Chapter XXXI: Things to Think About

How do you carry the things that you bring to school?

How is the food that you eat brought to you?

How is your clothing carried to you?

Do you know how the material that your house is made of
was brought to the spot?

How does the farmer carry oats to his horses? How does
he carry milk to the calves? How does he carry hay
from the field to the barn? How does he carry hay
from the mow to the manger?

What things do you carry in your hands? What do you
carry in baskets? What do you carry in trays? What
other things do you use in carrying?

How do you think the Cave-men would carry an animal
that they had killed to the cave? Do you think they
would try to bring the whole carcass home?

What things would they carry in baskets? Why did they
need handles for their baskets? Think of as many
ways as you can that the Cave-men might have carried
things.

_How the Cave-men Carried Their Burdens_

The Cave-men used the baskets they made for carrying roots and berries.

It was easier to carry them in baskets than to carry them in their hands.

But it took one hand to hold the basket, and they often needed to have both hands free.

So they learned to carry baskets on their heads and shoulders.

When the Cave-men jumped in time of danger, they were apt to lose their load.

So they learned to make handles for their baskets and to carry them with strong straps.

When they rested the strap upon the forehead, it was a head strap.

When the basket was heavy, the head strap pressed hard against the forehead and cut through the skin.

So they made little pads to protect their foreheads.

At first these pads were bunches of grass or pieces of soft skin.

But the women soon braided carrying straps that had pads for the forehead.

Sometimes they let the strap rest on the shoulders.

Then it was a shoulder strap.

When they let it rest upon the breast, it was a breast strap.

All the Cave-men learned to use straps so, and many people still carry things in that way.

THINGS TO DO

_Play carrying something on the head. The one who can
carry the longest without dropping his burden wins
the game._

_Look at the handles of all the baskets you can find
and see if you can tell how they are used. Can you
think of any better way of carrying these baskets?_

_Make a handle for a basket._

_Make a carrying strap and show how to use it for a
head strap. Show how to use it for a shoulder strap
and a breast strap._

_Draw a picture of a woman carrying a basket._

_Model in clay a Cave-man who is carrying a wild pig on
his back._