The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-09-02
ARP STUDIES BATS.
NOT TIE BASEBALL KIND, BUT
THOSE UITH UIhGS.
From Eats and Bees His Thoughts Run to
Women and General l.. VI. II. Young
and Ills Crazy Quilt.

Last night while We were all quietly read
ing my wife looked UP ami remarked;
'''fhere Is Il bat in the room" A long
time ago she used to jump Gp with aiacrity
and 80 into another room ard wait till l
got the little varmint out. but ammo dOIaini
takes TIE scare out of woman as well
az IA man. and so now she keeps her seat.
The girls said Take the lamp in the nall
iald 1t Will 30 out" but 1t wouldent. My
wife saiG you had better get the broom
and knock 1t down. but don't you knock it
this way" 1 noticed that she had put Tue
Sunny South Oh her head saddle fashion.
and the girls had covered up all but their
eyes. Carefully 1 mounted a chair and be-
San to sweep for the little creature Il
SKINNED around, but 1t takes a long time
and l lost my perpendicular several times.
The bat is the missing link said / as
gave another stroke. Seems TO be-, said
my wife. You miss It every time" 1t
is not amphibious animal" said L. But
very ambiguous" said she. 1T is chrop-
ferrous and vespertilio," said l as L made
another lunSe and the chair caTeened and
rot me down easy. Pausing while to get
breath. 1 remarked that these big words
of Linneus meant having hands and fingers
and coming out at twilight We'll, do
please get the thing out OF htre-isnd you
can tell us about it afterward.' said my
wife. The next effort was accidental
CT ccoss. The bat was knocked down and
swept out Then ! got the cyclcpaedia and
discovered from Ii how the bat was i
bird that laid no eggs. but gave birth to
its young 4Eld sucked them-hOw il had
hands ana feet and fingers and toes and
even finger nails and toe nails; how it had
teeth, CANNES and molars; how it was not
blind but had little tiny eyes hid in the
hair, eyes that cannot bear the light ana
are entirely closed when flying around a
lighted room. Cuvier experimental with
them and put their eyes out and they
could still fly around and never touch =
wall or the ceiling. lie said it was owing
to their exquisite sense OF touch and Of
smell and hearing. the ancicnts said the
bat had "A sixth sense by which they could
avoid collision with walls and SO forth.
but Ouvier did not think so. They are
very ancient little animal and L reckon
had place somewhere in Noah's ark. but
We don't know whether he put them with
the birds or the bugs. Moses declared them
unclean and classed them with owls and
vutures. 1t seems to that 1t is poor,
miserable life they live, SsSit L reckon they
enjoy it, especially when they come i'm tine
house and alarm the women and children.
They have a unique and lCnely place IN
creation. there being but two or three
kinds, and they never cross or mix and
have no society. They have the miniature
hands and feet of humaa beings, the teeth
of dog ana wings to tiy like a bird. Even
Darwin could not tell whether they evo-
luted backward or forward.
1 wish that / was naturalist. 1t IS an
everything mystery 10 study these little
creatures all around us How fy can
20 swiftly glide upon the window pare,
what language the ants use as they pass
and repass on0 another as they 30 and
come from their hidden nests. l watch
them on the poles in the trellis and tpey
md
something and quickly pass on. Maybe it
Is "H0wdy," or Are ali wellE' OF Il ana
glad to see you-giye my love to the exit
dren." That they say something there is
no doubt. Then there are the lightning
bugs that would be 4 great wonder if
they were not 50 common. Did you ever
observe that they never Tighten except To
rise higher hi the air? They make de
ss'Gitiss irvs' -sssisl la .,4tss al. tl1t
to propel ,hem upwards. II is an electsic
power--a force without heat-and our
scientists might study il and aralyze the
wonderful little chemical machine that lies
hidden in It's tail. Ii is a power as well
as a light. My friend Eussey, the hec man
of Marietta, says he tried diligently TO
cross lightning bugs with his Ec-s so that
the cross could see how to work in the
cork, but he failed. ! have great respect
for Linneus anu Cuvlcr ana AUdobon ana
Agassiz. VINO have left us such a treasury
tUre. 1t does seem that providence raises
up such men with a kind purpose ana
gives them a key to unlock His storchoUse.
Every once In a great while a great man
comes up to minister to our pleasure. our
learning or our comfort. Thus knowledge
becomes diffused ami the world becomes
wisersand better. II man is the best finder
woman is the best difuser Of knowledge.
L contemplated them yesterday as they
worked on a crazy quilt at my house. \
good lady who is always at work Tor the
church. or the poor. the heather.
brought over the patchwork Of a Quilt to
be made up. She got her many friends topl
make each square and yesterday IL was
all stitched together and embroidered ana
the seams pressed down and n rich border
put on. and it Is about as lovely as a crazy
quilt can be. for they are the most dis
tracted things in the world and nobody
but crazy people admire them. General
Young liked to have taken a lit over this
one before il was put together, ana he has
bought 1t for $25 and is going To take il
to Guatemala when he goes back and will
Of state Perhaps he may wear il ON recep-
ton days like Roman toga or Spanish /
maEtilla. At any rate, these good women I
have beeu as crazy as the quit, and all /
fer the sake of the heather Chinese. WI I
are killing up our missionaries. l hope st !
will be invested ia powder. I never saw 1
the like. The harder the times the harder /
do the women beg for money for some /
charitable or church work. Almost every |
Ilail brings an urgent, pleading letter from /
somewhere wanting little help for mer- |
cy's sake. What would the churches DO /
without them? What would the prayer |
meetings do or the weddings or the fu- i
nerals? ELL ARR.
STRONG EVIDENCE AGAINST HOLMES |