Chapter IV: Part II (2)

No one escaped from that dreadful shipwreck except one man who held on to the top of the mast till help came next day. When, at last, he reached land he told how the young prince and his sister had been drowned, and also a hundred and forty noble youths and girls, and the Captain and the fifty rowers, and everyone else on board except himself--all because of wine.

What a dangerous drink this alcohol is, and how many accidents it has caused! It sends the brain to sleep so that it cannot do its work, and when that is the case we never know what dreadful thing may happen next.

When anything puts the brain to sleep, we call it narcotic. Alcohol is a narcotic poison. No one should ever use it who wants to pilot a ship, or steer an automobile, or drive a train, or shoot a gun, or run a machine in a factory.

King Henry was a busy man, and he went home as quickly as he could and attended to his work. He was very much surprised that William and the others did not come, and he kept wondering where they could be.

When the sad news reached the palace, no man dared go in and tell the King. At last, they sent a little boy into his room--a page who waited on the ladies and gentlemen--and he fell at the King's feet.

"O, King ... Prince William ... the White Ship!"

When poor King Henry understood what had happened, he fell down in a faint. They say that all the rest of his life he was very sad. No one ever saw him smile again. One thing we must never forget about strong drink is this: It does not only bring trouble to the people who use it, but to many others besides. King Henry had nothing to do with the drinking on board the White Ship. He was not even there, and did not know about it. But it caused him to lose his boy and girl, both in one night.

In our days, too, it makes more trouble than any one can possibly imagine. Although the wreck of the White Ship happened nearly eight hundred years ago, it was not by any means the first accident brought on by alcohol. Drink has always done these things. It has always made men's heads dull and their hands unsteady. It has caused them to be hurt and to lose their lives. The strange thing is that, although every one knows it does this, so many people venture to use it. We should all do well to remember the proverb, "Where there's drink there's danger."

"Write it o'er the railroad wreck,
Write it on the sinking deck,
Write upon our hearts the truth,
Let us learn it in our youth--
Where there's drink there's danger."

A QUEER CASE

Agnes, you and John may look at this watch. Don't you think its covering is very pretty? The covering of the watch is called its case. Now we will open it, and you may look inside and see what this pretty case covers. Look at all these little wheels. How small they are! Do you think they would stay in place long, or run and keep time, if we bruised them or took off the case? Then you see the case is not only pretty, but useful. It keeps the little wheels from getting broken or dirty. It protects them from harm.

Look at the covering or case of your body. It covers and protects you just as the case does the works in the watch. Well, let me tell you a story about it. The covering of your body covers a number of organs which are even more wonderful than the little wheels in the watch.

This covering of your body is full of little holes. These holes are too small to be seen with our naked eyes. Through these holes air and sunshine get into your body, and through these tiny holes little drops of water come out. This is sweat, and it helps to keep our bodies cool. When you run and play, these little drops of water keep you from getting too warm. They also help to keep your body clean by bringing out the little bits of dirt.

I wonder if we are like a little pig, who, when his mother asked him what kind of a house he wanted, said, "mud house?" If so, we will have the little holes all closed up. Then we won't have a nice, soft, pink skin that will let the little drops of water through, but we will have a dirty, muddy-looking skin. When we run and play we get so warm that it will make us sick. But if we take nice warm baths twice a week at night, and a cool sponge bath every morning, with good clear water and soap, we will be like the watch, and have a beautiful covering, and this will help to keep our wonderful organs and body well and strong. We must bathe our hands often, and keep the covering on them nice and clean. Sometimes germs get on our hands, and, if we do not wash them often, we may carry them to our mouths. Sometimes this is the way we "catch" a disease, because we do not keep the covering, or case, on our hands clean.

Did you ever watch the little birds as they fly down to a gutter, or little stream of water, how they dip their bills into the water? Do they just fly down into the water only to get a drink? No, indeed. They fill their bills with water and pour it all over their feathers. They get into the water, and such a splashing they have! All birds and animals wash themselves clean and nice when they can get to water. Old Rover has a good time swimming and bathing in the creek. This is the way they keep their skins nice and clean, and their hair and feathers slick and shining.

"Drink less, breathe more;
Eat less, chew more;
Ride less, walk more;
Worry less, work more;
Preach less, practice more."

--_Selected._

THE LITTLE GIRL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Virginia is a little girl who lives in Not Far-Away Land. Her mother is a wise woman, and she wants her little girl to grow up into a strong and beautiful young woman.

Some days Virginia pouts and is cross. She does not go out to play. She cries for things her mother does not want her to have. She will not take a nap in her snug little bed. She cries for candy, and will not eat her bread and butter.

One day Virginia was sitting on the door-step, pouting; she had forgotten to be good that day. Presently, a beautiful butterfly fluttered down near her.

Virginia forgot all her naughty thoughts and said, "Tell me, pretty Butterfly, where did you come from and what made you so beautiful?"

The Butterfly turned its pretty head and looked at Virginia a moment. Then it said, "Little girl, I'll tell you a secret if you will forget your pouts and listen."

Virginia promised.

"I was an egg once; for you know, little girl, every living thing comes from an egg. This egg hatched, and a little green worm crawled out. This little green worm was I, and I did not know then that some day I would be a beautiful butterfly.

"I was a good little worm, and did all the things Mother Nature told me to do. I ate the things that were good for me. I liked nice, juicy leaves--and Mother Nature told me they would make me grow big and strong. Little babies and little calves have nice warm milk to make them grow, and little worms eat nice, tender, green leaves. I chewed them up fine, so that my very little stomach could digest them. Do you like your bread and butter?

"I do not cry for things Mother Nature tells me are not good for me. Every day I take plenty of cool, fresh water to drink from the drops I find on the leaves. Little worms, as well as little girls, need cool, pure water.

"You should see my bath-tub; it is a rose leaf filled with dewdrops. Oh, how clean and sweet I am after my daily bath! I am fresh and fit for my travels over the green bushes and pretty rose vines.

"Once I climbed to the top of a high maple tree, and rested on a leaf, while I watched the folks below passing.

"After I had eaten, and bathed, and played as long as Mother Nature wanted me to, I curled up in a tiny cradle and went fast asleep.

"My nap lasted a long time--all winter. All babies need sleep, you know; it makes them grow healthy and strong. Mother Nature was wise; she hung my cradle to the branch of a tree, where it would be in the pure fresh air while I was sleeping. The winds sang sweet lullabys to me. Some fine days Jack Frost would go whistling by. Sometimes an icicle would swing on the same branch with me. When the warm sun came out from behind the clouds, down would go the little icicle to the ground, shattered and sparkling like a thousand diamonds. All this time I was tucked away in my warm, brown cradle, waiting for the gentle spring breezes to wake me.

"One day I woke from my long nap to find that I was a beautiful creature. Mother Nature had dressed me in wonderful colors. My wings were gaudy. She had given me graceful legs on which to walk, and a pretty head and body. I could fly from flower to flower. I did not eat leaves any more, but I drank nectar from the flower cups.

"I love the sunshine, the clear water, the green grass, the bright flowers, and I love to hear the birds sing in the trees. I love to see the bees, as they rove from flower to flower to gather honey. Life seems one long, sweet song as I flit here and there.

"Little girl, if you will listen to your mother as I listened when Mother Nature told me how to grow strong and beautiful, you will grow to be a strong, healthy girl, with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes. To be strong and healthy is to be beautiful."

QUESTIONS

1. Why was Virginia cross? How did she behave?

2. What fluttered down by her? What story did the
butterfly tell Virginia?

3. What kind of food did Mother Nature prepare for
the little baby that one day was to be a
butterfly? Was this different from the food it
needed when it grew into a butterfly?

4. What food is good for the little babies in the
home and the little baby calves?

5. When did baby butterfly sleep? Is fresh air
good for the baby in your home? Was it good for
Virginia?

6. What was the baby butterfly's cradle made of?

LITTLE BAREFOOT

"Look out, little Barefoot, the hookworm will catch you if you don't watch."

This is what Will seemed to hear a wee small voice say one day as he stepped briskly along the dewy path. Will was driving the cows to the cool, green pasture down in the meadow.

Will always drove old Brindle and Bess to the pasture every morning before he went to school. Brindle and Bess loved the juicy grass in the meadow pasture. They loved to drink the cool brook water. They would stand knee-deep in it on hot days. Soft pictures of the cows, and the tall trees, and the clouds could be seen in its water.

When the sun was high in the sky, at noon-time, old Brindle and Bess would lie down under the trees near the brook, and chew and think, and chew and think.

One afternoon Will came home from school limping, and tired, and hot. His feet hurt him, so he begged his mother not to send him for the cows, but to let some one else bring Brindle and Bess home at milking time.

Will's mother knew that something was surely wrong, for Will liked nothing better than to call faithful Rover and romp away to the pasture. His mother looked at his feet and found them blistered and very sore.

"We will call the doctor," she said.

Uncle John looked wise when he came to see the little fellow.

"Ah, ha! you have been going barefooted, my little man, and some young hookworms that were in the ground or grass have gone through the skin on your feet and made your toes and feet sore."

"What are hookworms, Uncle?" asked Will. Uncle John told him this:

"The hookworm is a very small worm, about a quarter of an inch long, or a little more, when it is grown. It was first brought to America from Africa by the negroes--the slaves that the Dutch people traded to our forefathers in the colonial days.

"The little worm is called the 'American Murderer,' because it kills so many people of the southland. It does not hurt the little negro children as badly as it does the white children.

"The hookworm eggs are hatched in the sand. The young hookworm sheds its skin two or three times, growing a little larger each time it sheds.

"Sometimes it will crawl upon a grass blade, or lie in the sand until a little barefooted boy or girl comes stepping along. (The worm is now so small that it cannot be seen.) The little folks step on the worm, and it pushes its way through the skin. This is when it makes the sores on the feet and between the toes.

"As soon as the little hookworms get through the skin they go into the blood. They are carried to the heart and lungs by the veins. They go from the lungs into the wind-pipe, and then crawl from the wind-pipe into the gullet. It is then an easy matter for them to get into the food tube in the body.

"The mouth of the hookworm has a sharp hook which it fastens into the wall of the food tube. It hangs there and sucks all the blood it wants. A hookworm will suck a drop of blood a day. In feeding themselves they are slowly bleeding the person, drop by drop. This is the reason the boys or girls who have hookworms look so pale, and feel so tired all the time. The hookworm robs them of the good rich blood, and makes children, and even grown persons, dull and lazy. The disease keeps children from growing.

"It is easy to cure the disease, but it is better to prevent it. We can prevent hookworm disease by preventing the ground from being polluted. Polluted ground means that which is made unclean with waste matter from our bodies. The eggs are found in this matter which pollutes the ground.

"Now, Will, always wear your shoes, and see that the soles are good and thick. Then, even though the ground is unclean, hookworms can't get to your feet. I am sure, now that you know about hookworms, you will not go barefooted through the lanes again."

QUESTIONS

1. What was the matter with Will's feet when he
did not want to go for the cows?

2. What caused the ground-itch blisters on his
feet?

3. How did the hookworms get into Will's feet?

4. In what part of the body do the hookworms make
their stopping-place?

5. How do they get from the feet into the
intestines?

6. How may infected persons get rid of hookworms?

7. How may the hookworm disease be prevented?

THE LITTLE FAIRIES

Once there was a little girl who was very beautiful. This little girl was a princess, and her name was Hilda. Hilda had many servants in her home to do her bidding. She had two little servants to wait on her, and each of these little servants had five other little servants. These little servants were called hands and fingers.

She had two little servants to carry her everywhere she wanted to go. These were called feet. She had two little servants to see for her, called eyes, two to hear for her, called ears; one to talk for her, called tongue; and servants to chew for her, called teeth.

Hilda took great pride in keeping these little servants clean and sweet. But one day Hilda grew cross. She would not keep her little hand-servants clean, and they would not wash her little eyes, or ears, or feet, and these other little servants would not do their duty.

Soon her little teeth were dirty, for her hands gathered all the germs they could find and carried them to her pretty little mouth. Her little hand-servants would not curl her hair, which got tangled and ugly. The little teeth would not chew her food well, so Hilda had a bad night with the colic. In fact, her little servants treated Hilda so badly that her mother was afraid some wicked person had sent an evil spirit over them. I am afraid that this was true, for Hilda was cross, and sent that spell into her little servants.

Things went on this way for a whole day, when Hilda's mother decided to carry her to her Fairy Godmother, and see if she could do anything to take this evil spirit from Hilda.

Hilda's Godmother was at home. The mother told her about how things had been going. The Godmother was very sad. After talking it all over, she gave Hilda a large bundle to carry home, and told her not to open it until she reached the nursery. As soon as Hilda got to her own clean little room, she started to untie the bundle. She heard a tiny little voice, saying, "Hurry up, little Hilda, we are waiting for you." As soon as she unwrapped the first piece in the bundle, a pail of nice warm water, with sponge, soap, and towel, jumped out, and began washing her face and hands. A toothbrush jumped out, and began washing her teeth; a golden comb combed her pretty curls; a little fairy jumped out and took off her dirty dress and put a clean one on her; and another small fairy laced up her shoes, and then ran about, killing all the germs she could find.

When the fairies and all the other wonders had finished their work, Hilda was again a beautiful little girl, and more like a little princess than ever. The Fairy Godmother came into the room and stooped and kissed her.

Hilda, all of a sudden, opened her eyes and saw her beautiful mother standing over her, kissing her. Hilda rubbed her eyes and found that she had been asleep.

"O, mother," she said, "I have been asleep, and I had such a funny dream, and the fairies were so nice to me." Hilda promised her mother that she would never neglect her little servants again. This made the mother very happy, and, for making that promise, she bought Hilda a nice new doll, dressed like a fairy.

Hilda was so proud of her doll that she named her Fairy. Fairy has been very good to Hilda, for every time she plays with her doll, Hilda always makes sure that her face and hands are as clean as her little doll's.

QUESTION

1. What lesson can we get from this story?

THE RED CROSS SEAL

I am only a tiny bit of paper, with a little green and red color in the form of a cross or a wreath. I am not much larger than a postage stamp. I am going to tell you of some of the work I have done for mankind in this big world, notwithstanding my small size. Please don't think I am boasting of myself in an unbecoming manner. I was made long, long years ago, when our grandfathers were just soldiers, and fighting each other in a long and bloody war.

The mothers and wives of these soldiers were constantly thinking out some plan by which they could do something for the "boys" at the front. It is hard to sit with idle hands when those we love are in the thick of battle, and I sometimes think that the women and children suffer most in our great wars.

So, in 1862, when the days were very dark, when the battle seemed so fierce, and when the hospitals, North and South, were crowded with the sick and wounded, some good ladies of Boston thought of me. They decided to make me into a stamp, and to sell me to get money to help the sick soldiers. I was made and sold at a kind of "post-office booth" at many fairs.

I did not look then just as I do now--you see the style of my dress has changed with the change in fashion. I have taken as my color the Red Cross, the emblem of that great army of workers who, in 1864, first organized the Red Cross Society at Geneva, Switzerland. This society works for the sick and suffering; it does not matter under what flag they live.

Did you ever think of what a great thing a flag is? Just a little bit of cotton with a few colors on it, the red, white and blue, the tri-color of France; the red, white and black, of Germany; the stars and stripes of our own free land; or the Red Cross of Greece on a white field, the flag of the Red Cross Society.

Men have fought and died for the thing which these bits of rag and color mean to them.

But I am getting away from my story. With all the newness of the idea, and my very small size, I helped to make nearly a million dollars during that terrible war between our own beloved States. This money was used for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers.

My mission has always been one of mercy. I cannot but feel good when I think over the days of the past, and recall to memory the deeds I have done.

For a long time after that war I had nothing to do but to think of these past deeds, and, as I thought of the poor fever-stricken soldiers to whom I had brought medicine to cool their fever, and how I had gotten bandages to bind the wounds made by shot and shell, I thought sadly that I was forgotten, and that my mission was ended. These thoughts were sad, for I knew there was a work to be done, and I wanted to be up and about it. I wondered if the time would ever come when I could go on another errand of mercy. I felt that I must be needed somewhere in the big world, but I hoped I would never see another war.

The time of waiting was a weary one, but one day in 1892 I heard a call from little Portugal, far across the ocean. I was needed by the Red Cross there to aid in getting money for the sick and suffering.

Since I answered that call I have been at work in every country in the world; in coldest Russia, in sunny Italy, and even in far-away Australia.

Sometimes I work to provide money for soldiers, for men will not stop fighting each other, and the Red Cross owes allegiance to the sick and wounded of every nation. Sometimes I work for the benefit of the homeless ones; and, again, I work for hospitals for sick children. My work is broad, indeed.

I have always been happy in this work, for it is a great one, but in the year 1907 I started the work I like best of all.

It was that year that Miss Emily Bissell, a little woman of Delaware, did what Jacob Riis suggested. He suggested that Americans adopt the plan already begun in Norway and Sweden. This was to sell the Red Cross stamps to aid in raising money for the great fight against tuberculosis.

So the first real seal for this purpose was issued in 1908, and since that time I have brought to this cause over a million dollars. One little seal, on which shines a red cross of Greece, for one little penny, has grown and grown, until with the seals and pennies I have made over a million dollars to help suffering human beings.

Now, let me tell you how it has been done. I am printed about six weeks before Christmas. After I am printed, with my red crosses and holly wreaths, and "Merry Christmas," agents advertise me in every nook and corner of the country. I go to every little village--especially where there are women interested in doing good for others.

I am sold to seal packages to go to far-away countries; I am used to paste on the back of letters; I go everywhere carrying the message of "Peace and good will to men."

In every place that I go some one is talking and writing about how to prevent tuberculosis, the "great white plague," as Oliver Wendell Holmes called it--the terrible disease that has killed so many people--more than all the wars of the world. Seventy-five to ninety per cent. of all the money I bring is used in the community in which I am sold.

The money I bring is used to hire nurses to go down into the crowded city districts to care for the poor consumptives crowded in the tenement houses. It may help to send a poor little cripple, with tuberculosis of the hip-joint, to the "Fresh Air Home" in the mountains, where she has a chance to get well. It often aids in sending a tired, sick mother to the seashore in summer, where she finds rest and health. It aids in sending some one to the schools to teach the gospel of fresh air, good food, and pure water for the children.

So you see my mission has always been one of mercy, hope and health. Yet I am such a little thing--just a bit of paper, bearing a little red cross on a white shield, worth only a penny. "Great oaks from little acorns grow," you know.

QUESTIONS

1. When were the first stamps used to make money
for charitable purposes?

2. Who first suggested using such stamps to aid
the fight on tuberculosis?

3. Who was Jacob Riis? Who was Oliver Wendell
Holmes?

4. Why is the cross of Greece used on the stamps?
What does it signify?

5. What is done with the money gotten from the
sale of the Red Cross seal?

6. Do you think it a good cause? Why? Will you
join the band of workers who are fighting "the
great white plague?"

THE SAND BED

I have a sand bed, and there I play,
There in the sand for half the day.

And mother comes and sits by me;
And little sister likes to see

The many things I make of sand,
But she's too young to understand.

And then I make believe and say
My sand bed is the sunny bay;

These blocks are boats, and far away
They sail all night and sail all day,

And carry iron. When they return
They bring us coal that we may burn.

And now my sand bed is a farm.
This is the barn. Here, safe from harm,

My horses and my cows I keep.
These sheds are for the woolly sheep.

And there you see my piggie's pens.
The yard holds in the lively hens.

This is the garden, where I hoe
My plants: and here the flowers grow.

The sticks are pines, so straight, so tall
And dark. But these aren't half of all

The things I make each pleasant day
Out in the sand bed where I play.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

"Oh, Jack, Uncle John says, if we will build a play-house for Mary and her dolls, he will take us to Washington with him when he goes next month."

"All right, Stuart, we can do it. Let us begin right away. Here is a nice place for the house, just on the little hill. The ground is nice and sandy, and the rain-water runs off. Here are some pretty trees for shade. The hill is not high enough for it to be very cold.

"Now, for the house. We will place it so that it will face the south. Then the living rooms will have plenty of sunshine. We will put it about two feet off the ground, in order that it will not be damp; we can have a wide piazza nearly all around the house; and on the south piazza we can screen off a part for a sleeping porch. I am sure the dolls would like one.

"We will screen every door and window to keep the flies and mosquitoes out of the house. Mary says that each room must have at least two windows. She wants the walls of the rooms painted a soft cream color. We will oil and wax the floors. She can put a few rugs on them. She does not want large ones that she cannot take up when she sweeps.

"The little white iron beds, with dainty pillows and white covers, will surely please the dolls.

"Even in the parlor we will not have a single chair with plush or velvet on it, for, Uncle John says, such furniture collects and holds germs. The plan for the kitchen is a beauty. Everything is white except the stove. There is a nice little table, and a cupboard, where the pans and dishes are to be kept. The table is covered with zinc, and the floor is covered with oil-cloth, so that it will be easy to keep it clean. A shelf, on which are fastened hooks for spoons and forks, is near the sink.

"The windows will have white muslin sash curtains. Mother says it is just the kitchen to delight the heart of a neat little cook, with 'a place for everything, and everything in its place.'

"Look at the cloth-covered broom we are going to use for sweeping, no dust and no feather-dusters in this play-house.

"We can put the well here, this is near the house and on a hill above the barn and chicken houses. We can put a little gasoline engine in, to pump water into the bathroom and kitchen.

"We will plant some roses in the yard.

"Well, Stuart, we have worked hard on Mary's doll-house, and, now that it is finished, I am sure Uncle John will take us on the promised trip."

"I showed the house to Uncle John to-day, Jack, and he said he wished that some of the 'grown-ups' houses were as carefully planned for sunshine and health as Mary's doll house."

QUESTIONS

1. Why did Jack and Stuart build a sleeping porch
to the doll house?

2. Why did they put the house on a little hill?
Why did they put the barns and out-houses at the
foot of the hill?

3. Where did they place the well?

4. Why did they use a cloth-covered broom for
sweeping?

5. Would this be a good way for grown-ups to build
their houses?

A NEW STORY OF THE LION AND THE MOUSE

A long while ago, so the story goes, there was a time when the Lion, King of Beasts, had a little mouse at his mercy. The Lion was about to crush the mouse with his paw. The little mouse begged for his life, and the great King of Beasts spared him.

Not a great while after that day the Lion was caught in a net. He could not get out, and howled with rage. The little mouse heard him, and ran to help his old-time friend.

The great King of Beasts did not think the little mouse could help him. But the mouse gnawed the cords in the net with his teeth, and thus set the Lion free.

This story that I am going to tell you is of a rat--a kind of cousin to the mouse.

In many of our cities the City Fathers have not thought much of the many rats that live in the alleys and big warehouses, where cotton and grain are stored.

The City Fathers, like the King of Beasts, have looked with contempt on the little rats. They did not believe they were large enough to do any great harm, but rats and mice are dirty little animals and can carry disease. The Health Doctors, who are always digging into things, have made a serious charge against Mr. Rat. They say that he is the "Carrier" of a terrible disease, and that he is to be more feared than the biggest lion.

The rats have brought this disease from the far-away countries in Asia. You will ask--How could the rats bring this disease, which is called "the plague," since they cannot swim across the ocean? No, that is true. But you know that the rats are great wanderers, and they frequently get on the ships which are loaded in the harbors in China, or Japan, and travel with the ships to the next port. You must remember that rats have fleas on them. In the far-away country the fleas bite persons who have the plague. The fleas then get on the rats in the neighborhood, and even give the plague to the rats.

When the ship unloads its cargo, in Mobile, San Francisco, or New York, these rats, with their fleas and plague germs, go ashore, and in this way they spread the disease.

When the fleas from the rats bite persons, they poison them with the plague germs. Many persons in Asia die of this disease every year.

In this country we prevent it by doing what the Lion of long ago did not do. We kill the rats, for they are dirty little animals.

QUESTIONS

1. Tell the story of the Lion and the Mouse. Who
wrote this fable? What is a fable?

2. Why are we not so merciful to the rat as the
Lion was?

3. What disease germs does the rat carry?

FIRST AID TO THE INJURED AND THE BOY SCOUTS

"I say, Jack, what do you think; I am going to join the Boy Scouts."

"What is that, Tom? I don't know anything about Boy Scouts. Is it something new? You are always starting some new stunt. Is it playing soldier?"

"Oh, no, Jack; it is a company made up of boys, who are learning to be manly and brave. Being a Boy Scout takes you out-of-doors a great deal, and in that way it helps make you strong and healthy. I wish you would come with me and join."

"Well, tell me all about it."

"The Boy Scouts were organized in England, in 1907, and a brother organization was started in America in 1910. It was started by men who knew all about boys, and who wanted to help them to get the best out of life.

"The Boy Scouts elect leaders; they form troops, that is, so many boys under one leader. They go camping. They go on long 'hikes.' A hike is a trip into the country, over hills and through meadows.

"The Boy Scout must learn to swim, and to do many things to help himself, and to help others. A Boy Scout has to promise to do something for some one each day--lend a helping hand.

"Mr. Brown, the lawyer, is our Scout Master. Come, Jack, join us. You are twelve years old. It will help to make a man of you. A number of us are going to be initiated this afternoon; then we will be Tenderfoot Scouts."

"All right, Tom, I'll ask mother. I am pretty sure she will let me join. She wants me to be a manly, healthy boy."

SOME THINGS JACK AND TOM LEARNED TO DO AS BOY SCOUTS

(FIRST AID, IT IS CALLED)

When a person faints, lay him flat, loosen his collar and belt, and bathe the face in cool water.

When a person is cut, and the wound is bleeding, put a clean cloth on the wound, and press on it with the fingers until it stops bleeding, or until a doctor comes. Tie a bandage above the cut.

If a bone is broken, carry the person so the broken bone will not tear or injure the flesh near it. Put a board or pillow under the broken bone to steady it.

They also learn to bind wet soda to a burn.

To put clove oil or turpentine on a bit of cotton in an aching tooth.

To put three drops of carbolic acid in half a teaspoonful of warm glycerine into an aching ear.

To put wet cloths on the throat for sick stomach.

To bathe a sprain in hot water, and not to bandage until it stops swelling.

To turn an eyelid and take out a cinder, or a bit of dirt, with a soft cloth.

When a person has taken poison, to give him something to make him vomit--salt and warm water, or mustard dissolved in warm water; call for a doctor.

For sunstroke, to put the person in a cool place, and bathe in cool water. To put ice-cap on head.

For heat prostration, to give stimulants, 10 to 12 drops of aromatic spirits of ammonia in a little water, or hot drinks. Put hot-water bottle to the feet.

When on fire, to lie down, not to run. Wrap in a rug or blanket, or anything that will shut off the air from the flame. To protect the face from the flames.

In nose bleed, to raise the head and arms. To press on the nostril from which the blood is coming. That a small piece of cotton dipped in very weak vinegar or lemon juice and placed in the nostril will cause the bleeding to stop.

Should a child swallow a penny, or ring, or other small things, to give bread and potatoes; not to give a laxative, or purgative.

If a child has convulsions, to put it in a warm bath without waiting to undress it.

For snake bite, or the bite of a dog, tie a string above the bite, wash the wound with clean water, and rub carbolic acid or luna caustic on it.

The most important thing that the Boy Scout learns is that common sense and self-control are two of the best things to possess.

The Boy Scout must be well trained to use the last two aids for the benefit of the injured.

AN INVITATION

"What do you say?" said the Work to be Done.
"Shall we start bravely together,
Up with the morning sun,
Sing, whatever the weather?"
Come, little busy folks, what do you say?
Let's begin fairly together to-day.
Shall we keep step with a laugh and a song
All through the runaway morning?
And when the noontide comes speeding along,
Whistling his chorus of warning,
"Then," said the Work to be Done, "let us see
Who has kept in the hurry with me?"
Hark, in the midst of the long afternoon,
When you are a little bit weary,
How all the meadows keep sweetly in time,
Toiling, and prattling and cheery.
"What do you say?" said the Work to be Done,
"Shall we be comrades till the setting of sun?"

--_Selected._

A GREAT FIGHT

Tom, Uncle John told me last night that he was going to make a hard fight. I thought he was going to war. He could not tell me all about this fight then, because some one came for him, to go to see a sick child.

When I went to bed, I dreamed Uncle John was a soldier, and that he had on a uniform, and was riding away on a big black horse. In my dream, I could hear the bugle blow. Then I dreamed he was fighting wild beasts. My! how hot I got while I was dreaming this.

This morning, when I told Uncle John about my dream, he said he was going to fight something that did more harm than wild beasts. He told me that, as soon as I helped mother, to come over to his office, and he would tell me all about it.

I could scarcely eat my breakfast, I was in such a hurry to learn what my Uncle John was going to fight. I could just see him with a sword buckled to his side, getting on a big war-horse, galloping off to the music of fife and drum.

After breakfast, I ran to the office. "Well, my boy," said Uncle John, "you have come to learn about the big fight your peace-loving Uncle is going to make. I am fighting for others, not for myself, and I hope we will win this fight.

"I will show you the enemy, he is in ambush." My eyes were wide open when Uncle said that. Uncle John walked quickly over to a shelf and took down a bottle of "Soothing Syrup." I wondered what he was going to do, when he returned and said, "This bottle holds one of the greatest enemies of little innocent children. It contains opium. Opium is a poison. Little babies don't need it. Sometimes a mother will give too large a dose, and kill her little one. The mother does not know that the 'soothing' part of the syrup is opium.

"The English people have told the makers of such stuff that they must take the opium out of it, or label the bottle _poison_. Much of this kind of medicine is sold. The people do not know how harmful it is. I am going to fight this enemy of little babies to the last ditch.

"Some of the well-known captains of regiments of these fake cures are known as 'Compounds,' 'Bitters,' 'Kidney Cures,' 'Cough Cures,' 'Asthma Cures' and 'Liver Regulators.' These are mighty captains, and flaunt their false colors in the daily newspapers which come to our firesides. Many of them contain alcohol. 'Corn Cures' and 'Skin Foods' are little corporals in the army of the enemy.

"The great generals are the fake consumption cures which are advertised in so many daily papers and magazines. Their shot and shell are the most dangerous, because they attack those already weak. They rob persons of the judgment to choose such allies as Fresh Air, Food and Rest. They are not even brave soldiers--they strike the weak and ignorant.

"_These_, my boy, are the enemies I am going to fight--in the trenches and out. I am buckling on my armor and sword. Will you join me, and help to put down quacks and patent medicines of all kinds?"

QUESTIONS

1. Give the names of some patent medicines you
know.

2. What do nearly all patent medicines contain?

3. Will you promise to help in stopping the use of
patent medicines?

THE FIVE BEST DOCTORS

The five best doctors anywhere,
And no one can deny it,
Are Doctors Sunshine, Water, Air,
Exercise and Diet.

These five will gladly you attend,
If only you are willing;
Your mind they'll cheer, your ills they'll mend,
And charge you not one shilling.

GLOSSARY

To facilitate the pronunciation of the words in
this glossary the correct syllabication has been
indicated. Of course, it is expected that the
teacher will assist the pupil where any difficult
combinations occur.

AC'CI DENT--an event which is unexpected.

AD'E NOID--growth between the back of the nose and
the mouth, which prevents or disturbs breathing
through the nose.

A JAR'--open.

AL LIES'--friends.

AM' BUSH--secret or concealed place where troops
lie in wait to attack unawares.

AN'TI TOX'IN--against poison.

AWN'ING--a covering stretched upon a frame and
used as a shelter from wind or sun.

BAC TE'RI A--very small plants; some bacteria
cause disease.

BOAST'ING--bragging.

CAP'TAIN--a leader.

CAR'GO--load; freight carried by ships or other
vessels.

CAR'PEN TER--one who builds houses, ships, etc.

CEL'E BRATE--to keep a festival holiday.

CLEV'ER--having skill; good-natured.

COL'O NY--of, or pertaining to, a colony or
colonies; the thirteen British colonies which
formed the United States of America.

CON'QUER--overpower; win.

CON SUMP'TION--progressive wasting of the lungs.

CON TEMP'--scorn; to despise.

COR'PO RALS--lower officers in an army.

CRYS'TAL--pure, transparent; resembling crystal.

DE STROY'--to kill; to break up the structure of a
thing.

DIS AP POINT'--defeated of expectation or hope.

DRAG'ON--a large serpent; legendary animal.

DREAD'NOUGHT--a fearless ship.

DREAM--a series of thoughts, images or emotions
occurring during sleep.

DU'TY--that which is required by one's station or
occupation; any assigned service or business.

EN GI NEER'--one who manages an engine.

ENG'LISH--the people of England.

ER'RAND--a trip to carry a message or do some
special business.

FAKE--anything prepared for the purpose of
deceiving; trick.

FA'VOR--a kind act; kindness.

FEAST--a meal of abundant and satisfying food; a
rich treat.

FEE'BLE--weak physically.

FORE'FA THERS--one who comes before another in the
line of direct descent; especially a male
ancestor.

FREIGHT--goods carried from one place to another.

FRE' QUENT LY--at short intervals.

FU'EL--anything that feeds fire.

FUR'NACE--a structure in which heat is produced.

FUR'NISH--to provide; to give.

GEN'ER AL--an officer who commands an army or any
body of troops.

GIN--a machine for separating cotton fibres from
the seeds.

GLAND--an organ of the body.

HELMS'MAN--a man who steers a boat.

HOS'PIT AL--a place where sick and afflicted are
cared for.

I'CI CLE--a rod of ice formed by the freezing of
drops of dripping water.

IN'DI AN--member of one of the aboriginal races of
North, South and Central America.

IN FECT'ED--to taint; to contaminate; to give
disease.

IN I'TI ATE--to introduce.

IN'JURED--damaged; hurt.

IN'NO CENT--free from; clean; pure.

IN TES'TINE--that part of the digestive tube below
the stomach; bowel.

JOUR'NEY--passage from one place to another.

KNIGHT--a man of gentle birth, bred to the
profession of arms.

LAX'A TIVE--a gentle purgative, having the power
to loosen the bowels.

MA LA'RI A--(old meaning, bad air), a disease, the
cause of which is carried by the mosquitoes.

MEAD'OW--low or level land covered with grass.

MER'CY--the act of relieving suffering.

MI'CRO SCOPE--a magnifying instrument for seeing
very small objects, such as germs.

NEC'TAR--the honey of plants.

NO'BLE--a man of lofty lineage.

O'PI UM--a poisonous powder gotten from the poppy
plant.

OR'GAN--any part performing a special work.

OX'Y GEN--a chemical substance in the air
necessary to life.

PALE--lacking in color.

PAS'TEUR--a French scientist who studied and told
us much of germs.

PI AZ'ZA--a porch.

PLAGUE--a disease of Asia; a pestilence.

POL LUTE'--to make unclean.

POI'SON--a substance taken into the body which
injures or kills.

PNEU MO'NI A--an inflammation of the lung tissue,
caused by a germ.

PUR'GA TIVE--a medicine which purges or cleans out
the alimentary canal.

QUACK--a pretender to medical skill.

RAID--to make war on.

RA'TIONS--food; a ration; amount of food used.

REG'I MENT--a body of soldiers.

REIGN--to preside over; to rule.

REL'A TIVES--near of kin.

ROY'AL--kingly; pertaining to kings.

RUB'BISH--trash; waste.

SEARCH'LIGHT--a powerful light used on ships.

SMOTH'ERED--prevented from breathing.

SOL'DIER--a member of an army.

SOOTH'ING--to make quiet.

SQUAD'RON--several war vessels detailed for
service.

STIM'U LANT--something which excites or spurs on.

TRENCH--a large ditch.

TY'PHOID--a long slow fever, caused by a germ; it
can be prevented by cleanliness.

U'NI FORM--special dress, usually with braid and
buttons.

VAC CI NAT'TION--producing a mild form of a
disease to prevent a severe form.

VEINS--tubes that carry blood to the heart.

VEN'TI LATE--to supply with fresh air.

VES'SEL--a ship.

VIC'TO RY--act of overcoming an enemy in battle,
or an opponent in a contest.

VIR GIN'I A--an eastern state in the United
States.

WARE'HOUSE--storehouse.

WEAP'ON--any implement used for offense or
defense.

WHOLE'SOME--healthy.

WIND'PIPE--a tube that carries the air from the
throat to the lungs.

WITH'ERED--dried up.

ZINC--a metal.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.