The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-01-15

G8ASSHORREHs
Children, did you ever stop to think
that nothing was made in vain7 III
not, why not7 We can look around
Ms and see feas, beetles, mosquitoes,
and many other living things which
seem to have no useful mission in life
but when we think that Nature had
any time to fool away in experiments
we are sadly mistaken. She knew
what she was about when she gave q
bed-bug four rows of teeth and 2 40
gait, and she had her eyes wide open
when she made double joints in the
hind legs of flea
This insect which hold up before
you IL grasshopper. In some local
itles, whore they have no dollar stores
or street epriRklers he is termed To-
Gust, but he is the same bird under all
names, These insects date back to the
time when the first rail fence on earth
was built, and they were only two
weeks eating up the last silver of it.
They are like these chaps who want to
borrow i've dollars for day or two
scatteree all over the world. They
knock their heads against the Pyra-
mids of Egypt, and 60 in swimming
on the coast of California. They make
q MONDAY lunch from the Indians
wigwam, and they cat supper in the
palaces of kings.
Few great men seem to have given
much attention to the study of the
grasshopper, although there is lots of
him to study. He has not got as
many legs as he might have, but he is
not the grasshopper to sneak off and
pout oyer that. You will see that the
number he has are unusually long and
stoutly jointed, and so spread out that
when he comes down on anything
there are no slips or sprains in store
for him. If man had the comparative
length Of limb given to the grass.
hopper, he could see q woman with q
red sash-ribbon on, seven miles up
Woodward avenue. II his limbs had
the comparative strength of q grass
hopper's, he could kick in hundred
saloon doors in an evening, and moi
feel bit weary. These hind legs are
hinged for jumping. Nature meant
that every grasshopper should jump 9
full ten feet, and where any of them
come down short, it is because of q
lazy disposition.
Observe his eyes. They are 80 set
that he can see in all directions al
once. While chewing away on the
handle of q barn-shovel he can look fol-
late corn with his left eye, and squini
for the farmers dog with his right
When yon imagine that you can gel
the skulk on grasshopper1 you are
badly left. If man could see as well
as this insect, his wife would never be
able to surprise him while walking in
the park with another lady.
In addition to his long legs the
grasshopper has wings. and is there.
fore enabled to keep track of things
over vast extent of territory. The
idea of pinning chap like him down
to one township and one grade of so.
ciety would be absurd. When tired
of walking around oyer the stubble
fields some old hopper gives a signal
toot on his horn and away goes the
whole drove, sometimes in one way
and again in another. There is always
some one on hand to estimate the ex-
act number of cloud of these insects.
1t is generally the postmaster or some
one else good in figures, and the mum.
Der is always given at twelve billions.
If there happen to be two or three
over they are some lame or blind old
insects not worth counting.
Grasshoppers were built to be hum
CRY. They can eat seven or eight
square meals per day and pick away
at the bones of grindstone between
times. They would no doubt thrive
much better on steady diet of raisin
cake and plum pudding, but grass
hoppers cannot have just what they
want in this world. He is well up on
botany, knows all about cereals and
grasses, has an eye for natural history,
and take him as q whole he can be got
along with much better than man
two-thirds drunk.