Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

12 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.