Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-05-08
Little Heroes.
JACQUES FORESTER, JOSEPH BARRA, AND
PIETRO DA CORTONA.
From Our Young Folks

JACQUES FORESTER, JOSEPH BARRA, AND
PIETRO DA CoRToNA.
From Our Young Folks.
As you are all old enough to be
school-children, you have probably
read in your histories something about
Alexander; who was. without doubt,
the greatest conquering hero of ancient
times. To-day If war is declared, men
try to have a reason or at least a pre-
text for it but in ancient times men
conquered a country simply for the
sake of proving that they could do it.
They ravaged kingdoms, DESTROYED the
people, RACED the cities, and fred the
country, in order to have the noble
pleasure of saying that no one was able
to prevent their doing all these grand
things.
Now, although Alexander was very
generous and had great many very
noble and lovable traits about him, and
although many Of his acts would attract
any high-spirited boy (the tanning Of
the wild horse Bucephalus, for instance)
and fill him with spirit akin to that
which aetuated Alexander, yet his is
not the kind of heroism that / should
wish you to emulate Accordingly I
will tell you one or two stories of other
kinds Of heroism.
There is fable that Lysimachus, hav-
ing offended the Emperor Alexander,
was thrown into the arena to struggle
with a famished lion, which was way
they had of Furnishing offenders in those
times. When the Infatuated animal
rushed upon him, Lysimachus suddenly
wrapped his arm in his mantle, sprang
forward, seized the lions tongue and
tore it out, which so wounded the beast
that he died. Before passing Judgment
upon the probability of this story, [
wish you to hear another which [ be-
lieye, because dates and localities are
given which seem to be in some meas
ure Il guaranty of its truth.
About the beginning of the last CEN
fury, in certain village in France,
near Vitry, in Champagne, there lived
Il peasant, the father of a boy very
small for his age, who was called Jae-
quls Forester. In that country the
very name of wolf is terror to all
children and to most grown people. In
the winter when the ground is covered
with snow, an encounter with wolves is
anything but pleasant, for, urged by
famine, they do not hesitate to attack
even men. Now jacques, who had a
horror of these cruel beasts, and who,
being gifted with a valiant heart, desir-
ed to exterminate them all, demanded
OF bis father one day how he could
best fight them for" added he, eff
L meet one [ mean to kill it. y
Considering this question as dictated
by the simple curiosity of the little fell
low, or by his childish vanity, the faith
er answered by repeating a pleasantly
which he had probably heard related
By some iuggler trying to amuse the
simple villagers. 81 will tell you the
surest way to XII wolf, Jacques As
be always comes upon you with his
mouth wide open, thrust your arm
down his throat, until you reach the
tail then pulling at his tail, you turn
your wolf, like stocking inside out"
But, said jacques, who took it all
seriously, Il am small; my arm would
not reach to the tail of the wolf -
g In that case," answered the father,
g [ think that III thrusting the fist well
down the throat you will succeed in
chotzfng him"
g Good! Thank you!" said the
child, who went away thoughtful on
one side while the father went away
smiling on the other
That year 17S9) the winter was very
severe. The country was covered with
snow; and the wolves pushed their ex-
plorations, in open day, into the mid
die of the villages and even into the
very farm-yards, One morning the
parents of Jacques, having gone out,
had left him IN the house to take care
OF his little sister, yet in the cradle,
the door, which was left unattached,
opened suddenly, and a young wolf APP
peared. It had doubtless smelt the
tender flesh and without ceremony
1t sprang directly towards the sleeping
child.
But the furnished creature had count
ed without the lesson given to little
jacques, who had taken it very serious
y and had thought it over many times.
without hesltatlng a moment, he threw
himself before the wolf, which turned
turlously against him; and, closing his
list, the brave boy thrust it into the
mouth OF the animal. The wolf strug-
gled2 but jacques, pressing his other
hand upon his neck, pushed it to the
angle of the wall, where he held it
tightly sqeezed, with his fist crammed
down It's throat, until the beast rolled
sutfocated upon the flags. His excite
ment and the effort that he was obliged
to make had exhausted the little van
qulsher, and he fell fainting beside the
When the parents return
ed, imagine their surprise and terror
at seeing the wolf and the child crouch
ed side by side! When Jacques came
to himself his first words were, 'sMy
little sister The wolf has not eaten
her?n
Joseph Barra, at the age of twelve
years, was drummer boy in the army
OF the Republic. One day, by the for
tunes of war, he fell into the hands of
the enemy, who supported the cause of
the KING. The fierce soldiers surround
ed him, shouting, "Cry, Long Hve the
King, or die!"
Twenty guns were leveled athim.
'sLOi9g tjUe the Republic - cried the
child, and fell pierced with twenty
Lh4o JOluGu Tile
army when he was ten years old, in or
der not to be an expense to his mother.
q poor widow; to whom. after that
time, he regularly sent his small pay.
He was a truly brave boy, true to his
and true to his affections:
and although in our own time and coun-
try it is easy to find many instances of
great courage and devotedness, it is
rare to find so young boy doing his
duty so courageously.
| will now tell you of young artist,
who, having felt his vocation instinct
lVely, as birds know how to build their
nests, struggled on and upwards,
through privation of every kind, until
ne became that which he could not
Aelp bemg,-a true artist.
Sletro Ga Cortona was the son of a
Door shepherd Of Tuscany, who did not
f2ubie himself to find for him any
oeiler condition in life but his own.
retro, whilst watching his goats, pass.