Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-09-11
Kite-TiHe.

Father, what makes the kite go
up? The wind almost blows things
down. Why don't it blow the kite
down % --a..
$50 it will, my boy, unless the kite
the wind, striking the under side of it,
forces it upwards, while the string
keeps it from blowing away. AS it
rises, it begins at once to make its
way against the wind, ,impelled by the
wind itself !; curious, is MT it? Onthe
same principle ships beat, that is,
sail against the wind not directly
against it, you understand, but OBJ
iquely the sails being set so as to
receive the wind slantingly on one
side, while the keel acts like the
kite-strlng, to prevent the vessel from
drifting away The string IS held by
the boys hand, and the keel is held in
It's position by the water through
which it rushes."
I don't know that "my boy" clearly
understands this explanation, but he
thinks he does, and it answers very
we'll for his little head, until it is big
enough to take IN the physiological the
DRY of the "resolution of forces.
Then he will see plainly demonstrated
| the reason why the kite and the ship
move against the very force which is
exerted upon them.
The kite was great wonder to me
when was boy, as no doubt it is to
most children. Before [ had one of
my own [ used to think it had the
power of flying away like bird, and
/ Id =
to hold it a prisoner. Then l found
that, for this restraint, 1t wouldn't fly
at all, very much like certain obsti-
nate people, who never show much
energy of action except when they are
opposed.
! Kite time comes at almost every
season of the year when the weather is
favorable; but in my boyhood Septem
| TENDER was considered the ''great
month" for kites. Then the weather
is usually cold and windy, without be-
ing so cold and clustering as in March.
| What delight 1t was, on some beautl-
full afternoon, to bring our kites to an
open field or treeless hill, shake out
their long, rustling tails, and send
! them up proudly into the sky Then
he who had the largest kite and the
| longest string was the test Teller :"
What times we had providing our
selves with string Every bit of Irvine
about the house on which boyish
hand could be laid was levied upon, to
add to the ball, until it was found
that all beyond certain length, for
the ordinary kite, was more a hinder
ance than a help, in consequence of
the strings sagging from its own
weight.
But if the kite was large and well
made, and the wind strong, it was fun
to ''let her up = Sometimes two or
more kite-owners would unite their
strings, just to see what one kite would
do. What pleasure it was to see it
soaring Tar, Tar away, up, up, up,
almost into the clouds, and to feel it
tugging at the twinei Then if the
! twlne broke, what q catastrophe
What chase across the country for
the runaway kite, which was perhaps
found lodged In the branches of some
tall tree Acomplete wreck, maybe !;
then it was abandoned, and our efforts
were aimed at saving as - much
as possible of the string and tail. @-.-
The kite is not plaything for boys
only why should not their sisters JOIN
them in the sport? The skill and ex-
ercise required to keep the kite in the
air, the lifting, the running, the. dodg-
ing of obstacles,-al this is exhilarat
ing and useful to girls as to boys.
Nearly every school-boy knows how
to make the common kite. with a frame
of three straight sticks crossing each
| of hon l1n
can teach him. But the way to make
the more graceful sort, such as we see
so often in pictures, is not so well I'M
derstood For one of these, choose
first for the center-piece or upright
of your frame a flat, Iath-shaped stick
| Ga good lath itself may do) of the re-
CURED ZENITH, say six feet.
Point the top, and fit into a
crease cut below it q strip of light cane,
which must be firmly bound to the up
right (notched for the purpose) by
stout thread wound about them. The
cane is to form the bow, which
after being carefully bent, is held
in its place by cords, and
The frame may be still further
strengthened by fastening the cords P,
firmly to the ends of the bow and to
the upwright.
The frame complete, pains having
been made to makeit perfectly symme-
trical, itremains to be covered. News
papers will answer for this purpose,
though cloth may be preferable, for a
large kite. Newspapers can be pieced
by FASTING the edges together. Trim
them to shape little larger than
the kite, leaving just margin enough
to be turned over the bow and side
strings and pasted neatly down. The
ends of the cord are to be passed
through holes made in the cover and in
the upright and made fast by knots at
the back of the kite. To this cord the
klte-string is to be attached. At the
SIDES long paper tassels are
hung; and now for the tail.
Upon this will depend the flying
| QualI tIpc of tha kite and baua II 1val