Big Sister's Page

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 306, 24 November 1932, Page 10

Big Sister's Page

BIG SISTER’S LETTER. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The old and aneieht always , holds an attraction for everybody, and antiques of any description never fail to hold man’s attention. So if was no wonder I felt quite excited as a short time ago, I examined some Egyptian treasures of 4000 years B.C. I beheld the array of quaint, broken articles with something akin to awe, and imagined with a shudder the tomb in the desert from which they came—pictured the inscrutable, stolid faces of the mummies, the magnificence of their sinister resting place. What a thrill those excavators must have had when they stumbled across their first treasure! And here was the result of their labours, or part of it, looking strangely out of place in modern surroundings. I was charmed w r ith the little white alabaster jars, in which was a quantity of real desert sand, and I thought how perfect they must have been without’their criss-cross scratches. One little jar still had the remains of blue eye paint such as was used by Egyptian women some thousands of years old! s The water-ini's were in a perfect state of preservation, as were the beads, and quite modern in their design. Two small pieces of amber fashioned in the shape of hands held my attention, so beautifully were they carved. There were a number o.f scarabs, too, or sacred beetles, some in a green stone, intricately cut, and one made out of a glass-like substance. And to show that glass-making is by no means a modern art, there was a little jar, slightly damaged, but beautifully shaped. I was fascinated with an

“altar” of red stone upon which was carved a gruesome face; there was even a mirror, which, overgrown with rust and green, showed signs of having been of polished bronze! And a little old metal dagger; a quaint pair of desert sandlcs; a glazed oil lamp —what hands have held these, what princess, or, indeed, what beggar of long, long ago ? If those old treasures could speak, what tales they would have to tell I Tales of mystery, romance, sadness—who knows I Well, to come to the present—the all-important present! Both junior and senior Competitions were well attempted, and I received some fine “bird essays.” The first award in the junior division goes to John Ballance, and his is a charming little word-picture. Star was second and Lorna Cocks third, both their stories being well thought out, and were both sweet. In fact it was hard to judge them all, and Bonnio Dalefield’s was also very good. Mother’s Help’s senior entry was exceptionally good, and I enjoyed reading it; she has secured five points (first). Te ltauparalia’B was intelligently written and so was Lorna Cocks’s. They are respectively second and third. ’ The Cub sent a very good entry. Congratulations all of you. There is only one other Competition till Christmas time, so I expect keen rivalry, particularly between the top ones 1 Love from BIG SISTER. G.P.O. LETTERS TO BIG SISTER. TUI: Your letter was again too late for the last Page, so you will have to ask Mr Mailman to hurry with it next time. Your guesses were correct, and as you have three of the geography questions right, you have two points to your credit. Did you receive the -wool ? And how are your little chicks? Your other letter has just arrived; your geography guess was right. That was hard luck about the knitting, but never mind—try again! Love to you Tui. MOTHER’S HELP: I was so pleased to receive your letter. Nigger, Timmie and Princess Pamela must be nice cats, and I was amused about Nigger following you to school—like Mary’s lamb! So you wish to be an authoress? Well, I hope your ambition will be realised. Your geography guess was right; thank you for the recipe. MERVYN AND RONNIE: I have received your contributions—thank you very much for them. But no letter! I was a bit disappointed. Much love to you, Brothers. SUNBEAM: You have one point for the history question, Sunbeam. Fancy a lamb with a half black and half white face! That is unusual, and I’m sure it must look funny among the other sheep. I suppose your examinations arc over now; were they very hard ? Best wishes, Sister. LAUGHING WATER: That was a fine essay on “A Storm in the Hills,” but you did not state whether it was original. Please write again and state if it was your own or whether it was copied. Love to you Laughing Water. TE RAUPARAHA: Thanks for your explanatory letter and for the pictures—the one you did was very good and is suitable. The contributions were also very acceptable. JOHN BALLANCE: I have received your recipe and the jokes, which were very amusing. The motor mower was a great success, but how it wobbles, doesn’t it? My love to you. ROSEBUD: So you are going away down to Malieno for your holiday 1 Aren’t you excited, Rosebud? Your guess was correct. Thank you ever so much for the jolly pictures; I hope you did well in the history examination—is it your favourite subject? Love and best wishes. MOCKING EYES: Examination time is always busy, and I’m sure you will be relieved when it is all over and you can begin to think about the holidays. I think you are brave to swim so early in the season. Best luck, and I sincerely hope you pass your “exams.”

THE CUB: You guessed the country’s name, but the paragraph does not refer to pigmies—they are nut lion-hunters, for they live in the thick jungle, whereas lions inhabit the open plains. That must have been a tedious ride to Awahuri! I share your love for tho little grey warbler—he is such a plaintive little fellow. Love to you, Cub. STAR: AVhat a nice newsy letter yours was. Are you going to the farewell party? If so I hope you will tell Big Sister all about it. What colour are they painting the school ? I hope you enjoyed your ride with Sunbeam. TOPPING: I was pleased to receive your letter—there seem to be many attractions “over the road,” particularly “wolf,” the Alsatian dog. You seem to bo very fond of tennis and swimming. Best wishes, Topping. VERA: I did enjoy the description of your garden—it must indeed be lovely. But those poor kittens 1 Did you catch the tom-cat that killed them ? I wish I could see your goslings —little pets, aren’t they ? Thank you very much for your bright letter.

TIMMIE, NIGGER AND PAM. Mother’s Help wrote this nice little letter:—“l was ever so pleased and surprised to find I had won a place in the competitions. AVe are having our examinations now. . We have six baby Jersey calves—they are mischievous, too! AA’c have throe cats—Timmio, Princess Pamela and Nigger. Timmio is the nicest darling tabby, the mother of tho others. Nigger is tho gentleman, and is jot black with a tiny white spot on his chest. Princess Pamela is a really pretty tabby, not a bit like Timmio. She is really so like a princess, hut we have cut her name down to Pam. Nigger is very naughty sometimes. Once he followed me liko Mary’s lamb and I had real adventures then. Pam is so nice that I want to teach her tricks but mother says that it is not kind. I intend to bo an authoress and write books some day. I like writing essays at school and onco I wrote nearly six pages for an essay on ‘A Desert Journey’.”

GEOGRAPHY TIME. The paragraph lash, week described the tribes of Central and Southern Africa, those who guessed the answer being The Cub, Tui, Rosebud and Mother’s Help. They have one point each. CAN YOU GUESS THESE. 1. “The Land of the Sky Blue Water.” 2. “The Land of the Rising Sun. 3. “The Land of the Midnight Sun,”

COMPETITION LADDER. SENIORS.

POINTS FOR LADDER MARKS. Tickles, The Cub, Tui, Te Rauparaha and Ronnie Dalefield have each one mark' added to their Ladder marks, having gained 5 points for contribution, etc. Te ltauparaha Tickles and Ronnie start off again with one point, others being Cinderella 4, John Ballanoo 4, Old King Cole 4, Mocking Eyes 4, Sunbeam 3, Robin Hood 3. Silver Star 3, Mervyn Dale field 3, Little Lady 2, Minnie Mouse 2, Dream Lady 1, Wendy 1, Fairy Fay 1, Polly Plum 1, Star 1, Freckles 1, Lorna Doone 1, and Vera 1. . LADDER POINTS COMPETITION. SENIOR DIVISION. “A NEW ZEALAND BIRD.” FIRST AWARD (5 points). THE LITTLE GREY WARBLER. One of the first heralds of the New Zealand spring is a sweet clear song by a bird known as the grey warbler. The song is a little sad as it trills up and down, but the singer is most decidedly not. The trill trembles up and down most charmingly and is very often heard. The warbler is modestly dressed in grey and has a black tail showing some black spots when it is spread. It is smaller than a sparrow and very modest and fairylike and more often heard than seen. It is very fond of insects and hunts them very gracefully, balancing its fairy weight on most slender twigs and flutters in the air like a humming bird. It dwells in concealed places because it is very timid and hates to bo seen. The warblers build two nests, the first being built in the early spring. They are pear-shaped and ; a dome-roofed with a small hole for a door. Over the door is a porch and under it a step. The male gathers the materials and the female weaves them together with great skill. The finished nest is the most remarkable in New Zealand. It is very neat, and is lined thickly with feathers and bound firmly with cobwebs; it-hangs in the depths of the thickest bushes. The eggs are five or six small, dainty, delicate jewels. They vary from white to pale pink and wear a few red dots at the thicker end. The young birds grow quickly and may be seen near the old home with their parents long after leaving,,it. In the second nest built later in the spring the warblers are often forced to house a stranger. The long-tailed cuckoo has returned from her overseas flight and looks for somewhere to place her egg. A nest is too much ! trouble so she places the egg in the i warbler’s home. How this is done is I unknown. Tire cuckoo’s work is then j over. She leaves the egg and chick i in the care of the foster-parent. The 1 mother warbler does not try to rid the nest of the strange egg, hut hatches it and cares for the young bird as if . it were her own. The young cuckoos ; soon pushes the baby warblers out of the nest to perish but the parents still work hard, feeding the selfish creature till it is old enough to fly away. Despite this the warblers bear no ill will to tho cuckoo and remain as cheerful las ever. Tho warblers are useful birds for they not only protect gardens but the orchardists like them, I too. They love tho insects which do such harm and take so little that everyone should like them. Grey warblers should never be harmed but left to live their own happy way and sing us sweet songs. MOTHER’S HELP (Age 12 years).

SECOND AWARD (3 Points). THE TUI. The tui is one of the many birds that frequent the parts where there is bush, its native home. This bird is well-known for its beautiful notes. Early in the morning, through the still air there will come bell-like notes that break the stillness, like some sweet-toned ehurehbell ringing for early morning service. The notes are loud and clear and can be heard distinctly half a mile away. The tui builds its nest in a high tree and also on top of tall tree trunks when the tops have rotted. The nest is about the size of a magpie’s. It is built of twigs and straw and sometimes feathers. The nest is built strongly and wedged firmly, as it is high up and the wind would tend to dislodge it. The tui is about the sizo of a magpie, black in colour with little white feathers on the wings and a little tuft of feathers under its neck. It is a swift' flier and is protected by the Government. The food of the tui consists of berries (mostly tawa berries) and nectar of the kowlrai and gum tree flowers. The. tui feeds early in the morning at noon and in the evening. It is a shy bird and is sometimes hard to find in a bush. The bird also likes the nectar from the flax-bush flower. The young birds are fed on grubs at first and then a few berries are brought to the nest by the parents. When they are just able to fly tiro parents lead them to a tawa tree and teach them to eat the flesh off the stone without dropping the whole thing. After a number of tuis have been feeding on the berries the ground is strewn with well picked tawa berry stones. The tui is still increasing, and I am sure wo all hope that it will always be in the bush, have its freedom, and that we shall always hear its mellow notes pealing over the bush. TE RAUPARAHA (Age 14 years). “A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME.” That Topping won a tennis tournament competition, beating a lady much older than herself. It must have been exciting, for the score stood at 38-all before Topping won the two deciding points. Congratulations, Topping l

THIRD AWARD (1 Point). THE BELLBIRD. Golden chimes, with a silvery tinkling note, and a clear whistle, sweet, soft melodies, these one hears in the forest at the grey breaking of the day, and again at its close. It is the music of the bellbird, a little dull, green bird with red eyes —somewhat Sor than tho sparrow. The bell3, male and fomale, build together a strong, pretty nest, lined with soft feathers —sometimes with the red kaka and sometimes with green from tho parakeet, or purple and brown from tho pigeon. There are four eggs —pinkish white, with blotches of brown. Tho Maori calls the bellbird “mako-mako.” It is a honey eater, and takes nectar from the kowhai, flax, rata, etc. It also eats bornes and insects. This little bird dips its forked tonguo deep into the flowers when it sips the honey from them. Its head becoming covered with iiollen, it carries the dust from flower to flower helping to fertilise the seeds. Sometimes, when a number of bqllbirds gather in the forest, a delightful chorus may be heard. They are interesting little birds to watch, darting here and there, peering about, or hanging upside down to Took into a flower. Then they, flit to a bough and break into a song of praise. Pretty, friendly little bellbird—its golden voice is a delight which none who hear it will ever forget I MERVYN DALEFIELD (Age 13 years).

JUNIOR DIVISION. THE BEST HOLIDAY. (FIRST AWARD—o Points). THE HUT iITtHE BUSH. Last Clrristmas holidays my cousin and I lived for a week in a hut in the bush at the back of my auntie’s property. My cousin built the hut himself. He fastened the trunks of small trees together one above another to make the walls, and then thatched tho roof with flax and cab-bage-tree leaves. At night it was lovely lying in our bunks, with the moonlight coming in the door and listening to the sound of the river nearby. There were plenty of mosquitoes about, but my auntie had given us some lotion to keep them from biting us, so we didn’t mind their buzzing. When tho wind rustled the trees I used to pretend that Indians were outside, trying to get a shot at us with their arrows. Sometimes it seemed so real when a branch rubbed against the hut that I was glad my cousin was so big and that his bunk was nearest tho door. In the daytime wo went swimming or rowed on the river in a boat, or else took a walk in the bush. We did not have to make a fire as our food was already cooked, and we had lime-juice or lemonade to drink. One afternoon it rained hard and we ;sat in the hut and played casino. It was lovely that night to hear the rain going pit-a-pat on the leaves while we were cosy and dry inside. At daybreak my cousin woke mo up to hear the Birds’ morning chorus; I listened until it died away as the sun rose and then I went to sleep again. Don’t you think any boy would call that the best holiday he ever had ? JOHN BALLANCE (Age 9 years.) SECOND AWARD (3 points). AN AUCKLAND HOLIDAY. The only holiday that I have had is when I went to Auckland to recover from an illness. It was the first time I had ever been in a train and none of us had ever seen the sea before. AVe enjoyed swimming in the sea, and when Peter (my little brother) left the water he would go and roll in the sand and get all dirty, and then we had to wash him in the water again. AYe used to make a lot of sand-castles, and also dug holes in the beach and covered one another up with sand. One day father took mo out in deep water —over my head—and I did not know where I was, but I got back to the shore very quickly. How sorry I was when the day came when we had to say good bye to Auckland. I will never never forget that beautiful holiday, although it was about four or five years ago. • —STAR (Ago 9 years.) THIRD AAYAItD (I Point). THAT LOVELY HOLIDAY. The best holiday I ever had was Labour week-end which we spent on tho Wanganui River.. We left Palmerston North at six o’clock and arrived at nine at my. auntie’s home. It ; was raining all the way, and it was such fun to go splashing through the pools of water, but Father did not think so because it made the car dirty. My cousins were waiting for us, full of excitement because we had not seen them for eight years,- and I suppose they wondered what their relations were like. Auntie gave us supper as soon as we arrived and made us all go to bed after our long journey. On j Sunday morning I awakened early and hurried over breakfast, so that I could survey our new surroundings 1 with my cousin's. There were great [big hills and valleys. Up on some -high knobs there were deer feeding 1 and dad and uncle went out shooting. I liked to feed the ducks and fowls and gather the eggs. There were | twenty-four one day. I climbed the ! hills for clematis and ferns and found a nice bunch. Sailing on tho AA'anganui River were boats of all sizes. It was nice to see the trams, too; I-wish we had them in Palmerston North, don’t you ? Men woro fishing on the side of trie river but I didn’t see any fish. After three happy days with my. cousins it was time to come back. I enjoyed it very much and hope I can go again soon. LORNA COCKS (Age 10i years).

NATURE STUDY CORNER. THE CHEETAH. The swiftest animal in the world is the cheetah, which is often called the hunting leopard, though it is not a leopard at all. The cheetah is lighter than a leopard and lias long legs, like a greyhound. Often it stands about thirty inches high at the shoulder, and, although there is no actual record of the speed at which it can travel, it is undoubtedly the fleetest creature that treads the earth. It has a curious habit of resting in hollow trees, and it can leap and scramble to extraordinary heights. —MOCKING EYES (1 point).

A PAGE FROM HISTORY. I wonder liow many of my little Brothers and Sisters have read Maori history? Those who have will know where this incident took place, . and those who have not would find reading Maori history most fascinating. Although the old Maoris wore often very fierce and ruthless they were always very fair and brave lighters, as the following sliows:— Away in the back country of JNew Zealand was a fort guarded by a small force of English soldiers to protect the fanners from the Maoris, naturally, the Maoris did not like the pakelias, or white men, taking their lands and a strong lorce of natives attacked the fort. The fort, however, was heavily barricaded, and tho English were equipped with powerful rifles and cannon and so were able to repel the Maoris. Very soon the garrison found that all their water had gone. At last, unable to 6tand the piteous cries of the wounded for water! water I—two1 —two young soldiers crept out of the fort in the dead of night and mado their way to the stream a few hundred yards. away. They had just reached the stream and started to fill their water bags when suddenly a dozen dark figures sprang upon them —careful though they had been, the keen ears of the Maoris had heard them. As the natives started to drag them away one young chief saw the water bags and called to his men to stop. He questioned the soldiers, and when lio found that the men and women in the fort were dying of thirst, he gave orders to tho Maoris to release the prisoners, fill the water hags and help them carry them back to the fort. The Maoris had such a fine code of honour that they thought it unfair to fight against an enemy suffering from such a disadvantage. Tin and Sunbeam havo one point each for correct guesses about “-Kate Barlass.”

IN THE WORKSHOP. A WALNUT FLEET. Hero is a ddishful idea, and this little fleet of walnut ships is y c f y to make. First you. must obtain some dead matches, plasticine, a sheet of white drawing paper a reel cotton and a few walnuts. Cut the walnuts with a knife, so as not to break the sheel; remove the kernel and fix a matchstick upright in the Cent e of each shell with plasticine. Then in the same manner, fix halt a match stick on the pointed end of the - cll- - cut the paper into rectangles large enough for sails and fix on to the mast by spearing the paper places; then attach a piece of cotton from the top of the mast to the end of the half-match. A little anchor may be cut out of drawing paper and attached by means of cotton. Tell youi friend to make a fleet also, and put coloured sails to prevent them becoming mixed with yours. Launch your fleet in a tub, and you will find groat amusement in racing the crafts by blowing into their sails, which will send them skimming across the water. RONNIE DALEFIELD (1 point). RIDDLE-ME-REE. Which travels faster, heat or cold? Heat; because you can catch cold. What parts of London are found in New' York ? “N” and “0.”“* Why is a hook like a tree? Because it lias many leaves. STAR (1 point). IN THE KITCHEN. NUT LOAF. Ingredients needed are 4 level tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 tablespoonful of

sugar 1 tablespoon of chopped mi' .-, tea'poonfuls of baking powder, j,; : . of salt, 1 egg. and 1 cun of milk. ,\1 all dry ingredients together. Beat ; ego- well; add the milk to the v Make a well in centre of the drgredients and pour in the egg a: milk and mix quickly. Pour all int„ greased baking powder tin and Lak, a moderate oven tor half an hour. ! ■ 1S HELP (1 point). FAIRY TOFFEE MIRRORS. First make some ordinary toffee a pour into golden syrup lids; when remove it irom the lids. Have skew, painted gold or silver, push m lor handle, tie up or stand m wood wi holes punched in and Tlioy will s very W6ll bszJicir. 7 —DREAM LADY (1 point;.

HOBBIES CORNER. FOR THE YOUNG GARDENER. Here is a useful hint for those who take up gardening as a hobby:—Tins is a simple but effective method or supplying copper to tomato plants. You need a length of copper wire and a pair of pliers. Cut off about niuo inches of wire and push it through the main stem of the plant just above the first leaf, leaving a piece on each side. Take one end and bend so as to form a ring and also have an end in line with the wire on the other 6ide of the stem. , Another way is to use a long piece of copper wire putting one end into the stem and the other into the ground. In doing this you allow the sap to pass up the centre of the stem and pass over the copper wire, tho action taking a certain amount of copper with it, making a solution of copper sulphate which runs into the leaves thus protecting the plant from any blight. —TE RAUPARAHA (1 point).

Mervyn Dalefield Mother’s Help ... ... 16 marks ... 10 Te llauparaha Puduey Tamo 9J )> 81 a The Cub ... 7 ) y Topping ... ... ~ 6J }) ltobin Hood ... ... 5 )) Cinderella ... 3 a Ocean Foam ... 3 j> Mocking Eyes ... ... 2 )) Minni© Mouse ... 2 )) Vera ._ li )) Old King Cole ... ... 1 )i Tickles 1 JUNIORS. n Ronnie Dalefield ... 20J marks John Ballance 19* Trooper Tex ... 6 )) Lorna Cocks ... 5 }> Snowflake ... 4 n Rosebud ... 4 D Porker ... 2 n Doris _ ... 1 n Sunbeam ... ... „. 1 n Tui ... 1 n