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10 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.