Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-20


pigeon homeward has been much discussed. Per
sons who have no practical knowledge Of the man.
gard this faculty wonderful instinct but those
most acquainted with the subject regard It as
mere exercise Of the perspective faculties OF the
birds, which have no relation whatever to the
blind unreasoning instinct that directs or Is said
to direct, the action OF so many animals Pigeons
%uS BE ol o Or they win
home. The best birds will refuse to ny in a fog
and TO my knowledge none have ever flown home
been known to desert nest and young and take
the first chance offered to return to their old
home. The cock, however, will seldom go with
out his mate, and It is said that he Will actually
push her from the nest to escape with him.
"Not long ago some young birds that had never
LEFT their nest were purchased from point nifty
miles away. In due time they were allowed lib
erty, and their new owner observed them in the
morning sitting on the roof summing themselves.
their arrival whence they had cone. Thinking he
had been swindled with trained birds he became
irate and replied: keep them and send me birds
received another lot SO young that they had TO be
ied. But they, too, were reported back at their
home. The purchaser then telegraphed: keep your
flyers and send me birds In the she'll" The secret
OF 1t probably was that the young recognized their
parents, which flew In that direction, and went
home with them.
PIGEON SOCIETIES
net work over the States from the Atlantic to
the Pacific and from the lakes to the gull To my
knowledge there are three papers issued monthly
on the noming pigeon, In addition to the columns
Tbe
fancy characteristics. They are valued solely on
account OF their great power Of Eight, q power
feather, the extent to which they overlap, and for
their powerful wings with vast muscles to move
tnem; an such Characteristics as color are ne
q n r1,a
that have made the best records
10 show the perfection with which the pigeon
s S mere and abroad, have equipped their
cotes, Will only mention the Belgian Jrap-doOr
ana the annunciatOr. The former consists OF a
cage Dy means OF which the pigeon enters its home
after returning from flights, but which is so ar
ranged by door OF swinging wires, that the bird
entraps ITSELF like mouse. upon entering. 1t can
Snen Oe easily caught and any message detached
OF platform, upon which the bird must
so that sbe en5Ing the loft
connection TO ring a bell at the office
OF nome OF the proprietor and thus announce its
return II has been still further perfected SO that
now the electric current Will operate an instanta-
neouS camera, thus phOtographing the bird as 1t
ailghtS. clock hanging opposite will also be
use which has been made OF these pigeons, by civil
societies as well as by military authorities SHOWS
what may be expected from the pigeon station es-
'A'iiSneo W General Gresly at Key west.
Nonsense in the Public Schools.
To the Editor of The EVENING STAR:
AS parent deeply interested in the welfare OF
the rising generation have the highest apprecia-
ton OF our public schools. Having also been q
teacher myself, l fully appreciate the trials OF a
teacher, and am disposed to be lenient in criti-
cism; but the questions submitted in some OF the
grades OF our public schools to be studied up out
slde OF the textbooks are so lacking in usefulness
that criticism Of the method seems imperatively
necessary ara ntrad n ind nuf
about" so-and-so, but are not allowed to give
answers that are derived from data given in the
are supposed to condense the gist OF these sub
JectS in such plain language as Is adapted TO the
needs and comprehension or the children or that
grade, and to tax child with the minutia OF an
encyclopaedia is not only pulling and confusing
to the child, but abstracts attention from the i'm
portant and salient facts given III the textbooks.
out about the Lianos SeiUas and Panpas" Now,
the geography OF that grade fully explains that
the "Ltdnos "a Spanish word meaning level nelds)
are great treeess plains In the north part OF South
America AS soon Is the rainy season sets In the
llanos are quickly covered with grass. They are
horses and sheep. In the dry season the p,ains
are cracked by the great heat. At this time the
cattle have to be driven elsewhere for pasturage.
sometimes during the rainy season the llanOs are
quite covered with water. The cattle then fee to
higher land. The Indians climb the palm trees and
live there till the water falls"
"The selvaS "a Spanish word meaning wOOds) are
great plains adjoining the Amazon River, and
covered with a thick growth OF trees-gigantic
palms and mahogany Trees and great ferns. These
are woven together with climbing vines and
tangled underbrush, SO that The forest forms
dense thicket. Only wild beasts can force their
way through II, and path must be cleared with
an axe before person can go even O short dis
tance into the interior. In the rainy season the
selvas are changed into vast swamp
1.-THE pampas "a Spanish word meaning plains
are treeless plains IN the southern part Of South
America, covered with pampas grass. This grass
grows from 10 10 10 feet high, and Its waving seed
hAn ho
range countless herds OF wild horses and cattle
&C." Now the child Is not allowed To give answers
from the foregoing data contained in It's geOgra.
ply, but Is expected TO study up other facts out
side. What there is outside OF the foregoing that
It's overcrammed brain is more than can UNDER
stand, and yet II some sort VI an answer Is not
given the child Is marked failure Not only this,
but many OF the questions are both absurd and mis-
cheVous. For Instance, the children instruct
ed ITO ind out about tobacco, and the two brands
OF cigars made in Havana" Being q smoker, this
question was confidently submitted to me for
answer by one OF my children. just what value
this would De to girl pupil failed TO see, and
confess, did not know what the Two % brands OF
cigars made In Havana were. A few days later
understood that the satisfactory answer was that
"Havana' and "key Vest were the two brands,
In lady teacher this distinction might have been
excuSabo, were II not for the new geography that
1t presented. Again the children were instructed
TO burn bones, anu conduct certain tentative ex-
perlmentS In actual manipulation with mur1atic
acd being told 10 purchase the latter at the drug
stores. surely the teacher had not a proper con-
ception OF the nature OF this powerfully corrosive
acid, which, In tue hands OF an inexperienced
child, would be almost as dangerous TO It's welfare
as dynamite. II Intelligent and useful questions
cannot Ue formulated by the teachers for outside
investigation, In the name OF common sense let US
dispense with this nonsense, and rely upon the
text books.