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THE YOUNG SOUTHERNER
Conducted by Louise Threete Hodges.
All communications and contributions intended
for this department should be addressed to Mrs.
Louise T. Hodges, 83 East Avenue, Atlanta, Ga.
Strength in Stillness.
By Catherine Torrance.
i ‘Be still and know that I am God.”
Be still, thou restless heart.
’Tis God’s own voice thus speaks to thee.
Choose thou the better part.
; j. l /3
Not in the earthquake shock was God.
Nor fire nor whirlwind’s race.
’Twas when the still, small voice was heard
The prophet hid his face.
’Tis silent effort moves the world,
Not noise, nor show, nor strife.
The mightiest force in God’s esteem
Is the power of an earnest life.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Oh, hear and be thou wise;
Be still, thou troubled, anxious heart,
For strength in stillness lies.
—Herald and Presbyter.
Laughter is so contagious and so beneficent in
its effects it is a pity we don’t laugh oftener. I
mean the right kind of laugh. There is the laugh
of derision, of scorn, of bitterness, and the cold,
mirthless laugh which is sadder than tears. None
of these is meant—they are not pleasant to hear;
but the joyous laugh of innocent merriment that
speaks of kindliness and good will—such as we
hear from happy-hearted children.
I was sitting by a window in my room the other
day absorbed in reading, when I heard peal after
peal of the merriest, heartiest laughter coming
from a group of small boys across the street.
The merriment was so genuine, so hearty and so
continued that I ceased reading and joined, unob
served, in the laugh, although I did not know the
cause of the children’s hilarity. To an on-looker
(if there had been one) it might have seemed silly
to be laughing simply because I heard others laugh.
But what matter that I did not know why the chil
dren laughed! Something amused them and I was
in sympathy with their enjoyment, so I laughed
with them and felt better for it at the time, and the
memory of their glee has brought a smile and a
feeling of pleasure whenever I have thought of it
since.
“It is better to laugh than be sighing.”
Recently I came across these lines:
“How simple life would be if we all chose a
life work that was lovely to us in the doing.”
The writer overlooked the fact that often t' ,n
choosing of our life-work is not left to us—it is
chosen for us, and may be disagreeable and dis
tasteful to us. Nevertheless, it is our work, and
since it is chosen for us by one who makes no mis
takes, it is the best work for us, and we can make
it “lovely in the doing” if we bring to it the right
spirit—the determination to do it cheerfully, even
joyfully because it is our work.
Editor Young Southerner:
I have been a good deal interested in your de
partment, and wish to commend your work.
The children whose letters have been published,
manifest intelligence and express themselves well.
I am glad to see that they appreciate the efforts
of The Golden Age in their behalf.
I wish to say, also, that I find many thins’s of
interest o” your page in addition to the children’s
letters. I wish you continued success, and hope to
The Golden Age for May 17, 1906.
see many more evidences of interest among the
young people and their friends. C. M. L.
Rome, Ga.
The kindly words of C. M. L. are much appre
ciated. L. T. H.
Dear Editor:
I have been wishing to write to you because I
'have enjoyed “our” page so much, but I have been
very busy with my lessons. I have had to study
very hard to keep up with my class, because i
lost some time on account of sickness.
Our school will soon close now, and then I shall
have more time to write letters.
When vacation comes I expect to go to the coun
try to visit my aunt and cousin, and hope to have
some interesting things to write about.
Last summer I visited my uncle, but he lives in
a small town; still it was almost like being in
the country. There was a creek just at the edge
of town, and we went fishing several times, though
we did not catch many fish.
My cousin had several pet chickens and they
seemed to know their names. One, named Dot, be
cause it was so little and black, would come run
ning every time its name was called.
Don’t you think chickens and dogs and other
pets understand what we say to them? I believe
they do.
I will close now, but hope to write again.
Yours truly,
Ethel D.
Yes, Ethel, I am sure that our dumb friends, es
pecially dogs, understand much that w*e say to them,
and they certainly appreciate our kindness to them.
I shall be glad to hear from you again. L. T. H.
How Birds Dress.
Birds think a good deal about their dress and are
careful to keep themselves tidy and in good order.
Os course, their fashions differ, because birds them
selves differ; but they do not change. A robin to
day dresses just as her grandmother did, and none
of her neighbors would dream of calling her old
fashioned.
Neither do birds have many suits. Two a year
is quite sufficient for most of them, and many are
content with only one.
As a rule, the gentlemen dress more gayly than
their mates, though they spend less time upon their
toilets.
Just watch your canary after he has had his
daily bath. See how each separate feather is
cleaned, pulled, and looked over, and how all the
loose ones are taken out and dropped.
All this is done by the bill, for a bird’s neck is
so flexible that it can be turned in all directions; but
the bill cannot reach the head, and so Mr. Canary
uses his foot.
With it he combs his hair, first on one side, and
then on the other, scratching very fast, as if to get
all the tangles out. Then he uses his hair-oil; for,
although complexion powders are not known in the
bird world, hair oil certainly is. Ladies and gentle
men alike carry it about with them. They have a
little pouch or sack on the back near the tail for
the purpose. When Madam Bird wishes to use it
she squeezes it out with her beak, just as you would
press a rubber bulb; then she lays the oil on her
back just above her wings, and rubs her head
against it, turning her neck in all directions until
every feather on her head is straight and sinn
ing.
Some birds wear their hair done up high on their
heads, and others prefer a Chinaman’s queue. Still
others comb it down plain and smooth like a little
Quaker’s.
But whatever the style, it is always pretty and
becoming.—Selected.
How They Do Things in Sweden
Women clean your shoes, shave you, and cut vour
hair. It is light all night in summer, and dark all
day in winter. Everybody trusts you and you are
expected to trust everybody. You take off your hat
when you enter a shop and return the shopman’s
low bow.
A servant who brings you something, says, “So
good.” You say, “Tack” (thanks). A lady al
ways waits for a gentleman to speak, instead of
the reverse, as in this country. You get a bill sv
ery day at the hotel. This permits you to correct
any mistake at once. There are more telephones in
Stockholm, in proportion to the population, than
any other city in the world.
Tips are everywhere given, but they are small.
Ten ore (about two-pence, half-penny) is the ordi
nary tip to a cabman or porter. You never have a
dispute with the cabman over the fare. A taxa
meter measures the distance you travel, and shows
what you owe any minute.
Steam has had its day in Switzerland and elec
tricity will soon take its place on all railroads. The
St. Gotthard road is even now being changed into
an electric road. This will not only allow an in
crease of speed even in the most mountainous
districts, but the rates of transportation both for
passengers and freight will be cut in two.
A new electric lamp which promises to revolu
tionize the present system of incandescent lighting,
has been invented by an Austrian chemist, after
many years of experimenting. The principal cost,
at present, of incandescent bulbs is the expensive
filament wires which soon wear out. This new lamp
has a substitute for the glow thread by forming one
out of common and cheap metals and metalloids.
FREE! FREE!
The Second Coming of Christ
By Len G. Broughton.
Price 50 cents.
Representative Women of the Bible
By Len G. Broughton.
Price SI.OO.
The Pepper Publishing Co. has been publishing
these books. They are going out of business. They
had on hand about 700 copies of “The Second
Coming of Christ,” and about 1,400 copies of the
“Representative Women of the Bible.” We bought
the lot at a bargain. Until the supply is exhaust
ed we will send either volume postpaid to any
address upon receipt of the above price; or we will
give you a copy of either book as per the following
offers:
To Old Subscribers:
Send us Two Dollars advancing your subscription
one year to the Golden Age, and we will send your
choice of these books postpaid as a premium.
To New Subscribers:
Send us Two Dollars for one year’s subscription
to the Golden Age, and take your choice of the two
books. Either sent postpaid on receipt of order.
Another edition of these books may not appear
soon. First come, first served. If you want either
book, order now to insure getting it.
TH El GOLDEN AGE,
J . Atlanta, Ga.