CHILDREN’S CORNER

Evening Star, Issue 14214, 13 November 1909, Page 10

CHILDREN’S CORNER

THE STARS AND I. Hark! the wind rushes through the slender trees, And the flowers nre drenched by the rain; Then I hear my mother say, That I can't go to play; That little children such as I Must slay indoors and never cry, Till the sunshine returns once again. lAhen the rail, hisses down on cheerless nights Not a star overhead can I spy, For the Mother Moon doth say, Baby stars can’t go to play; That little stars with shining light Must wait until another night, When the rain-clouds have gone from the sky. A WEIGHTS PUZZLE. A man has four different weights, which enable turn to weigh any number of pounds (no fractions) from lib up to 401b. Any weight may be placed in cither of the scalepans. What are the four weights? The following are the four weights, viz.: —lib, 31b, 91b, 271b. There is no other solution with so few as four weights. CHINESE FAIRY TALE TOLD PRETTILY BY SUI SIN PAR. A deJighlful Chinese fairy tale by Sui Sin Far is told in the ‘Housekeeper’; "Why do we never see the fairies?” asked Mernioi. “Because,” replied her mother, “the fairies do nob wish to be seen.” " But why, honorable mother, do they not wish to bo seen?” “Would my jade, jewel wish to show herself to strangers if she wore no tunic or shops or rosettes?” Mcrmei glanced down at her blue silk tunic, embroidered in white and gold, to her scarlet shoes, beaded at the tips so as to rcsemblo the beads of kittens, and, looking over to a mirror hung on the side of the wall where the sun shone, noted the purple rosettes in her hair and the bright butterfly’s wing. “Oh, no! honorable mother,” said she, shnkigg her head with quite a shocked air. “Then when you hear the reason why the fairies do not appear to you except in your dreams, you will know tiiat they are doing just as you would do were you in a fairy’s shoes.” "A story! A story!" cried Mermei, clapping her hands and waving her fan, and C'hoy and Fci and Wei and Sui, who wore playing battledore mid shuttlecock on the green, ran into the house and grouped themselves around Mcrmei and the mother. They all loved stories. “ Many, many years ago,” began the mother of Mermei, "‘when ho sun was a warm-hearted but mischievous boy, playing all kinds of pranks with fruit and flowers and growing tilings, and his sister, the moon, was too young to be sad and serious, the laities met together by night. The sun, of course, was not present, and the moon had withdrawn behind a cloud. Stars alouo shone in the quiet sky. By their light the fairies looked upon each other, ami found themselves ko fair and radiant in fheir robes of varied hues, all wonderfully fashioned, fringed, and laced, some bright and brilliant, others delicate and gauz.y. but each

and all a perfect dream of loveliness, that, they danced for very joy in themselves and the garments in which they were arrayed. The dance being over, the queen of all sighed a fragrant sigh nf happiness upon Hie air, and bowing lo her lovely companions, said “‘Sweet sisters,, the mission of the fairies ri to gladden the hearts of mortal?. Let us', therefore, this night leave behind ns on the earth the exquisite ganncnU whose hues and fashions have given us so much pleasure. And because we may not be seen uncovered, let us from henceforth be invisible.' “ AVo will! We will I' cried iho sister fairies. They were all good and kind of heart, and much as they loved their dainty robes, they loved better to give happiness to others. “And that is why the fairies are invisible, and why we have iho flowers." "The flowers!” cried Mcrmei. "Why ihc flowers?" ■'A.nd the fairies’ garments I Where can wc find them?'’ asked Fci with the starry eye?. "In the gardens in the forest?, and by the stream?,” answered the mother. “ The flower?, dear children, arc the bright-lined garments which the fairies left, behind them when they flew from earth, never to return . again, save invisible."—‘ Buffalo Courier.’ I RULES OF LIFE. ! Always endeavor lo do the right thing, at the, right time, and in the right, way. : Always bo absolutely honest and truthful in both social and business matters. Always bo careful to never deceive by statements that may have another and different meaning from the one yon are sup- , posed to bo conveying. : Always bn equally courteous to both your superiors and inferiors in official position. Always cultivate cheerfulness, directness, and the strictest of honor in all your dcalings. BEATEN BEFORE HE BEGAN. Not long ago a young n an came into my office to solicit a subscription for a publication. I could see at a glai.ee. before lie had fairly introduced bis subject, that he was covered all over with defeat. His very attitude, bis maimer, said to me : " I have conic in here to get yo-.ir subscription for , but I do not expect to get it. I know you ; arc a very busy nun, and I do not wish to j take your lime or to impose upon yon.” This young man did not come in with Hie : assurance in his manner that bespeaks victory. I could sec that, lie was ready beaten ( before he began. j Nobody likes the Uriah Hoop kind of solicitor who spends half his lime apologising for taking your valuable time. The important thing for the solicitor is to i put the prospective easterner into such a , position that, it will not be 100 easy for him | to turn him down. I He should have groat e,onfidcnco in himself, and in the thing lie lias to sell. tie must carry conviction in his manner. Ile.-i----titncy. doubt, indecision, arc fatal. Courage is as important to a solicitor as to an animal ; tamer, who ha? to guard very carefully against- the slightest signs of fear. ’To hesitate in the cage of an untamed lion or 1 tiger is lo bo lost. Even if unable to get 1 an order, a solicitor should win a man's rei sped and admiration. He should by a insa- ; torly bearing, meet customers on a plane i t equality. j A friend of mine, a shrewd business man, I sars a solicitor came to his office reecntiv

whoso face was so radiant with interest in his purpose, and so bubbling over with enthusiasm, that he won confidence and admiration at the very outset. My friend gave the young man an order for what ho did not want, because he liked him. The ability to size a man up at a glance is a great art, and the solicitor must learn its secret. Ho may not see his prospective customer more than five minutes, and within that time he must bring all his ingenuity, all his tact, his skill, and his former experience to. a focus. Ho cannot stop to do much thinking, and it docs not matter how much ability ho may have, if he cannot concentrate it quickly and make it effective he will not get the order.—‘ Success.’ THE BOY SCOUTS. With that rare tact which is his, King Edward has set his seal of approval upon the great movement for raising Boy Scouts, of which General Baden-Powell, the hero of Matching, is the head. Saturday last (September 4) was known as “rally” day of the scouts at the Crystal Palace, where over 11,000 took part in the battle of Sydenham. The stirring message sent by the King was as follows “ The King is glad to know that the Bov Scouts arc holding their first annual parade. Please assure the hoys that the King takes the greatest interest in them, and tell them that if he should call upon them later in life the sense of patriotic responsibility and happy duty which they arc acquiring as boys will enable them to do their duty as men, should any danger threaten the Empire.”