The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-07-12
SHORT TALKS WITH THE BOYS

Nj. Quad. in De;goi, Free. Press
 Nos, my boy, let's look around us and md ou, something abo II every day life. Do you swim:
 No"
 Then learn. Your father should offer you every advantage 10 practice this art until you are good swimmer Outside of the enJoymea, of bath, the swimmer IS the one who ought to have the coolest head in case of an aeciden, on the water. He can trust himself further in fishing, rowing and sailing, and will be offered mose than one opportunity during his lifetime of saving human life.
 It is well for a growing boy 10 take such exercises as wiil strengthen his muscle, but he mus, be cautious. Box, ing is too harsh. l, no, only strains l:,e muscles of the arms and back, bu, II h quite apt to affect other parts. To be A good boxer Is simply to have the satis- faction of pounding someone around room. Wrestling IS dangerous, and the bars and trapexe result in broken limbs Riding and walking arc probably the safest and bes. exercise for a growing boy.
 "See this water pitcher z, Of course.
 Well. what makes |; so damp on ,he outside :"
 Don't know
 Easy enough, my lad. The ice has cooled the pitcher until the moisture Tn the air is condensed on the outside That's the say 3 pitcher or ,umbler has of perspirpg.
 What made it rain yesterday Because storm came up.
 That's not far answer. When two clouds of unequal temperature unite, ram will fall. Clouds are masses of yapor, more or less saturated with water, and as soon as the cold condenses the air the wcier IS squeezed out as from sponge, and we call 1t rain.
 1t is a queer boy who does not mee, with an accident of some sort every week of his life. For a sprained ankle, rub on whisky or arnica. If cold water will not stop nose-bleed, fold piece of paper and place 1t between your teeth and upper lip. A few drops of cold water on the back of the neck will often prove re. medy. A cut finger will stop bleeding if you hold 1t in cold water. If you ge, dir in your eyes rub toward the temple instead of the nose.
 "A stone-bruise should be poulticed un- til soft enough to lance. If you can't swim, remember to struggle as little as possible if you fall into the water. A common chair would fioa, you all day, so long as you only rested your hand o il, Never carry coin of any sort in your mouth. Enough grease and dirt can be washed off seemingly clean quarter to discolor pint of water.
 Now let's see about some of the trifies we never turn aside to investigate. A full-grown grasshopper can jump 200 times his own length. If a man could jump in the same proportion as the ~ hopper" he would cover a fifth of a mile.
 You have heard the expression, Blind as bat Well, bats are not blind, any more than owls. The insects they feed on only move about at night, and there l fore a bats eyes, were they never 90 sharp, would be of no use by daylight Don't you sec the curous workings q nature in thisf
 "The owl has been adopted as the eni- blem of wisdom, but there are dozen wiser birds. He can fly in the full glare of midday, but like the bat he does his feeding at night and, therefore, has his sharpest eyes after sundown.
 "A caierpillcr crzwls SO slowly that it makes you tired to watch him, but one will travel Igo feet an hour. Their fury coat IS their protection against certain enemies. He can not slip into hole, like certain grubs and worms, bu, when threatened he rolls himself into ball, like hedgehog, and even robin makes a wy face in guiping him down.
 The common ant, whose ways the sluggard was invited to consider, is a hard worker If a man could carry as much in proportion as an ant he would have no trouble in shoulderirg a hogs head Of sugar. One single ant will sus- tain the weight of twensy-one others ciinging to him to make a bridge. A strong man could not sustain the weight Of two good-sized boys many minutes. If hoFse could bite as hard in propor- sion as an ant he would chew up paving stones and serap-iron without giving him the toothache.
 Look at the feet Of the partridge and then at those of the hawk. and you will i see more of natures wisdom The hawk has taloos, 90 ses as to Asten the more firmly sith every eGort of its victim to escape, while the partridge has nails for scratching among the leaves and grass afer its 0od. One depends on his own efforts for his dinner; the other is sup piled by nature ~;sh nuts and berries
 While the eagle is the king Of birds, he has ever been . fugitive from man. He is not as good . 6shez as several othez birds, and his sze counts against him in sweeping down for small game. He must live. not oo what he originally captures, but by robbing othey robbess- He has . sharper eye than any eehez known bird, and nature has % fixed 1t