The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-07-29
CHILDREN IMAGES.
A School superintendent's Discoveries
 Qulrks of the Mind.

I
 Quirks of the Mind.
 The story is well known of the little boy in Sunday School who called for the hymn about the dago floating by and was discovered afterwards to have been giving the best interpretation he knew to the sacred lyric concerning the clouds which leach day go floating by The moral of this is one which is fami- liar to every school-teacher and the fol- lowing experiences of a public school superintendent illustrate the fact that, where the teacher least suspects it, things are learned most thoroughly and understood not at all
 The superintendent went into a schoolroom where a class was reciting in history. The teacher had just touched on a fact that was common property with the class. namely. that Vasco da Cana in certain year made a voyage to India for spices. What are these spices?'' he asked.
 "Oh, I know" exclaimed one little girl eagerly. my mamma has some. ClAG hGGll6 bflCtl& III 4ACI Cea4 7
 They are diamonds, explained a small boy.
 Other members of the class were of the general opinion that spices were some kind of jewelry; and not one of all those who had been reciting the word glibly for weeks had the remotest idea of it's real nature.
 In a geography class the superin- tendent found them discussing south American rivers.
 What is this Amazon River like?'' he asked.
 A little girl gave smooth and ac- curate account os the general nature and appearance of the river.
 "Could a boat float on it?n asked the superintendent.
 -ohs no, said the little girl. 'eThe current is too swift"
 What makes this current?" said the questioner.
 The river flows from the ocean into the Andes Mountains
 This statement was received by the. class with perfect gravity.
 Well, said the superintendent, "what becomes of the water then?"
 T think it flows into lake, replied the little girl.
 The superintendent referred the ques- tion to others of the class. and they all agreed that the Amazon flowed into the mountains. One pointed out that the ocean end of the river was higher up on the map than the mountain end, and that therefore the water must flow to- ward the mountains. As it was not the superintendent's business to teach the children he dismissed the class without undeceiving them; but little boy came up to the desk afterwards and said:
 About that Amazon River. I thought that 1t flowed into the ocean. :"
 why, what makes you think that?" inquired the superintendent in feigned rebuke.
 Because. said the small boy with conviction. the lake would run over.
 s'Why wouldn't the ocean run over?' asked the superintendent.
 Because it's too big" was the an- swer.
 You go and think 1t over little" ]" said the man.
 Several days later the youngster came back with enlightment shining in his eyes.
 T know why 1t doesn't go into the mountains" he said. Tt couldn't flow up hill.
 The superintendent visited one day in "a class where a small boy was smoothly reciting a long account of the solar system, the relative position of the sun and planets, the reasons for day and night. the tides, and the sea- sons. His exposition would have done credit to an astronomer. He could have passed written examination on lit and been marked 100. The super intendent asked him to stand up in the middle Of the floor:
 Now you are the earth and I am the sun said the superintendent. Show us what 1t is that the earth does to make 1t night"
 The small boy moved off to a remote corner of the room.
 ''Now what does it do when 1t be- comes day?' asked the superintendent.
 The small boy came up close.
 T don't see, said the superintendent.
 .'sNhen the earth is close to the sun it is day" said the small boy.
 And what happens when 1t is night?' asked the man.
 Why. the earth goes off so far that X it can't see the sun any more, said the boy.-New York Evening Post