, Wing Comniander van Ryneveld, landed at Cape Town in the third air- plane used by him in accomplishing the distance of 6,206 miles. His first, a Vickers-Vimy, crashed soon after his start from Cairo. His second, like- wise a Vickers-Vimy, carried him as far as Bulawayo, 9,880 miles to the south. Here he tested until the ar- rival from Cape Town of DH -8, placed at his disposal by the Union of South Africa. Among other machines that attempted the flight and crashed en route, were an R.A.F. bomber and two big planes flying the colors of famous British dailies. Among several factors that cal - blued to thwart so many attempts. are most often mentioned the abnormal heat, and the extreme altitude of so many of the stations. "REG'LAR FELLER With a Smile. Meet whatever the world may bring with a smile and Jog along; There's always a song for the song you sing If your heart le in the song, And when you meet the world with a senile it's sure to smile on you, While over your head the sun burns bright and the velvet skies are blue, Meet whatever the world may bring with a cheery hope and trust; Kick up your heels and dance along, and sing and smile and be just. Whatever you give the world it gives a measure of that and mare To add in the end as on you wend to the wealth of your little store. Meet whatever the world may bring with a faith that naught can shatter; There's always- something that's not just right, there's always some- thing the matter, But the heart that goes along with a song, and the lips that go with a smile Shall win a song for their own ere long and a smile from the after - while. A Good Memory Needed. A lecture tour includes some of the most delightful experiences, Dr. Wil- fred T. Grenfell says in his autobiog- raphy, but it also has its anxieties and worries, and eternal vigilance Is the price of avoiding a breakdown. The lecturer's memary is taxed far beyond its capacity. To forget certain people and kindnesses is an unfortunate sin, but a new host every night, a new home, a new pity and a new audience lead the lecturer into lamentable lapses. In a car full of peope a man asked me one day hole I liked Toledo. I re- plied that I had never been there. "Strange," he murmured, "because you spent the night at my house!" On another occasion, at a crowded reception, I was talking to a lady on one side and a gentleman on the other. I had been introduced to them but caught neither name. They did not address each other, but only spoke to me. I felt that I meet remedy matters, and therefore muinbled, "Pray let me present you to Mrs. M -m -m." "Oh, no need, doctor," he replied. "We've been married for thirty years." Shortly after that I noticed at a re- ception that everyone wore his name pinned on his breast. I wondered if there were any connection, Screen Version of English Grammar. Grammar, that bugbear of nearly every juvenile existence, has taken on a uew lease of life by being filmed. The school children of Minneapolis, Miss„ recently saw enacted, in three IocaI motion -picture theatres, the story of kir. )Onglish Grammar, They found how Mr. Verb, little Miss Pro- noun, and all the rest of then, were related. They sympathized with "Fine," "Wonderful," and other Adjec- tives who were so overworked that they fell down in exhaustion. They learned, too, why "Swell," "Grand," "Gee," and other outlaws are not al- lowed to live in respectable Grammar Rory. "—By Gene Byrnes YoLIRE LUCKY MAT""1400G.MY MY TO sPEN©— 1 NEVER. GET- /VIM. ErIVI. THAN At PENNY AINTCMA c o1 aN GiVt` M AN Magnets Serve World in Many Ways A highly important usa of st magnet is that in which it is sometimes- em- ployed to withdraw small Idecei of Iron from such out of the way places as the human eye. Another use of the Emotive force of magnetism on a melte larger scale was that to which 10 was put by Bkllsart in his megnetie ore eeparaton, in which the ore, pre- viously crushed to a line powder, le dropped down n chute past the pales of powerful eleetro-magnets, in pars- ing which the iron particles of Ute are are deflected to one side, while the non-magnetic stone dust continuer me deflected down: the chute. Still an- other instance of the employment of magnetism in a small way is that in which a magnetized tack hammer is used to the manufacture of atrawherry baskets on•a large scale ram conjunc- tion with a mechanical device which presents the tacks, ono at a time and head up, to the-aperative, thereby j greatly fteiiltating his work. .11 is a far cry from Idling tt lack by aurum+ id magnetism to the lifting of massive Iron and rctoel plates weighing four, six turd twelv,' furls by this same force, whiclt i"; now done every work day in a lLunll er «f 1,rrl5e sieel werka. Jeleetrernagnrtisrll, of course, is util- ized, tea form of the magnet being us- ually rectangular for title work and presenting a flat surface to the plates lifted. The magnets sae suspended by chalets from t.ranes, and pick up the plates by simple contact. The metal plates can be lifted by the magnet while still so trot that it would be im- possible for men to handle them. The ratio of weight lifted varies with the machine; In some cases this ratio is thirty. Titus, a magnet is operated by current from a dynamo, controlled by switches and rheostats. Discontent. The expreesion "divine discontent" is a familiar one and has no doubt served many restless, discontented persons well. It is always comfort- able to have some sanction for an atti- tude of mind that is troublesome to other people and no great plea..sure to youraelf. Tire idea that cltscantent is intrinsically noble is as .pernicious an abstract idea as has ever been circu- lated. Discontent with your achieve- ment, diseatisfaetion with your re. sponse to opportunity or to duty may be and ought to be stimulating, may morit even the superlative appellation of divine. But the more common sort of discontent is that which finds fault with fate, which complains of lack of opportunity, which in persons of a passive type produces inertia, and which urges the more active to mutiny and rebeIIion. Most of the discontent that people are exhibiting today has little of the divine element. It is occasioned by a desire to get much for little, to work short hours and to enjoy luxuries. Very few persons. are interested in making more of themselves; a great many are determined to get more for themselves. That determination would not be discreditable were it based on a recognition of the fact that getting comes by earning. But discontent has produced a false philosophy that teaches in effect that getting comes by taking. The thing that makes BoIshe- vism attractive to the discontented is the idea that the people who are pros- perous are so only because they or their ancestors have taken more than they had any right to take, and that under a system of proper equality the property of such people will be confis- cated and distributed, World's Largest Airplane. The largest airplane in the world to -day, in all probability, ie a biplane recently completed at Leipzig by one of Germany's oldest airplane-manufac. taring firms. In design, the new air monster is disappointingly conven- tional; but in size it stands unrivaled, outspanning the American NO planes, and the largest British Handley -Pages by almost 30 feet. It la driven, no doubt at rather moderate speed, by four engines, two mounted on either side of the fuselage, in nacelles that suggest the power eggs of a Zeppelin. The four two -bladed propellers are of uniform type and size, and measure about 15 feet from tip to tip. A New Excuse. Teacher—"Why were you not at school yesterday?" Samm —'Pease I y sir, i, t was all through the names of all the oceans you gave us to learn. I was seasick." Queer Ways to Tell Time, Housewives in these days very com- monly use sand glasses of the familiar hour -glass pattern, for timing boiled eggs, They are employed for the same purposes in many restaurant and hotel kitchens. The contrivance is, of coarse, quite ancient, dating back to the middle ages. In much later times, and not so very long ago, it was utilized for thn- 1ng pruyere and sermons. Even nowa- days there is an occasional old-fashion- ed church that keeps a "prayer -glace' on the pulpit. As one might imagine, such glasses were not beyond criticism in point of accuracy. Four at them were care- fully tented recently by the writer. One, supposed to mark an even hour, took sixty-seven minutes to run out -- a serious error for the congregation if the sermon was dry. Another, for three-quarters of an hour, registered only forty-two minutes. The remain- ing two were, respectively, under - timed and overtimed two minutes. The send glass, in European coup. tries, replaced the yet more antiquated "time candle," which was marked off in sections Of en hour. As a time- keeper, the candle is exceedingly an- cient; it was employed in Home before Christ was born, and very likely by the Egyptians and Babylonians in much earlier days, Courting by length of candle was an old-fashioned cue - tom in England, An equivalent method of time.keep- ing is even now practiced by the Chinese, who employ, instead of a candle, a length of Joss -stick -the same thing that small boys use as "Punk" for setting off firecrackers. It is made of sawdust, mixed with a little glue and rolled into cylinders of a measured diameter. Such a stick, two feet long and marked for the hours, lasts half a day, being consumed slow- ly without name. Messengers. in China, having but short periods to sleep, make sure of waking by placing a lighted piece of joss -stick between their toes. This acts most effectively at the proper moment. Doubtless it was the first and origival alarm clock• The Japanese Censor. What would the Canadian reader think, having been brought by the au- thor to that place where the hero's voice becomes soft and the heroine blushes and Iowers her eyes, to see a row of asterisks indicating a footnote, which says: "At this, point he asked her to marry him." That is what the Japanese have done in the love scene in "Jahn Hali- fax, Gentleman," so that it -might ac- cord with their peculiar sense of deli. cac . This book is se coed in pOpll- larity among translations in Japan, "Pollyanna" ie first. Seaside Schools for London Children Batches of London's children ale to get their lessens at the seaside during the coning summer. The London County Council will open a boarding school at Margate, to which the child- ren will be sent for six weeks' stay. The settee' ia intended for children who are not strong enough to take full benefit of their lessons in Landon. It has been proved at Bushey, where a simllar school wae opened last year, that even a -month of open air life and schooling makes all the difference pos. sible to ailing children, - 'rhe school at Bushey will be con- tinued for the present, but it will be reserved fax boys, and tate one at Man gate will accommodate only giros. Open air school huts are being built in the garden. Playtime will be spent an the sands, and bathing will be WI. der the advice of the medical officer. The house will accommodate sixty- four girls at one time, These will be selected by the medical officer from the London schools, each district be- ing taken In turn. The Council will pay the railway fares to Margate, and the parents will contribute, according to their moans, towards the children+s board, On the success of the experiment will depend the putting into force of plans for a number of similar schools CANT! I'M GONNA Mice. THEM hoME, To MY taAMNIN AN MP:VE,. N� R NAM ME A+ their APPLE. P VI4,1 hf THEM • New Automobileo, Wayfarers along euhu•rbun and country roads in these days frequently encounter aatenio'bilee pursuing a low and wavering course, with a roan sitting tense at the wheel, looking anxious and elarnied, and another man sitting by his side, watchful, at- tentive, speaking words of cheer niel eueouragement. There are more peo- ple learning to drive automobiles this spring than ever before, Thu beginner falces his place for the first time in the driver's seat with a brave air of composure, but in- wardly he }e tremulous with appre- hensive, After brief preliminary in- struction he takes the wheel; in a moment he finds himself driving the car. In five minutes he is filled with exhilaration and exultation. Driving an automobile is a mere trick; nothing to it. Then he comes to a crossroad with other automobiles approaching from every direetion. He feels that he must do something instantly to avert disaster; be does the wrong thing, and the watchful instructor by his side averts the disaster. He has had to shut off the engine to do it. The pupil's nerves are for the moment quivering. "Try again," says the in- structor soothingly; and the pupil, after a brief endeavor to remember the various processes necessary to start the car, gets the engine going and immediately stalls it. "Oreo more," urges the instructor, This time the feat is properly accomplished, the crossing—now clear—is suecessfnlly -rade, and gradually a sense of com- petence again comes to the beginner: How many times is the illusion cf competence destined to he shattered! How timorous does the beginner feel the first time he ventures forth aloned With fearful eyes and gaping mouth he swings round a corner or hacks hie car in order to make a turn in a nar- row roadway. Eventually be musters up courage to drive into the city; once he has accomplished that trip without disaster be feels that his apprentice- ship is at an end. But no autoraabile driver, however experienced, can afford to become care- less for a moment. In a large number of the automobile accidents that °seer it is the experienced drivers that are to blame. To show your skill in leav- ing the smallest possible margin whi-a paseing a pedestrian on the road or in skimming by other ttutonc.biies iw fool:se reeklessnese and ,ray end in trn;edy. Now that the read, etre filled with the itienperien^ed it1• err.. perienced drivere need to I 0 :;i" e careful than ever. A Mala With Only Two Senses. Mumps red the de,c'tc;s to ciiso•.tr that a certain Caned an soldier wee, in a certain sense, one of the mutt remarkable men in the world. The London Lancet deserii•es the eet et - ordinary tvarrtor: He was originally a Breton saran-, but he emigrated to Canada eight years ago, and he enlisted in the Can- adian army. Later he contracted mumps and was sent to a military hospital, where his remarkable quali- ties were discovered- Although he is a well-developed, powerful -tan of a very cheerful, even temperament, good-natured and far removed from the neurotic or hysterical type, be was found to be entirely devoid of sensn-. tion. lie is insensible to pain and has undergone serious operations without any anaesthetic. His body bears many scars of wounds and burns that he has inflicted on himself to astonish the onlookers. The author of the account in the Lancet tells of seeing him hold a burning patch against the skin of his arm and then pick ori' the charred fibre, He has never suffered from headache, tecthache, or pain cf any other description. He has no sense of touch. Be can- not feel the ground with his feet and has to control his movements by sight; consequently it is difficult. for him to walk at night. He is entirely unable to recognize objects pieced in his hand when his eyes are shut, He cannot distinguish between heat and Bold in the temperature of food or of the weather. Fever and chills cause him i .o perspire or shiver, but without any sensation of cold or heat. No sense of muscular position seems preeent, and be says that he cannot tell whether his arms or legs are moving or not. He hes no sense of smell or of fatigue, The only way that be is made aware of failing strength after prolonged and violent effort is by falling to the ground. He is mentally sound, and rather above than below the average of in- telligence, As a child he appears to have had a slight tense of touch, and be dates its complete disappearance from the time when he had an attack of yellow fever in Sangal at the age of seventeen, His sight and hearing seem to be normaal,. Gently ,Sarcastic, At half past eleven, liar, Stone re. tired, In a few Minute* the telephone, rang, and he hurried downstairs to find that there was no ono on the line. Flo bad just anuggted into his warm bed, when the telephone rang state, aura hie answered it a second, time. It proved to bo a nada wh+o Wished to interest him in a new autonriobile. When the eonvorsation wait ended, the caller said, "I Hope I have not bl ou venienced you?" "Not at ail," said Mr, Stone, '"I was sitting right in front of Oto telephone thinking thatsame 0110 might sail Ito an."