St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-07-18
j BOUT THE lOU NG PEOPLE.
TERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
MATTER OR THE YOUNG.
jOf11r.3's Oration--More Vanity
Than Patriot Srl--A Funny
PrOb!em--A Plea for Cit
Play Grounds.
JOhnnie'S Grafton.

JOhnnie'S Grafton.
"Cot your speech ready for Friday,
'ohnnie?' asked a schooI-boy.
No" said John
"Nell, | have You'd better hurry
pr
"PshaW, what $ the usc?" asked
John. "iou see Il speech for Friday
SIT Just like lessons that a fellow
ought to learn. Ever SO many things
may happen, so that I shan have to
speak at all Visitors may come in,
II some other boy may recite some
hing real long, so that there won't be
imo i0r me. shnn't bother. Maybe
III 90 out into the country that day,
md then if | learned anythingit would
De OF no Use, I'll wait till the time
ONES"
John waited. but ne did not 90 to
he country, and the other boys chose
=. 0rt dtcIIInHtiOnS, and Friday
morning WAS sOcIoudy that there was
30 prospect OF company. At noon
John was III Il Il state OF desperation.
lie flew here and there about the
house in search OF something that
would answer his purpose. Uncle
Jacl, gave him a book OF old dialogues
and oration<, but before he could
learn more than q line or two it was
5chOol-timc.
The others spoke, but John listened
without hearing much, and when his
own name WHScaIIrd he walked across
the floor with Il very beWildeled feel
ing Then. staring at the ceiling, he
leaned against post in the centre OF
the room. EIr. Gray wonldnot accept
excuses; John knew that perfectly.
He put his hands in his pockets and
looked at the boys. pulled them out
AGAIN and looked at the clock; then
he began coni,l>eIiy:
My name is Norval. On the Gram
plan illls-ny name Is NOrval. On
the Grampian hills my father feeds
his-hlS-name Is, NOrval.
Runs in the family, that name
does slylv whispered a boy near him.
The Others began to laugh, for they all
knew how grandly John had talked OF
not taking any trouble.
Mr.. Gray began to look cllriouslg
over his glasses, and John knew that
sonnet hing must be done; so he sudden
" said: II don't know much about
NorvaI, but know something about
industry, so I'll talk about that
"Industry is good thing to have;
it's better than luck If a boy Just
trusts to luck, it may not turn out as
he expects. and then he gets
into the trouble. II a boy is
real Industrious, and gets ready for
things, Why-he' $ ready. Ii the man
that invented the telegraphing had
waited for luck, | don't suppose
there'd have have been any messages
sent vet. Boys be Industrious; get
ready for things beforehand5 and
don't wait till the time comes"
John bowed and sat down, and the
boys applauded heartily.
Mr.. Gray who did not understand
the matter so well, hesitated q mo-
ment, but finally said:
This address seems to be original,
and | suppose we must Judge it LEM
emily on that account, though it Is
very imperfectly prepared. There Is
some valuable truth in it, however
which the speaker himself may profit
by. "Whatever is worth do
ing at all, is worth doing
we'll" Or, rather" he added, more
seriously, "there is a better motto
still that | should like to i've you
"Whatsoever We do, do it heartily as
unto the Lord, and not unto men.
That will prevent all shams and care
less work"
The boys thought John had escaped
wonderfully WE'LL but he was certain
of one thing-that if he hadnot learn
ed any thing to reclte, he had learned
something else that day.-kate w
Hamilton in Nashville Christian Ad
VOcate.
A Funny Problem.
twas warm, sleepy afternoon, and
the scholars in Miss Plummer's school
looked and acted as if they wished
four o'clock would hurry along.
The class in mental arithmetic were
lazily droning through their lessons
when Deacon Day popped his CHEEKY
face in at the door. All the children
loved him, and were glad when he
came to visit the school.
Perhaps he saw they needed some
thing to wake. them up, so when the
class were through with the lesson, he
gave them this problem
al eighteen COWS were going through
a marrow gate where only one coult
pass at time, which COW could look
back and say. There are eleven pairs
OF horns behind me?'
The class thought busily for q
minute; then up came Tommy TUFTS
hand.
(Which one Tommy" asked the
deacon.
"The seventh.
"No."
Another minute of study, then Celia
Brown put up her hand.
"What do you think CeIia?'
Il think it ..ojght be the eight, fo1
when the COW turned her head to lool