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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, FEBRUARY 1, 1882.
The GtinnrU or Grunter Filth.
THE GUNARD OR GRUNTER FISH.
Among the most remarkable of the
'spincy-Anned Ashes, are the Triglina,
•or Ashes with mailed cheeks, having a
■chain of small bones which form the
•lower part of the orbit greatly dilated,
and which cover the cheeks with several
large plates. The head is also usually
armed with spines. Of this family, the
Gunards, or Grunters, have, from olden
times, attracted great attention, and an
illustration of these curious Ash is here
with given. When taken from the
water, the Gunard gives forth a pecu
liar grunting or croaking noise, which
is produced by the friction of bones
covering the gills, and from which
characteristic the Ash derives its name.
The engraving shows the Grunter at
just onc-half its natural size. It has a
comparatively large, square head, two
separate dorsal Ans, and three unusually
large pectoral rays formed in joints. In
the Arst dorsal An there are nine, in the
second sixteen rays; the pectoral An has
three disconnected and eleven jointed
rays, and the lateral has six rays, while
the caudal has seven. This strange Ash
inhabits the Meditcranean Sea, the At
lantic Ocean and the North and Eust
Seas. It is most common on the coasts
of England. It usually keeps In the
depths, swimmlngslowlybutgracefully,
emitting, itissaid, brightstreaks of light as
it moves.
The most striking characteristic of the
Grunter, however, is Us provision for and
manner of locomotion along the ground.
The disconnected rays in front of the pec
toral Ans are, in effect, nothing less than
legs or feet which enable them to walk.
This they do by lifting the hinder part
of the body somewhat above the ground,
and by quickly moving the three rays, inde
pendently of each other, helping themselves
along, meanwhile, by a slight lateral motion
of the caudal An's.
In order to catch the Gunard, drag-nets
about Aftcen feet long are usually resorted
to; but it sometimes happens, that they
swim about near the surface of the water,
which gives occasion for a curious hunt; for,
in tranquil weather, their grunting can be
heard far an wide, as they literally stretch
their heads above the water, produce their
queer noise, and then sink back to a depth
of about a foot and a half. With some skill,
one may then kill them with a gun,and in a
short time make booty of a considerable
number of the Ash.
Young men, remember this: In all the
varied pursuits of life, sobriety and energy
are more powerful factors of success than
genius or luck, or all other human agencies
combined,—[Sparta (Ga.) Jshmpclitc,
February.
The earliest Roman calendar divided the
year into ten months, some of which con
tained but twenty days. March was then
the Arst month of the year, and December
the last.
January and February are said to have
been added by Numa, the successor of
Romulus as king of Rome. He also ordained
that the year should consist of twelve lunar
montli#and one day over, or, in all, of three
hundred and Afty-Ave days; and, in order
to make this lunar year square, to some ex
tent with the solar year of three hundred
and slxty-Ave and one-fourth days, Numa is
said to have ordered that a supplementary
month should be intercalated every third
year between the 23d and the 25th of Febru
ary, which was considered to be the last
month of the year.
The Romans continued to reckon time by
this short year until the calendar was re
formed by Julius Ctesar, B.,C., 40. January
was now made the Arst month of the year,
and to prevent future errors the year was
extended from 355 to 365 days,, each month
being lengthened, except February, and so
arranged that each alternate month had
thirty-one and thirty days except February,
which, in ordinary years, had twenty-nine
days, and in Leap year thirty. As the solar
the additional day of February to be omit
ted three times in four hundred years.
England refused to adopt this reform, and
continued to use the Old Style until 1752 A.
D., when the Gregorian year, or New Style,
was adopted.
This is the history of February, find the
reason why of days February has twenty-
eight alone—“in Leap Year twenty-nine.”
OUR YOUNG FOLKS' LETTER BOX.
West Point, Ga., Jan. 9,1882.
Dear Aunt Fanny :—I saw your name in
the Southern World, and thought I would
write to you. We have had vacation two
weeks, and started to school to-day. I am
going.to study hard, learn fast, and be a
smart girl. I am a little girl eleven years of
age, and go to school at the West Point
Public School.. I am in the Third Grade,
and Prof. W. R. Thigpen is my teacher. I
will close my letter, as I have my lessons to
study. I remain, Minnie Wood.
[Glad to hear from Minnie. Lose no op
portunity now to learn, but do not sacriAce
physical health to mental growth. A sound
mind in a sound body is excellent capital in
life.]
Dixon’s Spring, Tbnn., Jan. 10,1882.
Dear Aunt Fanny My Papa takes the
World, and as the Letter Box is open I will
Her Mother’s Advertisement.—A young
lady is a sort of walking advertisement of
her. mother. Seeing the ope, you cap
I believe that as soon as a little girl is old
enough, she ought to have some regular
house-work, not beyond her strength, given
her to do. Let her feel the responsibility,
and be required to do her work systematical
ly and well. I know it takes more time and
ymtience to look offer the little one than it
would to do the thing ourself, but by and
<by she will have learned to do this one thing
•well,she will never forget it, and mother will
ihe relieved of this one duty. Then add
'something else to the list, and letitbe some
thing simple that will not over-burden the
‘child. In this way by the time the daugh
ter is fourteen or Afteen years old she will
be a genuine help to her mother, and by this
help the mother will And time to be inter
ested in the studies and recreations of the
daughter, and a true companionship will be
enjoyed. In this way the daughter will be
disciplined and educated by industry and
responsibility, and made healthy by exer
cise. Above all, a habit of unselAsh, tender
care for father, mother, brother and sister
will be formed.
It is my opinion, that the real school-life
of a girl ought not to begin before she is
Afteen years old, and before this time she
will have learned many valuable home ac
complishments. Then literature and music,
mathematics,science and all good studies
having given herfurther mental culture,
,we shallsee our daughter truly accom
plished. We shall have a home, adorned
with that brightest of jewels—a thought
ful daughter—a loving sister—n true
woman, who, in time, willgo forth to be
a home-maker in the highest, holiest
sense of the word—one whose life shall
be a constant blessing to society, and
we shall feel that our work lias been
well done.
§nr Houilfl
Conducted by Aunt Fanny.
"Theworld, dear child, is as we take it,and
Lite, be sure. Is what we make it."
LETTING THE OLD CAT DIE.
Her bright hair floated to and fro,
Her little red dress flashed by.
But the loveliest thing of.all, I thought, _____
Was the gleam of her laughing eye.
Swinging and swaying back and forth,
With the rose-light In her face,
She seemed like a bird and a flower In one,
And the forest her native place.
“Steady I I’ll send you up, my child,”
But she stopped me with a cry;
“Go’wayl go'way! Don't touch mo, please—
I'm letting the old cat die!"
“You letting him die! ” I cried, aghast—
“ Why, where’s the cat, my dearf "
And lo! the laughter that lined the woods
Was a thing for the birds to hear.
"Why, don’t you know,” said the little maid,
The flitting, beautiful elf;
"That we call It ‘letting the old cat die,’
When the swing stops all of Itself? ’’
Then swinging and swinging, and looking back,
With the merriest look In her eye,
She bade me “ good-day,” and I left her alone,
A letting the old cat die.
year consists of about 365K days, it was
necessary to add one day in every four years,
and this was done at the end of February,
as at the present time in our Leap Year.
The name of the month called Quintilis
was changed to July, in honor of Julius
Ctesar, and when Augustus became emperor
his name was given to the month Sextiles,
and in order that it might contain as many
days as July, the month named for Ctesar,
one day was taken from February and added
to August. Then, to restore the alterna
tions of thirty and thirty-one days as nearly
os possible, one day was taken from Sep
tember and November and udded to October
and December.
The only change made since that time
was in the year 1582 A. D., when a change
was ordered by Pope Gregory. Thfe addi
tion of one day in every four years would
be correct if the solar year were just 365)4
days long, but it really consists of 365 days,
5 hours, 47 minutes, 51K seconds, so that
the Julian year is longer than the true solar
year.
The Greek astronomers who aided Ctesar
in arranging his calendar doubtless knew of
this error, but neglected it. Gregory, there
fore, shortened the year 1E82, which was
about thirteen days behind the true time,
and, to prevent error for the future, ordered
write to you. I live in the country. I
have a mocking bird named Tip. I have
also three kittens, but they are so wild that’
I can’t catch them. We have a large gar
den ; our white violets are blooming now.
I am not going to school now, but when I
do go I study Fifth Reader, Geography,
Grammar, Arithmetic, Speller, and writing.
I will be very glad when school begins, for
I love to go. I like lo read “Our Young
Folks.” Hoping to sec my letter in print,
I am your niece, Fannie Youno.
[The wish of our little niece, who is young
in years as well as name, shall be gratiAed,
Fannie should treat her pet kittens with
kindness, and they will get over their skit
tishness.]
Decatur, Ala., Jan. 10,1882.
Dear Aunt Fanny :—My Papa takes the
Southern World. As soon as he saw the
Arst copy he said it was just the paper that
he wanted, and we children like it ever so
much. We had a good laugh over the story
of the little girl that played Doctor. I am
ten years old, my brother Charlie is eight,
and I have two little twin sisters, four years
old, Edith and Ednaii. I read Chilton’s
letter, and hope she will write again. Your
affectionate niece, Sallie R.
[We bid you a cordial welcome, Sallie,
and hope to hear from you often. Kiss
little Edith and Ednaii for Aunt Fanny]
Fayetteville, N. C., Jan. 12, 1882.
Dear Aunt Fanny:—We are two
boys—Rob is nine years old, and I am
twelve. We like the Southern World
very much. We both go to school, and
like our teacher very much. We have
been making a collection of all the
different kinds of wood found here. We
take small round sticks and saw a thin
slice off the end, and polish it by rub
bing. We don’t know whether they
ought to be varnished or not. Can you
tell us?
Your affectionate nephews,
Rod and Harry L.
[It is a good thing to make such
collections as you are making. I would
varnish the wood with a little transpa
rent varnish. Keep your eyes open,
and you will And many beautiful and
wonderful things in the Aelds and for
ests. Write again.]
“ Every moderate drinker could aban
don the intoxicating cup if he would,
every inebriate would if lie could.”
—[John B. Gough.
Good Luck.—Some young men talk
about luck. Good luck is to get up at
six o’clock in the morning. Good luck,
if you have only a shilling a week, is to
live on eleven pence and save a penny.
Good luck is to trouble your head with
your own and let others’ business alone.
Good luck is to fulfill the command
ment, and do unto other people as we
would wish them to do unto us.
No wreck is so shocking to behold as
that of a dissolute young man. On
the person of thedebauche or inebriate,
infamy is written, How nature hangs
labels over him to testify her disgust at
his example! How she loosens his
joints, sends tremors along his muscles, and
bends forward his frame!—the wretch whose
lifelong pleasure has been .to debauch others,
whose heart has been spotted with sin so
that it is an offence to the heart of the un
blemished.
A Tobacco Gentleman.—Only a short time
ago, says the Osceola Sentinel, while we sat
in an Osceola store, we saw a man and his
wife from the country trading. The woman
had the appearance of beingahard-working,
industrious, intelligent lady. She was ex
amining a piece of calico or other cheap
dress goods. The clerk said: “Shall I cut
you off ten yards?” The pale-faced, over
worked woman turned to her husband and
in a timid, frightened manner asked him if
she might buy a dress, as she needed it, and
the cost would be less than one dollar.
"No," he grunted, “I can’t afford it;” and
yet he had just paid as much for a great
plug of navy and a paper or two of smoking
tobacco. The poor, illy clad, but neat
woman, subsided as though this was no new
experience, while her rough, coarse, and
animal husband bit off a mouthful of the
weed, and ordered her to get ready for
home.