Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-24
THE MAN WHO TALKS
ps you do not realize how few

H0TnapS perfect human beings there really are. When God made man the standard measure of perfection wasn't thought of, but man later invented it. They haven't worked out how many perfect men there are to a thousand yet, but we venture there are more cross -eyeii men to the 1000 than men who will come to this measure; it., 1n in
 body, and weight exactly 14S lbs. an1 s ounces. This is mans perfection of course, for the divine perfection has wholly to do with our spiritual derfl- opment, and man has never proven himself to be an artist in this respect;
 and the number per l 900 is not large,
 whatever is believed or professed- Pope ventured to poetize thus: Who
 thinks what re'er was; nor, is, nor ever shall be-" If you think you are about as near perfect as mortal is made do not finger in the illusion.
 Thoreau calls the chic dee the only social bird in New England, but robin redbreast is a close Gcompetltor for this honor, for while the chic-a-dee IS oftenest seen feeding from a natur- alist's hand the robin is once in awhile caught thereon by the camera, and he closely follows the blow and is always companionable- with the gar dener when he is disturbing the earth worms. The chica-dee' is feafhered acrobat and seems to enjoy doing sur prising stunts. I saw one seize sum- flower stem in his claws this week one day. and whirl over. and over three times and then gracefnlly drop to the ground as though ft was "a little play he was accustomed to. Since we know that birds do play as naturally as children do. this is not surprising. The swallows like to play with feathers and will take them high in the air in their bills. drop them and then fly and recover them before they Sreaeh 1 the earth. The crested titmouse. never
 said ''chic-a -dee-dee to. .Thoreau!, for l his: classic ears only heard .steh- de- de-de!"
 A governnne Tt ccnanissior in it's report stated that good. health reprh- sented ten per cent. of Femciency; and naturally enough one wonders what represents the other 90. per cent. Efficiency is fitness, orsheInS equal to the reuuireme enys of aHyStask or posi- : l tion. We find that food1afid cleanli- ness and health and knowledge and diligence and temperance and adapt ability all play their. part in support of efficiency. A man might be efficient who is unhea}thy*in many positions: and perhaps adaptabil lity sisses import ant as knowledge toe be efAcient in some places: afd temperance is nec- essary for efficiency in all places. If good health doesn't represent but 10 | per cent, knowledge, adaptability and 1 temperance may represent 75 per cent. and the other essentials only Is per cent. When mathematics are used to express qualities all are. not likely to l agree upon any arbitrary ruling in | percentage. One day the past week there. were l three nuthatches in the garden at the same time. more than I ever saw be- 1 fore. They are quick and wary little creatures arrayed in the same colored plumage that the crested. titmouSe is. and every time they get a tough seed | they take it to the pear. tree. place it
 in a crevice in the bark and hammer away-at 1t like a woodpecker to breai K | the shell. not seeming to have. strength l to do the work with their bill as the l finches do. The descriptions of the ruthatch's. note disclose the faultiness 1 of the hearing of noted natura1ists. | Burroughs hears it as'~''Y ank ," and i Thoreau describes it "quah!''. and | Gilmore says it is Trey!", while it | Trumpety sound as the raucus cry i of the blue jay. and in the orchestra of 1 birds the nuthatch is classed as one | Of the trumpeters. He is one of the l prettiest of our small winter birds, and | in the worst weather makes the pro- | tective cedar swamps his retreat.
 l A philosopher notes that things have, been going to. the dogs 1 for ages; but the dogs should be pa : l tient;'' or in other words, they have {! not got there yet, and do not seen 1 likely to get there. People with sun bshine in their hearts do, not sec things
 going that way It is not the healehy i but the bilious who arei seeing things l awry. and a good dose of medicine would improve their sight and. under standing. There seems to be an .un-
 written law that nothing can. become so bad that it cannot become worse bThis is. the point where those who really believe God still rules find then spiritual consolation. The forebodins soul has within itself dark and un- fathomed recesses which need to b. explored and illuminated. Many peo. p1e are frightened. half to dea tn by the shadows of, their =own doubts an6
 fears Some one has said you can- but every soul has room enough fo:
 hope to expand. -..--.
 Since the trees have become bare the blue jays and. the white throatet | SparroWS have. sped from the garder 1 to the open country where. weed seeds
 and nuts are more plentiful and shei- ter from frost and cold winds is more
 abundant. The English sparrows con. tinue in f1ocks of a. dozen or more. oc-
 casfonaily, and their young are fat anl plump and in their infantile plumags
 of buff and dark brown are very muct prettier than the old birds. I noticed one young sparrow lately that wa.
 
 the shoulders, and between the, tail ant
 wings; and quite number of tn,
 birds have a wel1-defined light rinf
 about the neck: They quarrel amons l themselves oftenerr. than they assai other birds. and in their wrath will st 1 exhaust their strength that they may be picked up; and in this way man,
 of them fall victims to the cats, wht
 seldom eat them.
 1t has been prophesied tratsthe labo party of America will elect their Pres
 ident and majority of Congress il
 1920 or the following decade. Now n English Bishop has ventured to predic
 that before, long the Labor party will govern that country. As we look a the cuiminat ton of the best past ruler:
 could attain for the people there seem
 to be no room for apprehension tha
 the Labor party, or any party of lab orers by any other name. could T, worse-could possibly create more un
 certain world wide /. conditions. thai | icf aff 9