The record-union., 1895-05-09
FOR THE CHILDREN.
Paragraphs About and for the Young
Folks.

Paragraphs About and for the Young
Folks.
Boys and girls must take an added in
terest in the thrilling verses of our ma
tional song, America" since they have
read how its author, Samuel Francis
Smith. has been honored. He is an old
man now. and it is very appropriate that
this testimonial meeting should be held
for him, as we cannot expect that many
more years OF lie will be granted to him.
When he is dead tributes will be paid
every where, but it is certainly right and
pleasant that man who deserves honor
should be honored in his lifetime, when
he can enjoy the well-earned reward. 1t
was very interesting to hear DR.. Smith,
who is now ST years old, give an account
of the writing of what were destined to
be world-famous verses. They were
scrubbed very hastily on scrap of paper
siXty-three years ago. 1t did not take
their author half an hour to finish them,
which shows that they must have been
inspired by an overpowering feeling OF
patriotism. They were first sung at a
children's Fourth OF July celebration in
a church in Boston. and from that intro
duction they have become known wher-
ever the American flag is seen.
1t is said of Horace Greeley that b g
once said: II have made plenty OF mis-
takes in my life, but they were always
new Mistakes" Everybody blunders; it
is the wise person who does not blunder
in the same way twice.
A small boy up town came to his father
the other day and asked him what "wart"
meant. His father looked up from his
paper to say: "Y ou mean warts, | guess;
they are tough sort of pimples that grow
on boys or anybody's hands some-
times" Tie little fellow went Oft to the
window and thought awhile; it was evil
don't that he had not got the answer he
expected. Presently he returned. cit
wasn't warts" he said, lit was wart. The
minister said: Our Father wart i'll
heaven and L don't know what he
meant"
The head gardener of the White House,
the Presidents residence in Washington
tells reporter tor one of that city's pa
pers some interesting things about flower
pots. He says, to begin with, that for
use in the grounds and conservatories OF
which he Is i'll charge from 5000 to 10000
new pots are required every year. They
do not wear out, but they get broken,
and also decay from moisture gathering.
The tiny little pots about two inches in
diameter, which are used to put little
slips in, are called thumb potts." and of
these from $4,000 to 10000 are needed
every spring to start the new plants in
the beds about the White House. Flower
pots are made everywhere, and are of
TWO kinds, the machine-made aud the
handmade. The latter cost more, but
last longer. All the potteries have stand
ard sizes, SO that whether the pot is made
in Boston or Philadelphia or somewhere
else, the size of each pattern remains the
same. In all sizes the depth OF the pot
must be just equal to it's diameter at the
top. Some very large pots are made
measuring sixteen inches across the top,
with. OF course. an equal depth. These
and are used for big palms and other
large plants. They are a great contrast
to the tiny two-inch ''baby" pots. Who
ever made the first flower pot had good
artistic eye, for the dull red color which
they all show is good tint to go with
any plant, and never seems to look out OF
place.