Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-05-09
Little Heroes.

Little Heroes.
JACQUES FORESTER, JOSEPH BARRA, AND
pIETRo DA CoRTONA
From Our Young Folks.
As you are all old enough to be
school-childIen, 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 pre-
text for it: but in ancient times men
conquered country simply for the
sake of proving that they could do it.
They ravaged kingdoms, destroyed the
people, RACED the cities, and fired 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 a great many very
mobile and lovable traits about him, and
1 although many OF his acts would attract
any high.spirIted boy (the tanning of
the wild horse Bucephalus, for instance
and fill him with a spirit akin to that
which actuated 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 famished lion, which was way
l 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 passingiudgment
supon the probability of this story, Il
wish you to hear another which | be-
heye, because 2ates and localities are
given which seem to be in some meas
ure a guaranty of its truth.
About the beginning of the last cen
fury, in a certain village in France,
near Vitry, in Champagne, there lived
NJ peasant, the father of boy very
small for his age, who was called JAG
quis Forester. In that country the
! very name of wolf is a terror to all
children and to most grown people. In
with snow, an encounter with wolves is
sanything but pleasant, for, urged by
famine, they DO not hesitate to attack
4 even men. Now jacques, who had a
q horror of these cruel beasts, and who,
q being gifted with a valiant heart, desir-
4 ed to eXterminate them all, demanded
Of his father one day how he could
best fight them for" added he, eff
meet one | mean to kill it. "
Considering this question as dictated
10y the simple curiosity of the little fell
4 low, or by his childish vanity, the faith
j er answered by repeating a pleasantly
i which he had probably heard related
10y some lUggler trying to amuse the
4 SIMPLE villagers. - will tell you the
sWest way to XIII wolf, Jacques. As
4 he always comes upon you with his
y mouth wide open, thrust your arm
q down his throat, until you reach the
q TAN then pulling at his tail, you turn
Il Your VOLT like stocking inside out. >
But. said Jacques, who took it all
q seriously, &" am small; my arm would
& .t 'N'tN II ~ lllt YAH Oh lilt NOll
- In that case answered the father,
"a ! think that in thrusting the fist we'll
n down the throat you will succeed in
a choking him.
q " Good. Thank you" said the
Al culid, who went away thoughtful on
ne side while the father went away
n smiling on the other.
q That year 17S9) the winter was very
81 severe. The country was covered with
II SHOW; and the wolves pushed their ex-
n l.olaaous, i'm open day, into the mid
81 gu ot the villages and even into the
a very tarm-varls, One morning the
N .lants OF Jacques, having gone out,
81 -a.' left him IN the house to take care
q X As little sister, yet in the cradle,
II '.e door, which was left unattached,
Il "-a1ed suddenly, and q young wolf APP
q red. 1t had doubtless smelt the
Il ..#do1 flesh and without ceremony
" nrang directly towards the sleeping
81 ol1.
Il Int the famished creature had CONT
. ~ without the lesson given to little
y aluas, who had taken il very serious
a tab had thought it over many times.
Fl without hesltdtlug a moment. he threw
n I4,elf before the wolf, which turned
Il ,'Hously against him and, closing his
. the brave boy thrust it into the
4. Of the animal. The wolf strug-
y bat Jacques, pressing his other
uPon his neck. pushed it to the
angie u the wall, where he held it