Dot's Little Folk

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23952, 30 October 1939, Page 11

Dot's Little Folk

THE WEEK’S POEM

Ste following poem, children, was ten by Robert Browning, a great poet of- the Victorian era. who lived f6r many years in Italy, and In it he gives a beautiful description of spring in England as he remembers it, and expresses his longing to be there to see its glory. In spits of the gay flowsrs with which he is surrounded, he longs for the English buttercup', which he considers far brighter than the “ gaudy melon flower.” This poem teaches us to appreciate the beauty that Is to be found in simple, natural things. DOT. HOME I*HOUGHTS FROM ABROAD Oh, to be In England Now that Aprils there, And who ever wakes In England Sees, some morning, unaware. That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf Round the elm tree bole are in tiny, leaf, While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England now I And after April, when May follows. And the white-throat builds, and all the swallows! Hark, where my blossomed pear tree In the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops, at the bent spray’s edge, That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you , .hould think he never could recapture That first fine careless rapture! And though the fields look rough with hoary dew. All will be gay when noontide wakes The buttercups, the little children’s dower, —Far brighter than this gaudy, melon flower! —Robert Browning. TO ALL Dear Lltle Folk,—Walking, cycling, or riding in. bus, tram, train, or horseback are the usual methods of going to school, but, as you will see from the following article which I read in an American paper, there are man?- other ways as well, and some of them are very strange:— " The little Negro children of Africa are good walkers. They need to be, for some of them are obliged to tramp 10 or even 20 miles to the nearest school One South African boy, however, thought of a much simpler plan, and went to his school every day on the back of a tame ostrich, riding like the wind across the veldt! , . " When winter comes in Holland the boys and girls skate along the frozen canals to school, often arranging races among themselv*.- to see who can get there first. In Alaska they go to school in sleighs drawn by reindeer, or else on toboggans. That must be fine fun! ’’ In Venice, if their parents can afford It, the children are usually taken to school in gondolas, those picturesque boats that ply up and down the canals of that wonderful city, with a man, using a single oar. standing at the stern. ’• Finally, you might like to know that many children in Egypt travel to school on camels. There are times, however, when they cannot go at all on account of the severe sandstorms that spring up in that part of the world. Should a sandstorm begin at the time when the children are due to come home, they have to spend the night in the schoolhouse, which is provided with special beds for the purpose."' . , . These ways of going to school sound very exciting, but I expect that after a time T the children who make use of them do'SO as a matter of course, and get no . mote thrills out of them' than you do by j going In bus or a train. 1

A stamp-collector in Denver, U.S.A., has written asking if he could be put in touch with anyone in New Zealand who would be willing to exchange stamps with him. I know that we have some keen collectors among the Little Folk, and if any of these would care to communicate with him his address is: Mr Frank A. Below, 4627 West 31st avenue, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.—-Your loving DOT. FISH SKINS FOR SALE Everyone knows that the skins of animals are used in a great many ways, but, possibly, few realise that the skins of l: certain fishes are likewise of use to mankind. Leather is made from shark and ray skin, and the curing of this fishy leather provides employment for many people. Then, again, the crude skin of the dog fish is utilised by carpenters and cabinetmakers in order to smooth down and polish the wood, while the material called shagreen, which is used for covering small boxes and for other ornamental work, is actually the carefully prepared and dyed skins of fishes. Experiments are also being made with the skins of cod, bream, sole, etc., but the leather obtained is not nearly so good as that taken from the shark. Perhaps the strangest use for the skin of fish is made by the natives of the South Sea Islands, who dry the spiny skins of the globe fish, or porcupine fish, and turn, them into protective head-cover-ings. ' Should you ever visit Japan, you would find another odd use to which fish skins have been put. It is quite a common practice there to make lanterns out of the blown-up and dried skins of puffers. The back of the skin is cut out and a candle placed Inside the fish, so that when It is suspended by a wire It makes a very useful lamp, the light shining through the stretched skin as it would through a piece of oiled paper. Lastly, the silvery scales of the bleak are scraped so as to obtain a pigment which is used for coating the inside of hollow glass beads. The beads are then filled with wax to make realistic pearls. This odd Industry was founded in France In the middle of the seventeenth century and still flourishes. All of which goes to show that fish skin is by no means wasted and, in the fqture. may possibly be put to even more use than It is to-day.—An exchange.

duly 16,1886, ® by th.e OTAGO WITNESS

Dot Invites letters of not more than 300 words in length from her young friends throughout the Dominion on any matters In which they are Interested. Now members must enclose their name and address. These will not bo published, and are for registration purposes only. Little Folk should write on one side of the paper only, and In Ink, and should address their letters “ Dot. care of Editor. Otago Dally Times." Every letter must state the age of the writer for Dot’s private Information The retiring age Is 21. after which Little Folk become Old Writers. Dot's Little Polk’s Badge, with pin, for use as a brooch, Is obtainable on application to Dot, Price 2s 6d. in stamp* or poita) note*.

LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLK

Motto. We write for the benefit of others, not for ourselves. BEST LETTERS UINIOR SECTION 114 years and under) Dear Dot,—The weather here at present is lovely and warm. When I was sitting out on the veranda one evening I heard a piping “ goosie ” noise caused by a flock of black swans flying overhead. I asked mother what birds they were, and she said, “ I suppose they are some sea birds flying back to the coast for the night." But one night when I was at grannie’s the same birds flew over the house, and gra nnie said, ” Hear the swans. They must be flying up from Albert Park Lake, near Port Melbourne.” I said, “ You cannot see the birds in the dark. How do you know that they are swans?” Grannie replied that when she was a girl living at Henley the swans used to fly over every evening from Lake Walporl before they settled down for the night. She also said that the young birds were good to eat, but the old ones were as tough as chamois leather. My wee sister can now toddle about, and she loves opening cupboards and pulling everything out on to the floor. One day she found a red cigarette packet and thought she had made a great discovery. She looked about and laughed and giggled, as she thought It was a packet of chocolates. She took it Into a corner and opened it up, but it only contained silver paper, which she tore to bits looking for chocolatfes. I did not like to see the vee thing disappointed, so I gave her two or three raisins to eat. I shall now close, with love to all. HARRY FARRAR’S GIRL (Maidstone, Victoria).

[lßlack swans still fly over Lake Walporl, Harry Farrar’s Girl, and the ones you see will remind your grandmother of her girlhood in New Zealand. Your baby sister is evidently at the age when she wants to examine every object she sees, and she will keep you busy seeing that she does not find something harmful. I am sure, however, that you look after her well.- DOT.]

Dear Dot,—My hobby Is stamp-collect-ing. I have 976 stamps. In my Spanish collection I have three triangular stamps. The cent one is black with a sailing ship in the centre and two small ones on each side. There are not many triangular stamps to be found now: the most valuable being the Cape of Good Hope penny one. It is worth £250. I have 58 New Zealand stamps. The oldest of these is a halfpenny stamp with a photo of Queen Victoria at her coronation. In my Australian collection I have many interesting sots. The first set is the 2d, 3d, and Cd air mail postage of Klngsford Smith’s world-flights. The design on these stamps is two globes, one showing America and England, the other Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Above these is an aeroplane, and If one has a magnifying glass one can see printed on the side of the ’plane Southern Cross. The next set shows Sydney Harbour bridge after It was completed. The 2d stamp Is red, while the 3d is blue. BLUE-EYED BOOKWORM (Kelso). [You must be a very keen collector, Blue-eyed Bookworm, and are to be congratulated on possessing so many rare and interesting stamps. I hope you will tell me more about your collection. —DOT.] # * V Dear Dot,—Last Tuesday our cow had a little heifer calf. It was fawn and white and was a great pet, but it was sefit away on Friday. One day my five friends and I are going for a bicycle ride to Whare Flat, but, as we cannot pass the aerodrome, I do not think we

i will reach our destination. However. I i shall write, and tell you how we get on. i We are leaving at 10 o’clock and taking i our lunch with us. One day last year i we: set out for the day. We had no ! watches with us. so we did not know the ■ time. About 3 o’clock we arrived home , thinking, as we were hungry, that it , was about 4 o’clock. We are taking watches with us this year, so, unless we feel hungry, we shall arrive home for tea. Love to you and all the Little Folk. BUSY BEE (Mosgiel). IT hope you had an enjoyable day. Busy Bee, and shall be glad to hear how you got on. It is more satisfactory to take a watch with you when you go for an outing, and then you know exactly when it is time to go home.—DOT.] ¥ If. If Dear Dot, —It seems a long time since I wrote to your page. I have been spending the week-end with Minnie Mouse, and have had a good time. We have a bicycle each, and had some nice rides together. My mother is away for a holiday to the North Island, and I miss her very much. I must close now. , Cheerio. SHIRLEY ANNE (Oturehua). II am glad you enjoyed your weekend with Minnie Mouse, Shirley Anne. Of course you will miss your mother, but just think of the pleasure and excitement you will have when she returns!—DOT.] if if if Dear Dot, —1 am going to tell you about my cousin’s birthday party. On Saturday morning my sister and I were up early to get the 8.30 a.m. bus. When we had had our breakfast we put on our hats and coats and set of! down to the store to wait for the bus. On our way to Balclutha we saw sheep with their lambs, calves with their mothers, and pigs in their sties. As soon as we arrived at Balclutha we met our grandad at the post office, and he said we had better buy a pretty box of handkerchiefs between us. After .we did this we went to the fruit shop, and grandad bought some bananas and lollies, which give you toothache. We went down the street and caught the Kaltangata bus. On our way the wind was blowing in on our legs, and It was very cold When we arrived we went down to our Aunt May’s place. We took off our coats and hats, and Aunt May gave us a wee basin full of peanuts. Just as we finished them some girls came, so we had a game of hide-and-seek. After that the party began. We had jellies and fruit salad

with cream, and egg sandwiches, and cakes, which were very nice. When we had had our sandwiches and raspberry drink we had to go and catch the 5 o'clock bus to go home again. We had a very lovely day. Well, I must close now, with love to all the Little Folk and your own dear self. SILVER EKA (Kaka Point) [lt must have been a lovely party, Silver Eka, and I am glad you had such a happy time.—DOT.] * V * Dear Dot,—lt Is a long time since I wrote to you. Shirley Anne came on Friday and stayed till Tuesday. We built a hut and played in It, and had such a happy week-end together. We have got 11 pet lambs. We have a turkey sitting on 16 eggs, and we hope she will bring out some young ones. We also have a duck sitting, but we do not know how many eggs she Is on. I have a lot more stamps added to my collection now. This is a poem I made up called "Dot’s Page.” Some of the people who write to this page Will soon be of Old Writers’ age, But still they keep their Interest, For they like Dots page best. For 1 do not know what we would do Without this jolly page, do you? Cheerio. MINNIE MOUSE (Oturehua). [You and Shirley Anne must have had good fun together, Minnie Mouse. How interesting it will be when the little turkeys and ducklings are hatched I You have a large family of pet lambs, and will be kept busy feeding them. Thank you for the little poem. It is very good, and I am glad you appreciate the page so much.—DOT.] * * * Dear Dot. —1 was very pleased to see my first letter In print. I have no brothers or sisters, but I have a lot of playmates. I have no father either. Our apricots are growing big. We have eight trees of them, and a few gooseberries. I play tig, Charlie, and a good many other games; We have had Aunty Ivy up from Dunedin, and she went back very sunburned. I once stayed on a farm , where there was A pretty little cow and a wee calf just as nice. Their names were Popeye and Jill. Love from LINGER LONGER (Roxburgh). [I am glad you have so many playmates, Linger Longer, and are not lonely. You will be looking forward to the fruit season.—DOT.] ¥ ¥ ¥

Dear Dot,—About a fortnight ago our school teacher suggested a competition between Standards IV, V, and VI. This competition was for writing poems. Of

i ! course, we all jumped at the Idea, and we were given a week to write them. When the headmaster read them over he was surprised that the poems were all so good for a first attempt. However, yesterday he told us the results, and the winning poem was one called ” The Soldier, '* which was written by a girl in Standard V. I must close now. with love to yourself and all the Little Folk. JEAN '‘HE ROMPER (Maheno). [Thank you for the poem you have sent, Jean the Romper. It is very good, but I am sorry I cannot publish it, as it is a rule that the Little Folk themselves must compose all the poems they send in. Did you write one for the competition? If so. I should like to see it.—DOT.] BEST LETTERS SENIOR SECTION (14 and under 21 years) Dear Dot, —All day to-day at school 1 have been wondering what to write about, and have decided to write about nothing, since it is all I can think of. I heard three girls arguing about it. Their conversation was something like this:— A: ‘‘But minus nothing means plus. Everybody knows that two negatives make an affirmative.’’ B: "We’re not talking of negatives: we’re talking of nothing.’’ C: “And can’t nothing be a negative?” B: "No. it can’t! Something minus nothing leaves nothing.’’ . A: "But something minus nothing leaves the something you started off with.’’ And so you go on arguing round and round In circles. If you have ten nothings and take from them five nothings it leaves you with five nothings. Which, of course, contradicts B’s statement about nothing being a negative, and vet is it an affirmative? It’s nothing! Love to yourself and the other Little Folk PLAIN JOAN (Dunedin). [The argument In questio... Plain Joan, seems to be rather Involved, and if It were taken seriously, might result in a severe headache, so 1, for my part, am content to leave it alone. Now that you have written a letter about nothing, perhaps you will follow it up with one about something—DOT.l if if * Dear Dot,—lt is a good while since I last wrote to you, but I have not had much news for you. This time I am going to tell you about a bicycle ride

my sister,, brother, and myself had to Outram Glen. It was a lovely day, and we had to ride along slowly, because It was too hot to go very fast. We arrived there at about 2 o’clock. There were a lot of picnickers In the glen, and sitting on the bank was ones of my brother’s friends. We put our bicycles down in a shady spot where they would not be In the way. We went over the stream and then along the bank and into the bush, where the flowers were lovely. We walked on in the cool of the bush and came down to the stream again. Then we stood on a rock and took a photo of a waterfall which was near It. It was lovely with all the watei dashing over the rocks. We walked on again along the edge of the water, and further on we crossed over rocks to the other side of the stream. We walked on still further, but the bush was so thick that it became impassable. We gathered samples of flowers, and on the way back we saw some boys with a fair-sized eel. After that we rode out to the other side of the township and then we went home, arriving there about 4.45, after a nice cool journey. Love to all the Little Folk and your own dear self, ATHELSTANE (Mosglel). [Outram Glen is a very pretty spot, Athelstane, and it was fortunate that you had such a fine day for your visit to it. How did the photograph turn -out? —DOT.) NOTES Bright Eyes.—Thank you for tire poem you have sent me, dear. It is very good, but, as I do not think you wrote It yourself, I cannot insert it. DOT. OLD WRITERS’ NOTES Old and present-day writers together with interested readers of the page will have read with pleasure in Dot’s notes To All ” that Invercargill has formed an association, and that the effo ts of the Dunedin branch have helped to bring this about. We are sure that those who have promoted the formation of the club will establish it successfully. Members here join me in sending their best wishes for success. More will be heard at the meeting on November 6. From time to time Dot receives requests to forward letters on to Old Writers, and I would ask that, In future, in order to save trouble and prevent delay, all such requests, or enquiries concerning addresses, be sent to me direct. Kind regards to all. CLARA, Hon. Secretary, 128 Union street, Dunedin, N.l.

OLD WRITERS’ WEEK Letters for Old Writers’ Week will be printed this year on December 30. Old Writers are invited to send in their contributions—plainly marked “ Old Writers' Week ’’—between now and December. No letters will be accepted after December 12. This year, owing to the fact that space is limited, it is imperative that letters should be short, and they must not exceed 300 words in length. It is hoped that there will be a generous response, and that the eighth appearance of the Old Writers letters in the Otago Daily Times will be of interest and benefit to all. DOT.