STANDARD X

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 173, 19 April 1937, Page 13

STANDARD X

A Spare-time Column

NEWS AND NOTES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

On this page, boys and girls who are, ‘‘going to school at home” will find today’s lessons arranged for them by their teachers. There is an English lesson and an arithmetic lesson for each standard..

And now, in this column, there is something for Standard X. What is Standard X? This question you must answer for yourselves, for the answer really depends upon you. Standard X is any standard and every standard—any form or class you happen to be in.

Do not read this column until your set lessons are done and posted to your teachers. Then, and only then, you arc invited to enter Standard X. There are no lessons. You simply read. Standard X is not conducted by your teachers, It comes into existence on this page for all of you—in your spare time. How a Duck Moves in Water.

Have you ever wished you could swim with the ease and grace of a duck? And have you wondered just how it is done? The duck’s three front toes are held together by a web of skin. The duck paddles along "with its two feet, using them alternately, folds its toes together as it brings the foot forward, and then spreads out its toes and> the webs between and pushes back strongly so that the foot scoops away the water and the body shoots forward. Again, you see, it is ■more like using an oar-blade for rowing. If we human beings had webs between our fingers it would save a lot of trouble in learning to swim. Because, as you know, it is not easy at first to remember that you must try to make an oar-blade with your hand. If you let your fingers separate from one another, so that your hand strikes the water like a fork instead of like a spoon, you don’t get a good scoop, and the stroke will not be nearly so effective.

Teachers to Talk Things Over. New Zealand school teacher® are going to meet in Wellington in the middle of next month to discuss 100 problems about schools. One thing is whether educational films can be shown iu some of the schools soon. The equipment to show pictures is expensive, and the teachers may ask if the Government will help the schools to pay for it.

The Loneliest Region. One of the loneliest regions for white men is Central Australia. The postmen, each with, a black boy, ride on camels sometimes on 200-mile beats, and camp every night neap a water-hole. The aboriginal tribes living in this region are mostly nomadic and live, the life that the men of the Stone Age lived. At certain phases of the moon the aboriginals have a great corroboree—that is, a mixture of songs and dances describing their daily lives, and sometimes their tribal history. 110 Years After. •

King George the Sixth paid a penny for some scissors at the British Industries Fair. The scissors are worth much more than a penny, and are interesting for the way in which they have come to the King. They are 110 years old. Hand made, ■they were intended for the Duke of York, a son of George the Third. The Duke ■was expected to visit Sheffield in 1872, and the Cutlers’ Company had an assortment of steel articles made for him, all packed m an oak casket enriched with a crest. But the Duke never went to Sheffield. He died a week or two before his proposevl visit, and the casket and its valuable contents remained in the city of steel. Carefully, preserved, they have now been given in the original casket to the King, the Duke’s great-great-grand-nephew.

Nonray Drops the Flag. . Land hitherto unknown has been found in. the Antarctic by Lars Christensen, a Norwegian explorer. The news has been flashed home by wireless, and Mr. Christensen’s ship is still going on amid regions of perpetual snow. An airman who is sharing the dangers and triumphs of ithe expedition is said to have discovered a new mountain range rising over 4000 feet. The whole of the newly-found land injiss has been mapped, and the Norwegian flag has been dropped on it from the air.

Friend or Enemy? Are you afraid of snakes? Most people a i' e ’ ua kes kill more people every year than nil the lions, tigers, bears, and other wild animals put together. Many‘snakes are beautiful, graceful, clean reptiles. Some snakes even make good pets. The trouble about snakes is this: there is not any sure, simple way of telling a poisonous from a harmless snake. Some of the most horrible-looking snakes are really quite safe to handle; some of the pretty, graceful z ones are deadly poisonous. The rega] python grows to toe bigger than any other snake iu the world. A big one may be 30 feet long. Strange Nata-e.

The sight of butterflies is keener than their sense of smell. Beautifully-coloured flowers are a greater attraction than fragrant ones.

The sparrow has twice as many vertebral bones in its neck as has the giraffe. Young sparrows are often chastised, have their nests upset, and receive a beating if caught stealing twigs from an elder's nest.

Fun-loving sparrows are always on the look-out for mischief. Many of them fly through fields seeking daisies, just for the delight of tearing the leaves.

Not Enough Trees in Schools. Probably you have all taken part in planting trees on Arbor Day. In 11 years the Government Forest Service has sui>plied 200,000 trees and 13cwt. of seeds to New Zealand schools. Even if only one-third of these trees and seeds grew, there should have beeu 13,000 acres of voung forest growing in New Zealand school grounds to-day. But there is only about 100 acres, so people are wondering if the free supply has been worth the trouble and expense. You must remember when you plant a tree that it has to ]je looked after until it is strong and big enough not to be worried by weeds and undergrowth. Voice tliat will "Carry” Far.

Not very long ago, the distance from which a person could be heard speaking depended on how loudly he could shout. Now the wonderful inventions of wireless and telephone have made it possible for men to sneak in quite ordinary voices and yet be heard thousands of miles away. The Waikato Winter Show is going to be opened in Hamilton soon and the officials wanted the Prime Minister. Mr. Savage, who has gone to England to see the Coronation, to open it by radiotelephone from London. Although this proved to be impossible, the Acting-Prime Minister, Hon. P. Fraser, will open the show through the telephone from Wellington.

Women infers. Do you remember how Mrs. Putnam, who became famous as an airwoman and broke many records when she was Miss Amelia Eajjiart, star'll off from America recently in a huge plane to fly round the world? She was taking off at Honolulu, on the first stage, when the plane damaged a wing and she had to stop. But. Mrs. Putnam is not the sort of person to give up easily. An American who has come to Auckland says she is determined to finish the flight as soon as her plane is mended. If she does it. she will be the first woman to fly round the world Meanwhile an Australian, Mrs. Harry Bonney, is flying solo to Cane Town, n distance of 14.000 miles. Why not follow her on the map? She started from Sydney, went to Darwin, and then crossed the sea to Koepang, on Timor Island. There she rested before going to Sourabaya, in Java. The papers are expecting more messages from her, so ask your parents if any more have come this morning.