Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-07-21

All my readers know the story and
wondrous adventures of Tom fhumh
but probably rev Ct them KNOW mat
the story is mole than three thous-
and years o1d. and can actually be
seen every day in the armament. for
the original Tom Thumb is none other
than the little star of the sixth mag
nitude, which is observed close to the
second star in the constellation of the
Great Bear.
According to the traditions or an.
tiGuity, the first astronomers were the
children of Central Asia. The i'm
mense plains, where the hrst Sent
tic eivihzatien We're settled. led the
shepherds, during the serene nights.
to contemplate the heavens and adors
their splendor
The Great Bear naturally attlaetea
their attention and their jmaginVIou
soon made them discover in the fam.
Gus constellation a chariot draws te
fm7se exen.
Ever since those ancient TINES :.
til nations Of fae earth have ases=
hute5 % the fot3 stars fornae e9e
sqaa1e Jife past q wheels. aaa to t6e
other threa tie pat ef 5@en or horses
The little star just above the SECOND
large sGar was soon given tAe part
of the dGiVe4 in tHa t5af7asale ee1-
sioas ve fad fais Jif51e star called
fetteslefn the little rI3eD
TIE ad9enures Of Tom Thumb d5fzI
fer in al the countries whore one
story is still told and has been told
fer thousands OF wears. All versions.
however, agree in artributing the
birth of the little hero to the same
cause \ poor couple (sometmea
woodcutters, sometimes labor ers) had
been married a long time and had no
children: How sad" they thought
was their cottage without children' |
If they could only have one not bis
ger than the thumb, how they would
love it!
The prayer was heard and baby
boy, admirably made and of the size
of thumb, was born to them In
the southern regions of Europe, also, !
in the east, the woman begged that I
baby boy should be born to her, even
If one not bigger than a grain of pepper.
And, in those countries, Tom Thumb
is called Pepperlet
AS soon as he was born. happy as
the parents We're, they felt disap-
pointed that their wish had been
granted to them so much to the let
ter. What Will ever be the use OF
s,lcb ltfle ereature?" wondered the
father. Il can be of use to you.
father, replies the little fellow, IN
most of the versions: Il can sit in
the ear of the second horse ana tell
him what he has got to do. which way
he has to go.
In some versions Tom Thumb, or
Pepperlet gets more enterprislng.
When the horse. in whose ear he is
sitting, is disobedient. he goes inside
his nostril and tickles him until he
gets his orders followed. He never
grew. this Tom Thumb; he rema,aed
so small that the skin of flea would
have made too large a coat for him,
and an ant too large horse; but III
every country we find him witty ana
clever and always able, through his
ingenuity, to get out of every scrape
and trouble.
In the Greek tale, Peppe,let is III
hiding behind a cabbage leaf. An on
eats the leaf and swallows him the
OK is killed and his bowels are thrown
away. In them IS Pepperlet. A fox
now swallows him. But wherever that
fox goes voice inside him cries:
out, the fox waits to eat your
chickens" The fox dis of hi7ser
and the wolf eats him. Pepperlet,
now inside the wolf, cries: Look out,
Shepherds. the wolf is coming to de-
your your sheep" The wolf commits
suicide in despair and our little nero
is restored to his parents.
In tha German version Tom Thumb