/TIMuuki s&ii
A Juvenile Magazine for American Slovenes
Photo by U. S. Forest Service.
Building a Snowman
December
1938
MLADINSKI LIST
JUVENILE
Published monthly by the Slovene National Benefit Society for the members of its Juvenile department.
Edit»r	Business	Manage?
IVAN MOLEK	PHILIP	GODINA
Annual subscription, $1.20; half year, 60c; foreign subscription, $1.50
ADDRESS:
2657 S. Lawndale Ave., Chicago, IB.
Entered as second-class matter August 2, 1922, st the post office at Chicago, 111., under Act cd August S4, 1912.
CONTENTS FOR DECEMBER 1938
Pregled vsebine v tej številki
STORIES AND POEMS
Page
Jean .......................................29
Kdo je to? (pesem)........................... 3
Mala jelnica ................................14
Memories .................................... 6
Na vrh, na vrh! (pesemj^.....................10
Nifty and His Friends........................24
Noč (pesem) .................................27
Slavček in ščipek............................ 7
Zajček in lev................................10
ARTICLES
Founders of My Organization.................. 1
Hibernation of Reptiles......................32
Historical Sketches About Slovenes........... 8
Isaac Newton ................................13
FEATURES Doživljaji malega Krulčka....................15
• Little Gardener .............................15
• Nutcracker ..................................30
Our Pen Pals Write...........................20
OUR SCHOOL ..................................1«
Plants and Animals...........................11
Slovenia Cooking Club........................28
.Stric Joško ................................12
Things to Make...............................26
Way Back When................................ 9
When We Play.................................31
OUR OWN JUVENILE CIRCLES........ 4
SNPJ IS SANTA CLAUS.............. 9
SOLUTION AND WINNERS OF TENTH CONTEST LESSON 18
MLADINSKI LIST
JUVENILE
LETO XVII.—Št. 12	CHICAGO,	ILL.,	DECEMBER,	1938	VOL.	XVII.—No. 12
The Founders of
From month to month throughout this year some interesting topic was mentioned on this page in *
regard to the Slovene
Frank Medica	National
Benefit Society. This was done for the purpose of getting you acquainted with YOUR organization.
It is, therefore, proper and fitting that we close the series for this year with a word or two about the men who blazed the trail in founding our Society.
This winter and next spring the first nine lodges of the SNPJ will celebrate their 35th birthday; two of them, the two oldest ones, have done so already. This 35th anniversary is also the anniversary of our Society, which is due in April, 1939.
The credit for organizing these initial nine lodges during the winter of 1903-04, the lodges that mark the humble beginning of the SNPJ, goes chiefly to but a half a dozen men, and four of them, whose pictures you see here, were the leaders.
My Organization
All four of them were Slovene immigrants—three from Bela Krajina and one from rocky Kras—all in their thirties and forties, and two of them single men at that time.
Frank Medica, editor of the weekly Glas Svobode, was the intellectual leader of the movement to establish a new and a freethought fraternal organization ; he never tired of writing articles and stirring appeals in his paper to all progressive-minded Slovene workers in this country at this time.
A young man and single, Medica devoted his entire time to this goal. He wrote convincingly and got results. Our men responded and set to work in spreading the Glas Svobode and organizing new and independent lodges.
Martin Konda, business manager and co-owner of the Glas Svobode, was active in door-to-door agitation. His chief effort was to get personal contact with everyone from whom he hoped to get response; he wrote letters, hundreds of letters; he traveled
near and far	Martin Konda
and talked and talked, argued, pleaded, quarr eled, and fought — for his freethought paper and for the new freethought society.
And he,
John Stonič	^	gQt	r&_
suits. Konda was a commoner and a great mixer; he was at home in every household, and when he was turned down he took it calmly. There was a saying that “if Konda was thrown out through the door, he returned through the window.” How could you defeat such a man when he was doing the right thing?
John Stonič, a jewelry salesman, was another tireless worker for the SNPJ. His regular trips all over the United States enabled him to know our people, to make friends in every settlement, and to urge his friends toward founding a new lodge. A great many lodges of our Society were credited to him as well as new members, but soon after the SNPJ was well on the road of progress Stonič suffered a stroke, which incapacitated him for any further work. Thus his fruitful labor was ended.
Frank Klobučar was a carpenter by trade. He lived in South Chicago, and so he was a local organizer. He helped to organize lodge Slavia No. 1 of the SNPJ and was its first president. Some
time later he helped to found lodge Delavec No. 8, of South Chicago, 111.
John Stonič was the first Supreme President of the SNPJ, Frank Medica was the first Supreme Secretary, and Frank Klobučar was the first Supreme Treasurer.
About two months after the first SNPJ convention and his election as Supreme Secretary, Frank Medica left the United States for the old country and Martin Konda took his job at the secretary’s desk.
Frank Klobučar was killed in a street accident in 1910. Martin Konda died in 1923, and John Stonič followed him in 1933.
So far as we know, Frank Medica still lives in Ljubljana, Jugoslavia, the only living member of the four who created the Slovene National Benefit Society 35 years ago.
They should be remembered as the men who worked and struggled against great odds that they might establish a society which shall be open to all honest S 1 o-v e n e men and women and their children in this country regardless of their beliefs — and in this aim they have succeeded beyond their expectations.
Frank Klobučar
MLADINSKI LIST
Kdo je to?
Narisala Katka Zupančič
KATKA ZUPANČIČ
Kdo je to in kaj mi hoče? Kaj se mož brkati mi smeji? Njega glas se znan mi zdi, pa k sebi vabi me, ko oče . . .
Ali jaz se varati ne dam! Naj se mož me le dotika — joka bo in krika, da ga nič ne bo več k nam.
Mož pa joka, krika noče . . . Kar na lepem z roko šine:
brada zgine-------------
A j ti oče, ti poredni oče!
Our Own Juvenile Circles of the S. N. P. J.
Send all your questions and requests for your Juvenile Circles to Mr. Vincent Cain-kar, president of the SNPJ, 2657 S. Lawndale Ave., Chicago, 111. He has been appointed the Director of Juvenile Circles, and your Advisers should keep in touch with him.
CIRCLE NEWS
Kansas.—The first meeting of the Juvenile Circle of the Kansas lodges was held on October 9, at Edison, Kansas.
The suggestion for a Circle had been accepted by the Kansas Federation at a meeting held on Sept. 25. At that time a committee was elected. The people on this committee (named in the last issue) visited the various homes of the juvenile members living within a wide radius of southeastern Kansas. They received splendid cooperation from both the members and the parents. There was a total of 85 members who promised to become members of a Circle.
Because of the distances and the lack of convenient transportation, the committee had not expected a large attendance at the very first meeting. But to the surprise of everyone, 60 juvenile members were present. Since most of them were between the ages of 12 and 17, the group was not separated.
A very interesting program was prepared for the meeting. Before the meeting was held, the members were treated to soda. Then the meeting was called to order by Anton Shular. The rest of the pi'ogram consisted of: Song, “Hail, Hail, the members are here”; music by Floreine Lipoglow; a talk explaining the meaning of a juvenile circle by Sis. Mary Shular, an active member of the SNPJ and a teacher at Gross; accordion solo, Henry Jelov-chan; Slovene song, Mary Nolimal; and a talk on the future activity of the Circle. A hobo party, wiener roast, Christmas party, etc., were discussed by Olga Knapich.
The following officers were elected: president, Henry Jelovchan; vice-president, Mary Nolimal; sec-
retary and recording secretary, Olga Knapich. Publicity committee, Josephine Sray and Olga Knapich; entertainment committee, Frances Zovbi, Joe Kumer, and Floreine Lipoglow.
Since there are so many lodges of southeastern Kansas represented in our Circle, it was decided that each section should have a representative. The following were chosen: Andrew Jama for Yale; Dorothy Karlinger for Franklin; Mary Zovbi for Breezy Hill; Dorothy Godina for Arma; Frances Firm for Frontenac; Rudy Humar for Edison; and Floreine Lipoglow for Cockerill.
Meetings will be held every first Sunday of the Month. There was a decision to hold a Hobo Day and Wiener Roast on October 30. Another meeting was arranged for November 6.
The announcement of the first meeting and the election of officers was made over station KOAM, in Pittsiburg, Kansas.
By the time you hear the next report, a name will have been chosen for the Circle. All of the members are busy in a campaign for securing new members for the SNPJ. (Taken from a report of Olga Knapich and bro. Anton Shular.)
*
Another New Circle in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio.—Lodge No. 5 of the SNPJ, has also organized a juvenile circle. We elected officers at our first meeting. They are as follows: president, Frank Kranjčevič; vice-president, Alice Popotnik; secretary, Angela Bratovich; treasurer, Joseph Kranjčevič; recording secretary, Daniela Slabe; and adviser, Mrs. Ann Medvešek.
We have set our meeting dates for every second Saturday of the month at 2:00 o’clock in Room 3, of the Slovenian National Home.
Our first meeting was well attended, but we
hope to have a still better attendance at our future meetings. Our second meeting was held on November 12. Boys and girls of Lodge 5, come out in large numbers. If you like to spend your Saturdays at interesting places, you will be with us. Alice Popotnik, vice-president, 6219 Carl Ave., Cleveland, 0.
*
Butte, Mont.—At a meeting held Sunday, October 9, a Juvenile Circle of the SNPJ Lodge No. 207 was organized.
Election of officers was conducted with Ann Plash, adviser, acting as a chairman. Officers elected for a year’s term are: John Nick, President; Helen Ozanich, Vice-President; Gertrude Nick, Secretary; William Baltezar, Treasurer.
Plans for future activities were outlined in an open forum discussion, which followed the article printed in the April issue of the Mladinski List, “How to Organize Juvenile Circles of the SNPJ.”
Various committees, including sick, entertainment, publicity, membership, and activities were appointed, and their respective duties were named.
Eighteen charter members were present, but the membership is expected to increase at the next meeting, which will be held next month, a day set aside by the adviser.
Refreshments were served at the adjournment of the meeting by the senior members of the SNPJ.— Gertrude M. Nick, secretary, 2717 Walnut St., Butte, Mont.
*
Milwaukee, Wis.—I will report some news from the juvenile circle of Milwaukee. Our last meeting was held on Sunday 24. About 35 of our members attended. Our president, Eddie Primozich, presided at the meeting.
We had a lengthy discussion about our sports activities. We have finally found a suitable place to hold our practices, and we will begin soon.—We held a Hallowe’en dance on October 29. Refreshments were served.
Our adviser, Miss Jenny Schuler, has been present at our meetings and has led us in playing some entertainnig games. They have been successful for everyone concerned.—John Poklar, Jr.
*
Additional News from Kansas
A hobo day and wiener roast was held October 30, at Novak’s Farm, in Edison, Kansas, beginning at 2:00 o’clock. All of the members were dressed as “bums”. The girls played armory ball, while the boys played football. A king and queen of the hoboes were chosen. We will send their pictures to the M. L. as soon as possible.
I am very proud of our active juvenile members in Kansas. By and by you will see our Circle expand and a lot of progress. So until next month, a lot of success to every juvenile circle in the country.—Olga Knapich, R. R. 3, Box 714, Girard, Kansas.
Olga adds that all the announcements, election of officers, and news about the hobo day and wiener roast were broadcast over station KOAM,
Pittsburg, Kans. Members should listen for other such broadcasts.
Josephine Sray, a member of the publicity committee of this Kansas circle, also sent us an enthusiastic report about the activities of the group. The information, however, was the same as had been received by the two previous reports in this column, and so for this month, we will not publish Josephine’s letter in full. She also called particular attention to the KOAM broadcast.
*
New Circles in Pennsylvania
Braddock, Pa.—The first meeting of the new Circle of lodge 300 was held on October 31. There were 31 juvenile members present.
The officers elected are as follows: president, Antoinette Chesnick; vice-president, John Rednak; secretary, Peter Sedmak; and treasurer, Louis Ka-rish. (Prom a report of the lodge secretary, Anton Rožanec.)
*
Verona, Pa.—On Friday, Oct. 28, 1938, the Vero-nian Juvenile Circle was organized with the following members elected: Ei'nest Krulae, president; Tony Doles, vice-president; Margaret Zibreg, treasurer; and Matilda Doles, secretary.
The Circle has been officially named the Junior Veronians. The regular meetings will be held on the fourth Friday of every month, promptly at 8:00 o’clock. The eight new members were:	Peter
George Sekel, Paul Charles Sekel, Diane Sekel, Joan Pavelko, Margaret Ann Ziberg, Richard Zi-berg, Eleanor Zibreg, George Semencar.—Margaret Zibreg, 310 Penn St., Verona, Pa.
*
At the recent meeting of the SNPJ Supreme Executive Committee in Chicago a lively discussion took place in regard to the Juvenile Circles, resulting in the following decisions: a roster of all existing Circles will be made and each Circle will get an official number, the numbers to run in order as the Circles came into existence; a large supply of the membership buttons for the Circle members will be ordered at once; an adult contest for short juvenile plays to be used during the next year celebrations of the SNPJ thirty-fifth anniversary and other occasions, such as Christmas parties, will take place early in the next year with good prizes for the best plays.
*
THE NEW CIRCLE NAME CONTEST FAILED
The contest conducted in the M. L. during October to rename the SNPJ Juvenile Circles has not accomplished its purpose.
Twenty names were submitted by the juvenile members and readers of the Mladinski List, and after the submitted names were scrutinized by the Supreme Executive Committee at its meeting of November 2, none was found to merit the change of the
present one, or to be suitable enough to supersede the name of Juvenile Circles.
The best names submitted were: SNPJ Juniors of America, The SNPJ Cooperators, Little Comrades, and in Slovene, Omladina. None of these are better, in designation or purpose, than the Juvenile Circles.
Some other names were: The Todays of
Tomorrow, Jolly Jesters, The Owls, Bucka-neers, Admirals, The SNPJ Busy Bees, Nestlings, Chicks in Unity, etc.
The Supreme Executive Committee, therefore, rejected all of them and declared the contest a failure. The general name, Juvenile Circles, is to remain, but every Circle may have its local name if it so desires.
Triplets Members of S. N. P. J.
Margaret, Jack, and Elizabeth Smrdel are
triplets, who have been members of SNPJ lodge 147, in Cleveland, 0., for 9 years.
Margaret, Jack, and Elizabeth were born in Cleveland on July 24, 1927. Their father,
Peter Smrdel, has been a member of our Society for 15 years.
There are 6 other children in the Smrdel family besides these 11-year-old triplets.
Memories
By ANN K. MEDVEŠEK
As all alone I sit and think,
The past feiv years come back again, And with it school and all its joys,
And also intermingled pain.
I hear no more the loud schoolbell,
Nor children’s voices tvild and gay,
As tiny feet ran doivn the path, Homeward, at close of school each day.
I miss the gaze of sweet fresh faces, That everyday before me sat,
The tearful eyes that turned to me, Because the big boy hid his hat.
That spacious room icith rows of desks, Where Jerry spilled the ink, noiv dry, And Jackie his initials carved,
And in the corner books piled high.
These gay and pleasant memories, Return to haunt me ivhen alone,
I sit and dream of by-gone days, Yet know they have forever gone.
Slavček in ščipek
Pripoveduje Ivan Vuk
Bilo je nekoč, ko je bilo še vse življenje na zemlji v mladostnem brstenju in še ni bilo vse urejeno kakor je danes.
Ob nekem potoku, ob parobku šumečega gozda, je cvetel tisto pomlad španski bezeg v vsem svojem krasu in vonj njegovega cvetja je polnil ozračje. Ne daleč od njega je razcvetal ščipek. Lepo rdeče cvetje ščipkovo je bilo kakor nasmejane ustnice ob žuborečem potoku in v njegovi čisti vodi se ogle-dajoče. Trepetali so cvetni listi ščipkovi in nekako se bojazljivo ogledovali. Tu in tam je španski bezeg zaslišal tudi njihov vzdih. In je vprašal:
“Kaj ti je, ščipek, da vzdihuješ? Saj je vendar vse tako lepo, vreme nežno in božajoče?”
“Oh, če bi ti vedel,” je vzdihnil ščipek. “Komaj sem razcvetel, se razširil in stegnil, že so me napadle gosenice. In glodajo moje cvetje, ga požirajo z vso požrešnostjo, in ne morem si pomagati.”
“Zakaj ne pokličeš vrabcev? Pomagali ti bodo in pojedli bodo gosenice,” je svetoval španski bezeg.
“Vrabce,” je zastokal ščipek. “Bojijo se me! Ne marajo me!”
“Zakaj ne,” se je čudil španski bezeg. “Saj vendar vrabci ljubijo gosenice in so jim celo slastna pečenka.”
“Pravijo, da jih bodem. Res imam trnje, ali to za zaščito svojega cvetja pred nepoklicanimi. Ali vrabcev ne bodem. Nerodni so, pa ne pazijo in se zbodejo, potem pa dolže mene, da jih bodem. Če vkljub temu kateri sede name, že zastoka in odleti. Mene pa kar srce boli, da je tako .”
Španski bezeg je majal s svojim modrim cvetjem in žal mu je bilo ščipka, da je tako nesrečen.
Kmalu na to je priletela od nekod majhna ptička. Neznatna je bila, da jo je ščipek komaj zapazil. In zapazil jo je le, ko je sedla čisto blizu njega.
Prisluhnil je ščipek, pogledal in vzdihnil: “Oh, zopet vrabec!”
Nejevolja je bila v teh besedah.
Ptiček pa je pogledal in rekel:
“Nisem vrabec. Njegove velikosti nekako sem res, ali vrabec vseeno nisem.”
“Kdo pa si?” je spraševal ščipek.
“Slavček,” je odgovorila ptička.
“Slavček,” je ponovil ščipek. “Torej nekaj drugega od vrabca ?”
“Čisto nekaj drugega,” je odgovoril slavček.
V	ščipku je vstalo upanje. Morda pa bo slavček jedel gosenice, ki me grizejo, morda bo bolj spreten, pa ga ne bodo zbodli moji trni. In je rekel:
“Draga ptička! Prosim te, ako res nisi vrabec, očisti me od teh strašnih gosenic, ki grizejo moje cvetje. Zelo ti bom hvaležen. Tudi nastaniš se lahko pri meni.”
“Ali so tiste gosenice tudi dobre?” je vprašal ptička-slavček.
“Poskusi,” je rekel ščipek.
“Dobro,” je rekel slavček, zletel na grm in poskusil. “Priležejo se,” je rekel. “Očistil te bom in nastanil se bom pri tebi.
In tako se je zgodilo, da se je slavček nastanil v ščipkovem grmu. Svojo ženo je pripeljal v to svoje stanovanje. Pridno sta obirala gosenice, ščipek pa ves srečen, je cvetel ves radosten in širil svoje zdrave veje in cvetje na vse strani ter ščitil malo slavčkovo družinico.
Nekega dne pa se je zgodilo nekaj strašnega. Neka mačka je iskala kosila. Priplazila se je h grmu. Skočila je, da zagrabi mladence, ali nenadno je odskočila in bolestno zamijavkala.
Kaj je bilo?
Ščipek je zasadil svoje trnje v mačko. Komaj se je osvobodila iz trnjevega objema ščipkovega in vsa mijavkajoča zbežala, pu-stivši na grmu celo nekaj svojih dlak . . .
Slavček in njegove družinica so bili rešeni.
In tisti večer je zapel slavček ščipku tako lepo pesem zahvalnico, da je trepetal od sladkosti in sreče. Španski bezeg, ki je poslušal, j e rekel:
“Hvaležnost je kakor vonj cvetlice lepo dišeče, božajoča dobro delo v korist bližnjega storjeno!”
Historical Sketches About Slovenes
By Historicus
Thus we have endeavored in eleven sketches to give you the main trends of 1400 years of 'known history of the Slovene people. In this concluding sketch, a short resume of what we have already told you will be presented.
The Slovenes originated, together with the rest of the great Slav family, in prehistoric times in Central Asia. Exactly when and where, history knows nothing. In all probability they were developing there for thousands of years.
History for the first time noted the Slovenes about 550 A. D. when they emerged from Asia and began pouring into central and southeastern Europe in two large streams. One stream followed the Black Sea shores and filled the Roman provinces of Dacia and Moesia (now Rumania) ; from there the stream pushed into Thrace (now Bulgaria) and overran all the eastern Balkan peninsula. Another stream went directly west, spreading itself over what is now Hungary and further west over the Roman provinces of the two Panonias, Noricum, Ca-ranthania, and Ilyricum.
This happened in the period of the Great Migration, and along with our ancestors were moving great hordes of other barbaric Asiatic peoples—all hungry for the vast lands of the then disintegrating old Roman empire. The Slovenes were then already branched off from the Northern Slavs and from their Serbo-Croat cousins. In all probability several hundred thousand Slovenes immigrated into Europe.
After the Slovenes took possession of their new homeland, it took them 200 years to settle and to absorb the scarce population they found there; all this while they were fighting the Greeks in the south, Romans in the west, and Franco-Germans in the northwest. Meanwhile they themselves were absorbed in Dacia, and they branched off in Thrace where they developed a new language, Bulgarian. During this period the Slovenes were a free people, and once they formed with the Czechs and under the leadership of “king” Samo a great Slav state
stretching from the Sudeten mountains in the north to the Adriatic sea in the south. But this state lasted only 30 years.
Then came the period of Christianization lasting another 200 years during which the Slovenes were forced under sword to abandon their old natural religion and to accept Christianity. By adopting the Christian religion, the Slovenes lost their freedom and fell under the rule of the Bavarian (German) despots. To add another misfortune, the Magyar migration overwhelmed the Slovenes in Hungary where about nine-tenths of their population was lost. What was left of them was forced into the mountainous districts of the Alp region where the Slovenes survived.
The next four hundred years saw the Slovenes transformed into a herd of serfs of the church and Austro-German feudal lords. In the succeeding four hundred year period the Slovenes were subjected to the terrific scourge of the Turkish raids and wars lasting about 300 years. In the midst of these most terrible times of the Slovene history there were a series of disastrous peasant revolts topped with the religious revolt (Protestant Reformation) which marked the beginning of the Slovene literature.
After another long slumber came the French revolution, Napoleonic wars that shook Europe, and the cultural and political awakening of the Slovenes. From then on the progress of liberation was swift and amazing. In less than one hundred years the Slovenes achieved the rights and fruits of civilization they had never tasted before. But economically they were held back, so in the middle of the 19th century they began to immigrate to America in a steady wide stream.
The World War halted the rush to America, and, at the same time, destroyed the Austro-Hungarian empire and gave birth to Jugoslavia, a part of which are the Slovenes.
This completes the picture of the Slovene history in short. Many an interesting detail is missing, but the frame with the main features is here. It can help you to know something about your people.— (The end.)
SNPJ Is Your Real Santa Claus!
Most of the M. L. readers have at some time or other been disappointed at the failure of a Santa Claus to make his appearance. That is because reality is always more stern with us than make-believe! But this is one instance when you will need to use no make-believe.
The M. L. is sending a number of awards—in cash—to contributors who tried to meet the suggestion of the Editor at the beginning of the year to increase the interest of the M. L. These are as follows:
To LOUIS JANEZICH, 977 E. 139 St., Cleveland, 0., an award of $2.00 for his contributions towards an interesting stamp colu mn.
To STEVEN KERRO, 588 E. 102nd St., Cleveland, 0., an award of §2.00 for his regular attempts at various literary contributions.
To MARY ANN BAN, 5149 Butler St., Pittsburgh, Pa., an award of $2.00 for her original crossword puzzles.
To CHARLES A. LASAKER, Eveleth, Minn., an award of $2.00 for his original crossword puzzles.
To JOHN LOUIS UJCICH, 5410 Carnegie St., Pittsburgh, Pa., an award of $2.00 for the quality and quantity of his “Pen Pal” letters and suggestions.
To JOE ROTT, 18815 Chickasaw Ave., Cleveland, O., an award of $2.00 for the	loyalty	to
the “Pen Pals” section in all but two issues during the entire year, and	in	the	Slo-
vene language.
Awards of $1.00 to each of the following “Pen Pals”:
AMELIA BERGANT, R. R. 1, Willard, Wisconsin OLGA KNAPICH, R. R. 3, Box 714, Girard, Kansas MILDRED OVCA, 1841 S. 15th St., Springfield, O.
LOUIS EVERETT PERKOVICH, 304 East Oak St., Chisholm, Minn.
MILDRED ANN PANYAN, Box 339, Wood bridge Ave., Buhl, Minn.
VIOLET VOGRIN, 19515 Kildeer Ave., Cleveland, O.
JUSTINA C. LOVSIN, Bentleyville, Pa.
Way Back When
(From Mladinski List, July, 1923)
Prizes were being awarded for the correct answers to puzzles in the Slovene section of the M. L. In this issue, the following were awarded two Slovene books each:	Prank Virant, Imperial, Pa., Jennie
Bohinc, Export, Pa., Mary Dobrovolc, Waukegan, 111., and Isabelle Junko, Pittsburg, Kans.
Letters in the English section were written by Mary Rapret, Ely, Minn., Elsie Kralj, La Salle, 111., Augusta Alich, Wilburton, Okla., Mary Malek, Fair-point, O., Mary Prince, Large, Pa., and Mary Milavec, Maynard, O.
(Editor’s Note: With this column we will bring to a close our “Way Back When” section. Through-
out the year we have given you some of the interesting items that appeared in the first twelve issues of our Mladinski List. Some of the older members may have observed their name, which served as a reminder of the time when they awaited the M. L. as eagerly as the young readers do today. Here and there were names of friends who had moved from a certain locality and the memory of whom was revived by seeing that they, too, had been active in the M. L. columns at some time past. It may foe that fifteen years hence, someone who will page through the issues of the present M. L. will find your letters and mention of your activity. We like to think that this will be so. Let us hope that it will foe a most pleasant reminder.)
Na vrh, na vrh!
E. K.
Strumno mi korakamo čez plan. Onkraj hriba sije beli clan, onkraj hriba vse cvete, dehti . . . kar čez hrib udarimo jo mi!
Strma pot ne plaši mladih nog. Tukaj pretesan je pusti krog. Velik svet je videti z gore, pohitimo, bratje in sestre!
Pohitimo gledat širno plan, hribe vse, ki nosi jih ravan; tam se nam ogrejejo srca in odpro lepote vrata vsa.
Zajček
(Pripoveduje V nekem gozdu je živel lev, ki so mu pravili Pin-gala. Mnogo živali je že požrl. In žrl jih je kar tako brez izbire, kakor je katero našel na svojem potu. To je vzbujalo med živali v gozdu veliko ne-voljo. Da bi se temu prišlo v okom, je bilo sklicano zborovanje vseh prebivalcev gozda. Tudi lev je bil povabljen. In ko so se tako pritoževali, je lev rekel: “Zares, žal mi je, da je tako. Rad bi vam pomagal. Dovolite, predlagal bi, da se dogovorimo, da se mi dnevno določi po ena zver, ki naj kar sama pride, da jo požrem.”
Vsi so s tem soglašali. In godilo se je, da je vsak dan šla po ena zver k levu, da jo je požrl. Tako so se vrstile. Ali nekega dne pride vrsta na zajca. Zveri so rekle:
“Podvizaj se, da ne bo kakor prej, da bo lev zadovoljen in da obvelja naš dogovor!”
Zajec je šel. Premišljal je in šel. Ali ni šel k levu. Sam pri sebi je rekel:
“Od danes naprej ne bo dobil lev nobene zveri več!”
Zajec je čakal. Šele opoldan je šel počasi na cesto, da bi srečal leva. Kaj mislite, kako je prišel k levu in kako se je maščeval za vso zverjal, ki jo je lev požrl?
Takole se je maščeval. Prišel je lepo k levu in rekel:
“Gospod, šli smo k tebi štirje zajci, določeni ti za kosilo. Ali nenadoma nas je napadel tvoj smrtni sovražnik, drug lev, močnejši od tebe, ki mu pravijo Pungala. Požrl je vse tri moje tovariše, samo jaz sem mu ušel, da ti to povem.”
“Kje je ta nebodigatreba Pungala,” je vprašal ves srditi lev.
Svet širok je, pester, čudovit; če čepimo v kotu, nam bo skrit.
V	mladih srcih želje nam gore, upi, še nejasni v njih plamte.
Tam z vrha se nam razgrne svet, od svetlobe sončne ves objet; še neznanih zlatih ciljev kras se prikaže in očara nas.
Za, obzorjem še je več sveta, več krasot in skrivnega blaga.
Ne pozna stremljenje živo mej —. Ne nazaj! Mladina, le naprej!
in lev
Iv. Vuk)
“Pojdi, pokažem ti ga, da ga ubiješ!” je rekel zajec.
Zajec je peljal leva k studencu in rekel:
“Glej, tam je Pungala lev, tvoj sovražnik!”
Pingala, lev, je pogledal v studenec. In glej, videl je tam leva z mogočno grivo. Bil je sicer to on sam, ali sovraštvo in nevošljivost ga je tako preslepila, da tega ni vedel. Skočil je ves srdit v studenec, da vsiljivca pretepe in pobije, ali našel je smrt.
To je nauk, da je moč slabih pogosto skrita v njih zvijačnosti.
Mother (at the breakfast table): “You ought to use your napkin, always, Georgie.”
Georgie: “I am usin’ it, mother. I’ve got the dog tied to the table with it!”
Plants and Animals—No Distinction?
CAST BETTY iviR. HELPER
(Continued)
BETTY: But there just must be some distinction between plants and animals. How about this one: animals build homes of some kind— beavers build dams, 'birds build nests—but plants never go into the construction business . . .
MR. HELPER: You have overlooked the Diatoms. Have you heard that these plants build themselves glass houses ?
BETTY: (Amazed) How do they do it?
MR. HELPER: They surround themselves with a very hard wall which is composed almost entirely of silica, the substance of which glass is made.
BETTY: But they must be very rare.
MR. HELPER: On the contrary they are very common. . . Have you heard that these plants are used in making silver polish, and that they are one of the most important sources of food for marine and fresh-water fish? They are also used as an absorbent of nitroglycerine in making dynamite, and in the manufacture of fireproof linings and walls.
BETTY: For goodness sakes!
MR. HELPER: And now, have you heard about any other differences between plants and animals ?
BETTY: Yes. Animals hibernate and plants don’t. Do plants hibernate?
MR. HELPER: Certainly they do—some day I’ll tell you all about them. The tiny duckweed, which has the distinction of being the smallest flowering plant in the world is an example of a plant that hibernates.
BETTY: I might have known it. I once heard that animals can digest food and that plants don’t have that ability. (With an air of self-satisfaction) I know the answer to that one. Plants can digest food! .So that’s no distinction.
MR. HELPER: And does that just about conclude your arguments?
BETTY: No. I know there is one difference between them. . . Did you ever meat a skunk in the woods ?
MR. HELPER: Well, have you heard that there are a number of plants that are also very unpleasant companions. I mentioned one such plant before. It is a fungus called the Stink-horn. And take the iSkunk Cabbage.
BETTY: No, thanks! You take it; I don’t wish any!—But I did hear Florence Luperini say that the difference between plants and animals is the physical appearance. Each is a living organism which functions and exists for the same purpose. . . to reproduce their kind.
MR. HELPER: Well, strangely enough, her argument is closer to 'being correct than any of the others.
BETTY: But she didn’t give any difference; she just said they looked different.
MR.	HELPER:	That’s why	her	answer is batter
than the	others'. As	you	have	seen from
these others, there is not a distinction that has yet been made that can be used as a true distinction between plants and animals all the way down the scale of life.
BETTY: Then	how can you	tell	them	apart?
MR.	HELPER:	If a living	substance	of a thing,
at any time in its life, builds protective walls of cellulose around itself, that organism is called a plant. If it does not build these protective walls of cellulose, the organism is called an animal. Even this distinction does not hold true all the way down the scale of life.
BETTY: It doesn’t? Why not?
MR. HELPER: Because far down the scale of life there are organisms that will build the cellulose walls sometimes—and at other times neglect to build them.
BETTY:	Do you mean that they are plant-like
part of the time and animal-like the rest of the time?
MR. HELPER: That’s right.
BETTY: What are these organisms called?
MtR. HELPER: Some of them are known as Myce-tozoa, which means mushroom-animals, and some others are known as flagellates. One of their names is Euglena viridis, Yolvox, which is a revolving ball of from one thousand to ten thousand cells.
BETTY: Well, what do you think of that!
MR. HELPER: It just proves one of two things: either the cellulose test is not the right one to use as a means of distinguishing plants fromi animals, or down at the beginning of life development, there isn’t any difference between them. The boundary line between plants and animals is so indefinite that the same organisms are frequently studied in botany and zoology, for as a matter of fact there are no definite characteristics that can be taken as absolute distinctions between the two kingdoms. The important • thing is to understand these borderline organisms rather than attempt to assign them definitely to either kingdom. I’m sorry we haven’t time for any more questions today. Maytbe we can come back to some more later.
BETTY: I hope so; I think this was about the best one yet.
(THE END)
Stric Joško pripoveduje
Dragi prijateljčki in prijatelji!
Suhi Luka, moj novi bordingbas, je kipal kendi-štor. Tam je prodajal kendi ol kajnds, ajskrim, čuvingam ol kajnds, pap v badličkih, šuštringse,
tobak, sigars in siga-rete, megezine in njus-pepre in adr tings. Borne je bilo plendi biz-musa.
Naši bordarji so ole tajm hodili k Luki v štor po tobak, sigarete, čuvingam, pap in druge stvari; tudi jaz sem hodil, a ne dosti, ker nisem dosti keral za njegov svitštaf. Luka ni nič rekel, le sam tajm je imel saur fes; bordingbasica istotako.
Luka je takoj, ko sem se premufal v njegov bordinghavz, vprašal kdaj je moj brtdej in potem je to povedal bor-darjem, meni je pa povedal brtdeje drugih bordar-jev. To se mi je zdelo foni. Nisem figral, kaj misli s tem—ampak kmalu mi je bilo klir. Čim se je bližal brtdej tega ali onega, smo drugi v hiši dobili hint, naj kupimo prezent. To je bilo foni, ali mi smo bili gud sports in smo zložili ali vsak zase kupili v Lukinem štoru lidl ting, to ali ono, kot majhen prezent dotičnemu.
To še ni bilo tako slabo, čeprav nisem lajkal, da me kdo drugi forsa, naj kupujem prezente. Rad sem imel svoje partnerje, druge bordarje v hiši, in nisem bil sari za cente ali kvodre, ki sem jih špen-dal zanje. Bilo pa je samting els. Mister Luka je imel missus in pet hčera, ki so tudi lajkale prezente. To je pa bilo tumač.
Nisem mogel sfigrati, zakaj bi jaz moral špen-dati moni za bakse kendi Lukinim hčeram ali njegovi missus, bordingbasici. To nikakor ni bil fon zame in druge bojse—bil pa je dober bizmus za Luko.
Prihajal je krizmus. Že tedne prej so stara in njene hčere tokale: To in to ekspektamo od bordar-jev za krizmusprezent. To in to, to in to! Tudi meni so povedale—kar ultimatum so mi dale, naj se pripravim na krizmusprezente.—
Šaks, to je bilo tumač. če bi ibilo na njihovo, bi morali bojsi prekupiti kar ves kendištor in jim ga pokloniti kot krizmusprezent! Vprašal sem bojse, kaj bodo storili. Rekel sem, ako so res taki dam-beli, taki fuls, da bo vsak od njih špendal za šest baks kendija ali česar že kar tako, ker one hočejo.
Bojsi so pa vzeli vse skupaj za fon. Naj imajo punčare veselje, ker so mlade in najs—in naj ima missus veselje, da nam bo .potem boljši stu kuhala in boljši stek pekla. Krizmusprezenti so olrajt.
IS to ajdijo bojsov se nisem strinjal. Hek! Mi
plačamo za bord in ni treba še ekstra tipov ali kakšnega brajbanja. Sklenil sem torej, da bom sam ektal, ker bojsi niso hoteli. Naredil sem svoj plen in čakal sem krizmusa.
Zvečer pred krizmusom sem šel v Lukin kendištor. Tam je bila missus in vse njene grls. Pa sem rekel: “Missus, dekleta, vi čakate na moj prezent, jaz pa na—vašega. Vsaki kupim ibakso kendi po tolarju, če mi vsaka izmed vas kupi karton sigaret po tolarju. Tako bomo vsi naplačani—vse bo fer in dendi; to bo frendšip na obeh straneh in ol tings ikval.”
Boj, boj, kako so me pogledale! Potem je missus prva rekla: “Tenks—ni nam treba tvojih prezen-tov!” In za njo so se odrezale sve njene hčere: “Tenks—ne potrebujemo tvojih prezentov!”
“Olrajt,” se odrežem jaz, “tenks tudi za vaše prezente, saj jih tudi jaz ne potrebujem!”
Pa smo skverali. Za hrbtom so mi punčare očitale, da sem čipsket, tajdvad, stinži in krud prson, da nimam manir in nobenega krizmus-špirita. Malo me je bolelo, ali rekel nisem nič. Šaks, tako je, če človek borda pri Štormanih! Nič niso bolji kot sa-lunkiparji. Vse moraš pustiti pri njih—če pa ne zašpendaš vsega pri njih, je trubl. Trubl povsod kamor pi-ideš!
Trubl, trubl, trubl! Šaks!
Vaš stric JOŠKO.
Supply the Missing Letters
By Tony Adlesich, Lodge 433, Snowball, Ark.
The following words each lack one letter at the beginning to make them into an entirely different word. When you supply this letter, the column of words will spell the names of two famous men whose life stories we have read in two issues of the Mladinski List.
1.	gent	1.	other
2.	and	2.	com
3.	ride	3.	oar
4.	at	4.	ill
5.	ice		
6.	ire	5.	able
7.	lope	6.	hip
8.	deal	7.	gain
9.	ail	8.	deal
10.	mile	9.	or
11.	rail		
12.	motion		
13.	rate		
14.	one		
(The	answers will	be found	on the
cover page)			
Isaac Newton
In the month of December in 16b2, Sir Isaac Newton was born.
“The greatest genius that ever lived.” Such is the title frequently given to Newton.
There seems to be something strange in the fact that the year Galileo died, Isaac Neivton was born. Galileo raised so many questions that had to be left unanswered. One of the questions was, “Why does a moving planet go in a circle around the sum, and not in a straight line'?”
Isaac Newton thought about this question, too. He said that the reason it could not be explained was because the science of mathematics ivas not far enough advanced. This led him to invent calculus ivhile at Cambridge University. It seemed all the more marvelous for him to discover it, since the professors had said he was a poor student in mathematics years before.
But Newton always did things that were surprising. Once when he was a young lad, the villagers thought they saw a fearful sight. It was a comet with a tail on fire and it turned out to be one of Newton’s kites with a paper lantern tied to his tail. At another time he made a windless windmill.
Since he was always thinking of questions that appeared strange to other people, like “How fast is the wind blowing!” “Hoio can I measure the speed of the wind?” he was very often at the foot of his class.
His mother thought he should be a farmer. And she did take him out of grammar school and started him tending cattle, weeding the vegetable patch, and selling truck at the market. But because his mind ivas always wandering elsewhere, he made a failure of this, and he was sent to Cambridge University. Here he began to study the works of Galileo.
Gravitation!
That was the puzzle Newton set out to explain. He wanted to show by figures exactly how it works. But a great disappointment came to him. When he had arrived at a solution, he seemed to have made a great mistake, because his calculation
showed that it takes 32 days for the moon to go once around the earth, whereas it only takes about 27. So he laid away his papers for 16 years, until a French scientist had discovered that there had been a mistake in the measurement of the earth. Newton rushed to his papers and found that he had discovered the true law of gravitation 16 years before, for the mathematical figures were now correct.
But he was so modest that he said nothing about it until an astronomer had him dig up the papers (which he had carelessly mislaid) some years later.
What kind of person ivas he? He was mild and pleasant, generally very absent-minded about himself but never about other people. He was so modest about his findings that the Royal Society had difficulty getting him to reveal his discoveries and publishing them.
Neivton also became interested in the different shades of light in a bubble of soap or in the prisms of the chandelier. So he set to work and discovered the secret of light itself: “that sunlight is a combination of seven colors of the spectrum.”
Voltaire once said, “If all the geniuses of all the universe were assembled, Newton should lead the band.”
SELF-KNOWLEDGE
To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great help to knowledge.—DISRAELI
HABIT
“Habit” is hard to overcome.
If you take off the first letter, it does not change “a bit.”
If you take off another, you have a “bit” left.
If you take still another, the whole of “it” remains.
If you take still another, it is not “t”—totally used up.
All of which goes to show that if you wish to be rid of a “habit,” you must throw it off altogether.
*
Clerk: “Now see here, little girls, I can’t spend the whole day showing you penny toys. Do you want the earth with a little red fence around it for a cent?”
Little Girl: “Let me see it.”
Mala jetnica
Piše Zgodbičar
XIV
Minilo je pet let.
Pleškova Dorica se je vrnila iz šole v mestu z najboljšimi spričevali. Dobro podkovana z znanjem, ki ga more dati srednja šola in dobro opiljena v inteligentni družbi v vseh ozirih, kolikor se tiče vedenja, se je Dorica vrnila na svoj drugi dom kot zrela in izobražena mlada ženska. Svoje nesrečne rojstne hiše in svojih staršev, ki so jo držali med štirimi stenami kot jetnico, se je komaj še spominjala — toda ta spomin je bil boleč kakor spomin na mučno, prečuto noč . . .
Ampak zdaj je bilo Doričino življenje en sam in svetal dan, zato pa je lahko morila neprijetne spomine!
Pleškovi so priredili Dorici ob njenem povratku iz šole majhno veselico. Mati je nakuhala in napekla polno mizo okusnih domačih jedil, oče je prinesel iz zidanice steklenico sladkega vina, Milan je pa okitil glavno sobo z bršljanom in balončki ter pričvrstil nad vhodom v hišo lepo narisan napis v okvirju rož: Pozdravljena, dobrodošla!
Dorica se je pripeljala v avtu, ki je že od daleč trobil in naznanjal njen zmagoslavni prihod. Ko je ugledala pozdravljajoč napis in slavnostno nakit j e ter razpoloženje, ni mogla izpregovoriti iti besedice. Objela je mater in očeta ter ju poljubila na lice in Milanu je stisnila roko, iz oči so ji pa vrele solze.
Čim se je umirila in si obrisala oči, jo je Milan vodil na njeno častno mesto za mizo. Med večerjo niso dosti govorili. Šele posladek in sladko vince jim je ožarilo obraze in razvezalo jezike.
“Na zdravje naši brhki rejenki, ki se je vrnila iz šole kot svobodno človeško bitje!” je svečano izustil oče Pleško, ko je dvignil kozarec in izpil zlato kapljico do dna.
“Na zdravje naši Dorici, ki bo od danes Dora!” pristavila je mati Pleškova.
Na vrsti je bil Milan, ki je sedel nasproti njej, toda on ne more v hipu najti primernih besed; — čustva so ga prevzela.
“In na zdravje dragi sestrici, ki je zmagoslavno premagala največjo ječo na svetu!” Komaj je spravil te besede iz sebe.
Vstane Dorica, ali hitro mora sesti, kajti solze so ji spet zalile oči. Končno zbere vse svoje moči, da napije zdravico svojim najdražjim :
“Nimam besed, dragi moji, da bi izrekla
to, kar čutim--------------da	bi	mogla	izraziti
v polni meri svojo hvaležnost in svojo ljubezen do vas . . . Samo vam se moram zahvaliti, da nisem ostala vse svoje žive dni jetnica -----------”
Umirili so se in slovesne besede so tekle gladke je in brez napetosti.
“Zdaj, ko je naša Dora stopila v svobodni svet, svet svobodne misli, kot samostojno in enakopravno bitje napram vsem svobodnim umovom, je pravilno, da ji damo v naši hiši mesto, katero ji gre,” se spet oglasi oče Pleško. “Kaj pravita vidva, mati in Milan, na to?”
“Baš teh tvojih besed sem čakala,” pravi mati Pleškova. “Naše slavje naj se zaključi pravilno, kakor je treba.”
Spet je Milan na vrsti, ali to pot je bil po-polen gospodar samega sebe.
“Popolnoma se strinjam z vama, oče in mati,” je začel. “Dorici gre mesto med nami! To mesto ji gre ne kot dar z naše strani, ne iz kakšnega usmiljenja, ker je brez krvnih svojcev, niti ji ne gre kot njena dolžnost, ker smo ji nekoč rešili življenje in jo vzeli k sebi. To mesto ji poteka iz njene lastne odločitve, ker tako velevata razum in srce nje same — mi se pa docela ujemamo z njenim sklepom.”
“Ali ne bi svoj uvod čim prej zaključil, Milan?” ga opozori Dorica sramežljivo. “Jaz težko čakam . . .”
“Takoj skončam. — Dorica bo vama več ko rejenka in meni bo več ko sestrica! Je že vse dogovorjeno in zaključeno . . .”
Zažvenketali so kozarci.	(Konec.)
The Little Gardener
Let’s Visit the Winter Woods
In the month of December there are not many things that the little gardener may do in his own garden, but he may like to visit other places of vegetation.
What could be more fun than going on a trip to the winter woods? Not only would it be fun to take the hike, but there is a good opportunity to learn something about trees in the wintertime.
The winter is the best season to study the shapes of trees, because then the trees are bare, and their outlines are in full view.
If you will look up, you will find, to your surprise, that the crown of the trees nearly fills the space overhead. Wherever there was crowding of trees, the stronger tree had pushed its crown up to the light and had self-pruned its lower limbs.
The trees in the park or field are much different from this. There the branches are spread broad	and wide;	there	is plenty of
room. Trees	like plenty	of room.
There are also the leaf scars and the knots on tree-trunks to observe. Where there is a scar on a	limb there	was	once	a leaf.
Where there	is a knot,	there	was	once a
limb. It will help you if you remember that trees are living organisms, and that they heal their cuts and bruises as every other living thing.
Besides this, the tree manufactures its own food, breathes, transpires, reproduces, associates with other trees and plants. The entire forest is a living and active community.
A Hobby
An enthusiastic gardener will find much pleasure in building an aquarium as a hobby for the wintertime. It can be developed in the living-room or sun porch. A cedar tub, a galvanized iron tank, or a concrete pool may be built as a permanent feature in the home.
Doživljaji malega Krulčka
Piše Kajtimar
Šolski tovariši malega Krulčka, zlasti Car-liček, so se pred božičnimi prazniki radi bahali z Miklavžem, kaj jim vse prinese.
Temu prinese konjička, onemu avtomobilček, tretjemu letalce — vsem same prijetne reči. Pa so vprašali Krulčka, če on kaj pričakuje od Miklavža.
— Moj Miklavž je vedno doma pri nas! — se odreže Krulček. Ni mi treba čakati božiča. Pred enim mesecem mi je prinesel toplo suknjico in čevlje in dva tedna po božiču mi je od njega obljubljena nova kapa. Baš zdaj pred prazniki nima denarja, mi je povedal moj Miklavž — in jaz mu verjamem, ker ga dobro poznam.
Tovariši so se začudili.
— Ti ga poznaš? Kdo pa je? In čemu Miklavž potrebuje denarja?
— Hm, veliki dečki — majhna pamet!
— Ti misliš, da smo mi veliki bedaki, toda jaz vem, kdo je tvoj Miklavž. Mi pa govorimo o pravem Miklavžu, ki prinaša darila le o božiču.
To je govoril Čarliček, ki se je držal za modrega med njimi.
— Pusti ga, svetuje drugi Čarličku. Saj poznaš Krulčka. On ne veruje v pravega Miklavža.
— Ti veruješ v Miklavža? ga vpraša Krulček.
— Da.
— Vi drugi tudi?
— Da, da, da.
— Če verujete, tedaj Miklavž JE-------------
pri vas. Zadeva je rešena!
MLADINSKI LIST
OUR SCHOOL
The December contest is the last of this type of contests to be conducted in the M. L. See the announcement in the boxed space below.
The December contest, too, is a form of review over all the material of importance in the Mladinski List since January, 1938. More than that, it will help you to organize some of the facts that have been presented from month to month.
NOTICE! Do not add any other explanations or discussions than the question calls for. This will not help in the grading of your paper if you have not given the specific answer required.
In as many instances as possible, try to make your answers in complete sentences.
PRIZES
There will be a total of §50.00 in cash prizes awarded. The basis of the prizes, of course, will depend upon the scores. In this contest, again, there is a possibility of a number of perfect scores. The highest scores, therefore, will be'awarded the prizes.
HERE IS YOUR CONTEST
Write the correct answers to each of the following questions. Every question has been answered in some issue of the M. L. since January, 1938. Make no other explanations than the question calls for. In all cases, be as brief and to the point as possible.
1. How is the earth pictured as having appeared millions of years before any form of life existed?
2. Give the dates that properly belong to the following:
a. Life begins.
b. The coral reefs.
c. The Devonian forest.
d. The fin-back and lizard-like reptiles.
e. The age of flying reptiles.
f. The Brontosaurus.
g. The North American dinosaurs.
h. The Mosasaur.
i. The Titanotheres.
j. Bears that were foes of prehistoric man.
3. What forms of life were on the earth before man?
4. How far back are the remains of the earliest plant life?
5. Why can we have no traces of plant life that existed even before that?
6. What is a coral?
7. List in order, giving the name of the prehistoric period and the number of years ago, of each exhibit in the M. L. showing what man looked like “from the time he was a little more than an ape down to the dawn of history.” (Please note that you are not asked for any discussion— only the correct order, names and dates. For the last of these, no definite date was given.)
8. Give the name (only) of the prehistoric man to whom the following sentences apply:
a. “He ate his food raw.”
b. “He had discovered fire.”
c. “He began art.”
d. “He fashioned flint spearheads.”
e. “He learned to work with bone.”
f. “He domesticated animals.”
g. “He became superstitious and believed that there were supernatural forces.”
9. Give 5 ways in which the earliest race of man looked different from the human beings of today. (Be sure to think of all the races of man before putting down a difference.)
10.	How would scientists be able to know how many years ago there were art be-
ginnings by knowing what kind of layers these wall designs are covered with?
11. What is the difference between flint and bone instruments?
12. Why did early man at a certain stage become superstitious?
13. Who were the last of the prehistoric people?
14. (a) In the evolution of the horse, did
he grow from a larger to a smaller animal or from a smaller to a larger? (b) Answer this same question in regard to the evolution of man.
15. What is meant by Nature’s family trees?
16. What is meant by the “tree of life?”
17. Supply the names of the following, together with the months in which they were born: (All of them have been dis-
a. 7 authors
b. 1 inventor 3. 1 stateman
d. 3 scientists
e. 1 musician
18. Give the authors of the following works mentioned in the M. L.:
1. Abe Lincoln Grows Up
2. Iron Heel
3. Audubon
4. Our Planet the Earth, Then and Now
5. Pudd’n Head Wilson
6. Martin Eden
7. Hunger Fighters
19. In the March issue, there appeared a quotation from Charles Darwin. Give that quotation.
20. Give the quotation of Charles Steinmetz in the April M. L.
cussed in the M. L.)
FOLLOW THESE RULES:
1.	Every contestant must be a member of the SNPJ Juvenile department.
2.	This month’s contest begins December 1 and closes December 28, 1938.
3.	The letter must be countersigned by either of your parents to show that	it	is your	own
work.
4.	Stale your age and lodge number of the SNPJ lodge to which you belong.
5.	Mail your letters to “Contest Editor,” Mia dinski List, 2657 S. Lawndale	Ave.,	Chicago,
Illinois.
6.	WRITE ON ONE SIDE OF THE SHEET ONLY.
7. The winning letters will be announced in the FEBRUARY issue.
The monthly Our School contest, conducted in the Mladinski List for the past eleven months, is concluded in this (December) issue.
The Our School feature will continue next year, too, but under a different arrangement. The details will be announced in the January issue.
We hope that all contestants, successful as well as unsuccessful, will stay with us and try their ability to win an award next year.
Her Christmas Gift
Isn’t it absurd?” said Mrs. Grace to her oldest daughter. “I sent Marie Burns the loveliest of bags for Christmas. It had been given to me, I knew, and I had so many I saved it to give away. I suppose we all do those things.”
“Yes, mother,” said Beatrice. “Here’s her letter of thanks. Open it, and see what she says.”
Mrs. Grace read:
“ ‘Dear Mrs. Grace: When I gave you that bag three years ago on Christmas I was so
fond of it I could hardly bear to part with it. So I thank you most heartily for remembering me this Christmas with my own gift, which I parted with so unselfishly. Cordially yours, Marie Burns.’ ”
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“Have you forgotten you owe me five dollars ?”
“Not yet. Give me time, and I will.”
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“Mabel sent me an interesting book, “Relativity,” by Einstein. Have you read it?”
“No. I’m waiting for it to be filmed.”
COMMENTS
In the Contest Lesson for October there was a total of 26 entries. Ten of these were from the lowei'-age group and 16 from the higher-age.
The entry of FRANK PADAR, Brooklyn, N. Y., was by far the most outstanding in this contest.
We hope to see a list of new winners for the December contest which appears in this issue. The names you see in the present list are almost all familiar to those of you who follow up the results of the contests.
PRIZES
Every entry received a prize in the October contest. The two first prizes were awarded $3.00 each; the two second prizes, $2.00; and the remainder, $1.00 each.
Since the contests did not take up all of the sum allotted for this month and last month, there have been special prizes awarded for various interests in the M. L. You will find a list of these elsewhere, also a comment under the “Pen Pals” page. Look for it!
STATISTICS
The boys far outnumbered the girls in this contest, submitting a total of 15 entries; the girls, 11.
The division among the states is as follows: Arkansas, 1; Colorado, 3; Indiana, 1; Montana, 1; New Jersey, 2; New York, 1; Ohio, 3; PENNSYLVANIA, 7; Wisconsin, 6; and Wyoming, 1.
WINNERS Ages up to and including 12 years:
First prize, $3.00:	RUDY	SLAVEC, age 12,
Louisville, Colo., Lodge 412.
Second prize, $2.00: JUSTIN MARTINČIČ, age
12,	712 Highland Ave., Canonsburg, Pa. Lodge 138.
Awards of $1.00 each:
ESTHER LAURENCIC, age 9, 973 Addison Road, Cleveland, O., Lodge 5.
JULIUS AMBROZICH, age 11, 2802 N. 33rd St., Milwaukee, Wis., Lodge 747.
ANNA LESKOSHEK, age 12, Box 157, Irwin, Pa., Lodge 63.
VICTORIA AMBROŽIČ, age 11, R. F. D. No. 5, Box 188, Crafton Branch, Pa., Lodge 88. STANLEY VIDMAR, age 10, 1129 S. 15th Place, Milwaukee, Wis., Lodge 16.
ELEANOR SHAFFER, age 12, Crivitz, Wis. Lodge 537.
Solution and Winners of Tenth Contest Lesson
(Mladinski List for October, 1938)
ELSIE MAE MIHELICH, age 11, 602 S. 26th St., Colorado Springs, Colo., Lodge 94.
VIRGINIA LEE WASHINGTON STONICH, age
10,	R. R. 3, Box 135, Pueblo, Colo., Lodge 21.
Ages from 13 to 16 years, inclusive First Prize, $3.00: FRANK PADAR, JR., age 16, 222 Wyckoff Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y., Lodge 580. Second Prize, $2.00: CHARLES JENIKER, age 14, 2303 Cottonwood St., Butte, Mont., Lodge 207.
Awards of $1.00 each:
ANNA MESTEK, age 15, 638 N. 9th St., Clinton, Ind., Lodge 50.
FREDERICK F. TAUCHER, age 14, 317—1 St., Rock Springs, Wyo., Lodge 10.
ANTON ZUPAN, age 15, 417 Woodlawn Ave., Johnstown, Pa., Lodge 82.
JOHN POKLAR, Jr., Age 16, 613 W. Virginia St., Milwaukee, Wis., Lodge 16.
MILOTIN LAURENCIC, age 14, 973 Addison Road, Cleveland, O., Lodge 5.
MARY AMBROŽIČ, age 16, R. D. No. 5, Box 188, Crafton Branch, Pa., Lodge 88.
MARY TURK, age 16, 713 McKinley St., Elizabeth, N. J., Lodge 540.
EDWARD SHAFFER, age 15, Crivitz, Wis., Lodge 537.
ANNA KOPARIC, age 13, 89 Miller Ave., Box 619, Brownsville, Pa., Lodge 398.
JOHN AMBROŽIČ, age 13, R. D. No. 5, Box 188, Crafton Branch, Pa., Lodge 88.
MILAN PUGELY, age 14, 1409 S. 56th St., West Allis, Wis., Lodge 104.
GEORGE CULKAR, age 16, Wiltshire Road, Brecks-ville, O., Lodge 264.
TONY ADLESICH, age 15, Snowball, Ark., Lodge 433.
ANNA TURK, age 14, 713 McKinley St., Elizabeth, N. J., Lodge 540.
PRIZE-WINNING LETTERS First Prize (Higher-Age Group)
By FRANK PADAR, JR., age 16 The SNPJ had an important part to play in the past, for its purpose as I see it was three-fold: (1) it provided unity of Slovenes in the United States;
(2)	it provided insurance; (3) it familiarized the members, most of whom were laborers, with their government and the part they could and should play in it as laborers.
Many people on their arrival lived a hand-to-mouth existence. They could not provide for themselves in the event of sickness nor could they bury their dead properly. The SNIM insurance minimized this problem.
When the immigrants came to this country, many lived alone and could speak to no one because they knew no English, and, consequently, could make very few friends. At this point our Society enlightened their social life. By joining a lodge of the SNPJ they could meet people of their own nationality and make many friends. They could speak to these new friends in their own language. .Imagine the pleasure of our fathers and mothers as they took part in the dances of their lodges, dancing to Slovene music, singing Slovene songs (a Slovenian loves nothing better than a song). They were also able to read the SNiPJ periodicals which furnished enjoyable reading plus political enlightenment. Our society also furnuished an insurance organization to those who were not Catholics (the majority of the organizations at that time admitted only Catholics).
The above-mentioned political enlightenment had to do with labor agitation. The SNPJ believed in the betterment of the masses which could be accomplished by the people themselves only. The part the Society could play was to convince the people exactly what was wrong and how they could improve the conditions. It was largely through the efforts of all the progressive societies that in the last Presidential election the people began to think for themselves and not be influenced by misleading propaganda in some newspapers. I also must not forget to mention the fact that our Society preached the doctrine of Truth. This is the part our organization played in the past.
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The SNPJ has a purpose at the present time also, perhaps just as important as its role in the past. It provides as it did in the past: entertainment, stimulates the continuation of the Slovene language, and most important of all, continues to enlighten its members. The entertainment is for the older members as it was in the past; however, the youth is now being served. To provide youth with enjoyment, it has modernized the Mladinski List to suit the taste of youth of today, and it has made possible Juvenile Circles with an idea in mind only to entertain the boys and girls.
In regard to the enlightenment of its members, the SNPJ is still continuing to preach Truth and freethought to its members. However, it is stressing the importance of truth and freethought on the juvenile members in the Mladinski List. I mean that they the trying to convince the boys and girls that there are many misleading sources from which members might not receive truth and they should try and think things out for themselves. The medium through which it is trying to do this is the M. L. So you see, the SNPJ still has a purpose in mind.
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The SNiPJ, in my opinion, still has a purpose in the future, which is essentially the same as its part >n the past and that which it is playing today. The
foreign “isms” are spreading a great deal of propaganda in America and are succeeding in misleading many of our weak-minded people. It is the duty of our progressive societies (and the SNPJ is a progressive society) to combat the forces of Fascism and Communism with freethought and truth as its tools. The organization is also needed to hold the Slovene people together as it did in the past and is doing today. Though the problem of insurance is not as great as it was in the past, our Society can still help those who have not been able to save a little money in the bank. The problem of holding the Slovene people together, however, will be a greater problem, for many young men and women will marry people of different nationality which would result in the disintegration of the whole Society. I think the young generation was not a bit interested in the Society before the era of a modern M. L. and Juvenile Circles; therefore, another role the SNPJ has to perforin is to keep the members interested in it. These are the roles the SNPJ played, is playing, and in my opinion must play in the future.
Second Prize By CHARLES JENIKER, age 14
(1)	The Role of the SNPJ in the Past
Before the birth of the SNPJ, many families of Slovene or Slav descent in this country were left unprotected and destitute when the working members of the families died or became sick. Most Slovenes were working at dangerous occupations so that such cases occurred quite often. Uusually, too, they worked for low wages. Consequently, there was no money saved for such times of need.
The SNPJ relieved this distress. When its members died or became sick, the families were paid insurance benefits, thus enabling the families to get a start.
While there were other organizations at the time, they were usually intolerant toward those whose ideas did not coincide with theirs. The by-laws prohibited membership to progressive pesple. The SNPJ, with its democratic beliefs, its liberal protection, and valuable educational system, was far more effective than other organizations which pretended to help the workers.
(2) The Role of the SNPJ at the Present
The SNPJ is continuing to pay benefits to sick members and families of deceased members. The organization pays thousands of dollars daily in these benefits. At present it is protecting more than fifty thousand Slovenes and Slavs. It is endeavoring to instruct its members in scientific thinking, in good citizenship, and in cooperative methods. It is doing a great work in bringing its youth to its ranks through the English-speaking lodges and the juvenile circles, and so training them to carry on its work.
(3) The Role of the SNPJ in the Future
The mission of the SNPJ will be, besides carrying on its present role, to gradually consolidate all sons and daughters of our race into one great Slav-Amer-
(Continued on page 27)
OUR PEN PALS WRITE
Naši čitateljčki pišejo
From the first of the year we kept records of all the letters that ivere written in the “Pen Pals” section. From these records it is easily seen that some ivere more enthusiastic during the first six months of this year and that some did not begin writing reguarly until the second half of the year. The letters were also judged as to quality.
In another section of the M. L. you will find a list of the persons to whom prizes were awarded for their faithfulness and for their enthusiasm.
JOHN LOUIS UJCICH leads the group for quality in his letters, most of ivhich u’ere contributed during the early part of this year. JOSEPH ROTT and MILDRED ANN PANYAN have been the most faithful; Joe has steadily contributed in the Slo-
vene language. You will also find a list of the other pen pals whose names are familiar to you.
Besides the letters, there ivere a few members rvho made contributions in other fields—writing, drawing, crossword puzzle-making, and column-ivriting. To these also a little recognition was given.
It is to be hoped that these little surprise awards will tend to awaken your interest for the coming year, although ive do not (and cannot at this time) promise you that anything similar to this will be possible for the next year. Nevertheless, you will find enjoyment in contributing something of interest to your fellow readers.
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The line-up for this month's letters is as folloivs: A total of 21 letters, with the girls writing 15 and the boys 6. By states they are as follows: Minnesota, 2; Montana, 1; Ohio, 5; PENNSYLVANIA, 10; Wisconsin, 1; Arkansas, 2.
Watch for announcements for the 1939 M. L. We hope that you will emerge from the vacation holidays with a resolution to increase the interest both of your magazine and your juvenile circles. And so, “so long” until next year.—EDITOR.
SOME FIRST LETTERS
Dear Editor and Readers:—I am 14 years old and in the ninth grade. We have several juvenile circles in Cleveland, and I belong to one of them. I think all the juvenile members should belong to a Circle. You have lots of fun; you learn a lot; and you will be prepared to take your place in an older lodge when you grow up.—This will be all for this time, but I hope to write more letters to the M. L., even though they might be short.-— Ann Brencic, 17724 Delavan Road, Cleveland, 0.
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Dear Editor:—As you have
heard from lodge 53 before and because a number of us were asked to write, I have decided to tell about my experinces at the play we gave for the 25th anniversary of the SNPJ juvenile department. To begin with, I had a delightful time finding a suitable dress for the occasion. Explanation: I was grandma! Well, it just so happens that I am one of those girls that make other people look like midgets. Not being able to find a dress long enough for me, I decided to ibe a modern grandma. To be just a little modest, my dress was slightly below the knees. Besides the dress, I wore a hanky
on my head and glasses without lens. My glasses were worn far down on the nose. You can imagine what an ordeal wearing glasses was for me, since I had never worn them before.
A little tot strolling around backstage decided to go the other way when he met me. Perhaps he thought I was a gypsy. I wonder what became of him.— Josephine Gorjanc, 15720 Calcutta Ave., Cleveland, 0.
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Dear Editor:—I am a member of the ISNPJ and I am 13 years old. There are five in our family who are members of lodge No. 289. As I write this (Oct. 8),
Dear Readers: — With this issue of the Mladinski List, we close up the 1938 edition. It was the revised °,dition as ive had promised it to you last year. Every nonth we tried to continue certain features that might have proved interesting to you. We depended somewhat, too, on your good-will and cooperation.
our school has not opened yet, because they are building a new high school. iSo we are still enjoying our vacation.
Let’s pep up our activity, boys and girls, so that we will make the SNPJ bigger and better. I wish many more of you would write to our magazine. Best wishes to all the readers of M. L. Živela SNPJ!—Jackie Streli, Box
31,	Tire Hill, Pa.
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Dear Editor and Readers:—I enjoy reading this magazine very much. I also received two dollars in two of “Our School” contests. I learned many interesting things when I joined.
I am 13 years of age and go to Collinwood High School. I am in 8B and have four subjects. They are: mathematics, English, social studies, and special English. I like mathematics the best of them all. I belong to Lodge 5 and am a proud member.— Frank Gorjanc, 15720 Calcutta Ave., Cleveland, O.
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AN INTERESTING SUGGESTION
Dear Editor and Readers:— After reading the last issue of the M. L., I have decided to contribute my letter to this fine magazine. I think that it has improved very much. This improvement should inspire us to write many more letters than we have been.
One of the big events held in Ambridge this summer was a Labor Day picnic in the Borough Park. There was quite a crowd. Dancing to the strains of Tommy Cousin’s orchestra was enjoyed by all, especially the young folks.
Fall is here once more with all its colorful scenes. With fall also came the opening of school. Although we make a pretense of not liking it, I believe that most of us enjoy the companionship and fun the school life brings.
How many of you own cameras? Those of you who do, no doubt took many snapshots this summer. Why not send them in to be published by this maga-
zine? I am sure we would all enjoy seeing them, and it would help us to become better known to one another. A proud member, Jane Gasperic, 716—24th St., Ambridge, Pa.
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ZIMSKO VESELJE
Dragi urednik!—Ko dobimo to številko Mladinskega lista v roke, bo mamka zima že tukaj in naj.brže bo sneg pokrival naše vrtove, ki so bili poleti tako zeleni in cvetoči. Kaj hočemo! Z veselim srcem moramo sprejeti vse, kar pride. Saj ima tudi starka zima svojo dobro stran za nas, otroke, in ko smo zunaj na snegu, gre vse po naši želji, le paziti moramo, da si ne pokvarimo zdravja. In ko je vesele zimske igre dovolj, ko pride večer in za njim dolga noč, tedaj zaspimo brez vse skrbi, kakor petelin, ki nima nobenih skrbi na svojem “jardu.”—Joe Rott, 18815 Chickasaw Ave., Cleveland, O.
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SREBRNA SVATBA
Dragi urednik!—Prosim še malo prostora v našem priljubljenem Mladinskem listu, da vam povem, kako se še imamo tukaj v naši Minnesoti. Zadnji mesec se nisem oglasil. Bil sem bolan dva tedna, zdaj pa sem spet dober. Vreme imamo zelo lepo te dni, kakor da smo kje v Cali-forniji. Z delom gre pa še vedno po polževo. Večina ljudi tukaj je na relifu in delajo pri WPA. Moj ata ne dela nič.—Moja teta Angela K. in stric sta dne 23. oktobra obhajala srebrno “ohcet” in vsi sorodniki in prijatelji so bili pri njih tega dne. Bilo je jako luštno. Moj brat Johnny je igral lepe slovenske komade, peli so lepe slovenske pesmi in zabavali smo se pozno v noč. Dragi stric in teta! Želim vama še več takih petindvajsetletnic zdravega in prijetnega skupnega življenja!—Louis Everett Perkovich, 304 E. Oak St., Chisholm, Minn.
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Dear Editor and Readers:—I am writing again to show the juveniles of Strabane that someone here is really awake. I have looked through all the magazines I have collected, and I find
only 3 letters from Strabane. Thanks to William Paucic, who
wrote 2 letters. Perhaps, he might be persuaded to write some more. Soon it will begin to look as though the members from here forgot how to write or that their ink dried up.
Leaves are falling and finding a place to stay while winter is here. They have become very bright in color. Here it is the middle of October, and becoming very cold.
I have several hobbies. One of them is collecting pictures of stars. My favorite actors are Alice Faye and Sonja Henie. Another one of my hobbies is collecting souvenirs.
I am 13 years old and belong to lodge 138.—The SNPJ Hall here has just been remodeled. It is very beautiful inside. A booster, Veronica Barbie, Box 73, Strabane, Pa.
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Dear Editor:—I want to send thanks for the check I received for the last “Our School” contest. This encouraged me to try again.
Two weeks ago I saw the movies from Slovenia that were taken by Mr. Zupančič. I liked them very much. I liked the pictures from Milwaukee, too. I was very much interested in the printing machine which prints the Prosveta and the Mladinski List. I never had an idea as to just how this was done.—I am sending you a Slovene song we learned to sing.
Zadovoljni otrok
“Otrok živim v veselju šaljivo se igram.
Vse gre po moji želji ker v srcu mir imam.
Prepevam pesmi glasne ko zjutraj se zbudim
in kadar dan ugasne zadovoljen spet zaspim.”
—Stanley Vidmar, 1129 S. 15th Pl., Milwaukee, Wis.
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MIKLAVŽ MORA
PRIPELJATI PRAŠIČA!
Dragi urednik!—V dolžnost si štejem, da se ponovno oglasim v
Mladinskem listu. Zdaj spet pridno hodimo v šolo. Jaz sem zdaj stara 12 let in hodim v sedmi razred ljudske šole.—Dne 1. oktobra smo bili na vinski trgatvi v Canonsburgu. Tamkaj smo bili zelo dobre volje, kajti ljudje tamkaj so zelo prijazni. Celo moj ata in jaz sva enkrat zaplesala. V tamkajšnjem domu imajo spodnje prostore vse prenovljene, tako da je res veselje biti tam. Sešli smo se tudi z mrs. Lesnikovo, s katero se nismo že dolgo videli; videli smo tudi mnogo drugih znancev, za katere pa ne vem, kako se pišejo.—Božični prazniki se spet bližajo in stari Miklavž bo tudi prikorakal z njimi. Moj ata in mama sta se mu priporočila za debelega prašiča in tega darila se vsi jako veselimo. Da bi ga le skoro pripeljal! —Želim, da bi se tudi drugi dečki in deklice oglašale v M. L. in vesela bi bila, če bi se oglasila tudi Lesnikova deklica iz Canonsbur-ga.—Annie Grobin, Broughton, Pa.
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ASKS FOR PEN PALS
Dear Editor:—This is my first letter to the M. L. I enjoy reading your wonderful magazine. And I would like to have a few pen pals write to me. I belong to SNPJ lodge 63. My younger sister also belongs. She is two and a half years old. I will soon be 12 years old and I am in the sixth grade.
My hobby is playing with cutouts and listening to the radio.— Elsie Gondean, Rillton, Pa.
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THE M. L. CONTESTS
Hello, readers of the M. L.:— Now that school is on our minds, we do not have so much time to think of other things. But we should have one other thing on our minds: our M. L. I was also one of those who did not write for awhile. I was waiting for others to do so. But I will write without waiting for someone to tell me.
I was fortunate in winning a prize in the August “Our School” contest. I also learned something that I did not know before. I missed two questions, but I have
discovered their answers since. I found it fun looking for the answers. It seemed for a time that all of them could not be found. 'Someone had to read the Slovene part to you. I think everyone who entered the contests knows everything that has appeared in the M. L. Each time I would look through the various copies, I found something new. And the check came so unexpectedly.
We have two new teachers in school this year—Miss Nelson and Miss Richardson. I like school. Science is the most difficult subject for me, even though I have a good science teacher— Mr. Richardson. I enjoy gym very much. It seems that most of the boys and girls have gym for their favorite. We have been promised a cooking school and an art school. We also have a large library. Our football team has been doing good work, too.
My mother made me another costume for Halloween this year. I won a prize with the one she made for me last year. Your M. L. friend, Justina Lovšin, Bent-leyville, Pa.
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MLADINSKI KONCERT IN SLAVJE MLADINSKEGA ODDELKA SNPJ
Dragi urednik!—Naše šolske počitnice so končane in spet smo v šoli, toda za naše mamice so se počitnice zdaj pričele. Moja mama pravi, da se jc zredila za pet funtov, odkar sem jaz spet v šoli. Sicer ne vem, kako je to — če sem doma, je križ, če pa sem samo pet minut prepozna, je mama hudo v skrbeh, kje sem. Meni to ne gre v glavo. Pa pustimo to in povejmo raje kaj drugega.—Na primer o skupnem koncertu mladinskih zborov. Ta koncert je bil sijajen. Videli smo, la nas narod še ljubi in dobili smo novega poguma za nadaljevanje. Peli smo tudi vašo pesem “Bratstva znak,” br. urednik. Iskrena vam hvala za obisk našega koncerta. Zelo mi je žal, da nisem imela prilike spoznati se z vami osebno.—Dne 25. septembra smo pa proslavili 25-letnico obstoja mladinskega oddelka SN-
PJ s pestrim programom. Zbrali so se vsi clevelandski mladinski krožki SNPJ in vsak je pokazal, kaj zna v glasbi ali petju. Jaz sem bila najbolj ponosna na naš mladinski krožek od društva št. 137 SNPJ; bilo nas je največ in tudi zapeli smo lepo. Seveda imamo dobro voditeljico, sestro Antoinetto Simčič, spremljala nas pa je na klavir gdč. Alma Zager, ki je spet pokazala, da je vredna naziva pianistinja.— Violet Ogrin, 19515 Kildeer Ave., Cleveland, O.
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THIS PEN PAL WILL REWARD YOU
Dear Editors and Readers:— This is my second letter to the M. L. The first one that I wrote was two or more years ago. I’ll try and write more letters in the future.
I agree with Stanley Jankovich that the incomplete question-and-answer contests are the most interesting of the M. L. contests. I have won two one-dollar prizes, and I hope to win again in the October and November contests.
School has not begun here in Snowball, because the people have taken down the old school-house and are building a new one. This one will have a rock wall on the outside and will be plastered on the inside.
I am 15 years old, five and a half feet tall, have blue eyes, auburn hair, a high forehead, and plenty of freckles. I am a member of SNPJ lodge 433. My hobbies are collecting stamps and hunting. When the season opens for hunting, I will hunt opossums and ’coons with my dog. He is a good hunting dog.
I am enclosing some original work. I enjoy reading “Our Pen Pals Write” and “Historical Sketches about Slovenes.” I wish there were more puzzles and original work from readers.
The first member who writes me a letter will receive a picture of me.—Tony Adlesich, Snowball, Ark.
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ANOTHER “WAKE UP!”
Dear Editor:—I thought I would write to the M. L. again, since
no one else writes from this vicinity. Wake up! readers, and write. You surely are not so busy that you couldn’t drop a few line's to the M.L.
I have four teachers this year. There also many improvements at our school. The high school and the junior high school will receive a coat of paint on the inside. I enjoy school.
My sister and I send “thanks” for the checks we received in the September contes t.—Victoria Ambrožič, R. F. D. No. 5, Box 188, Crafton Branch, Pa.
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AN ENTHUSIASTIC PEN PAL
Dear Editor and Readers:—I am 11 years of age and in the sixth grade. I like school very much, and I think that school days are the happiest days of my life.
There are four members in our family, all members of the SNPJ. I am proud to have belonged ever since I was one year old.
Now listen closely, Pennsylvania. If we don’t pick up on our writing, we will soon not be at the top of the list for writing the most letters to the M. L. I like the M. L., and I read it, too. I wish it would come every week.
I would like to have some pen pals write to me. I promise to answer every letter, and I will also continue to write to the M. L.—Mary Skoda, R. D. No. 3, Box 31, Latrobe, Pa.
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WINS A MUSIC CONTEST
Dear Editor and Readers:— Since my first letter was published, I thought I would write another one.—I have three teachers: Miss Foster, Mr. Robinson, and Mr. Dunn, the principal of our junior high school. They are all very nice to me.
I wish some of the members of lodge 24, SNPJ, would write to
the M. L. I can hardly wait for it to come.
There was a contest conducted over the radio on Oct. 26. Anyone was welcome to enter. The winner was to receive a free trip to Little Rock, Ark. I entered with an accordion solo. After the audience had voted, I was very much surprised to find that I had won. I was certainly proud of having been the winner.—Ernestine Močivnik, Box 86, Jenny Lind, Ark.
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THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS
Dear Editor:—I have not written to the M. L. a long time, but I hope to write every month from now on. I am 12 years old and in the seventh grade. I have six teachers—all of whom I like. —I took the M. L. to school, and let the other children read it. They liked it very much. The letters in this column and the riddles appealed to them the most.—(Christmas will soon be here, and Santa Claus will be in town. I do not believe in him, but I still use his name. I hope he will bring what he did last year, only in bigger amounts. I would like to see Helen Skerbetz and Edward Skerbetz wake up and write to the M. L.—Anna Grobin, Box 17, Broughton, Pa.
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A “CIRCLE” MEMBER
Dear Editor and Readers:— This is my second letter to the M. L., but I have resolved to continue writing.
We have organized a juvenile circle. Ann Plash is our chairman. There are eighteen members. Although we have just started it, we are progressing well. We hold meetings once a month.
I notice that Frank Jeniker has won several “Our School” contests. I would like to be a winner also. I would like to see
more letters from Butte. Whenever I have time, I reread all my copies of the M. L. Both my sister and I think that it is a very grand book.—Bessie Cvijanovich, 315 East Woolman, Butte, Mont.
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A FAITHFUL MINNESOTA PEN PAL
Dear Editor:—I see more members of the M. L. have written in the past month. I have read the M. L. from cover to cover, that is, all the English section. As I am the only one writing from Minnesota, I had better tell that I am glad we won the “little brown jug” again.
My favorite radio programs are: Major Bowes and the Jugoslav Radio Hour. It was discontinued during the summer but will return to the air during the winter.
I am not too busy to write to the M. L., but I want to say that my correspondents who have not heard from me will receive letters from me soon.
I hope more Minnesota members will write.—Mildred A. Pa-nyan, Box 339, Buhl, Minnesota.
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WELCOMING THE WINTER SEASON
Dear Editor:—It has been some time since I have written to the English section of the M. L. My letters have been in Slovene. I am 10 years old and in the fifth grade. Christmas is coming, and among other things, I would like to have a dress, a new doll, and a pocketibook. I like the winter season, too, because I enjoy sled riding. My mother has bought me a new snow suit so that I can enjoy this sport.—I would like to see Albina Skerbetz’s letter in the M. L.—Angeline Grobin, Box
17,	Broughton, Pa. (Your riddles would have been published if you had included the answers. —Ed.)
SUGGESTIONS
I do not think it is best to make this magazine all English, for it giVes those who know how to ■write in Slovene an opportunity to do so, and those
who do not know the Slovene language develop a desire to learn. And I am sure our parents enjoy reading the Slovene letters of our juvenile members, even though they are able to read English.— From Jane Gasperich, Ambridge, Pa.
Nifty and His Friends
By Mary Jugg
I am Nifty. I must tell you about the gathering that Tweets, Crunchy, Spotty, and I had with Joanna.
We had come together in the back yard. It was very chilly. We all knew that we could not be with one another so much during the winter. We would have to wait until the springtime.
We had nothing special to do, so Joanna thought of an idea.
“Let someone tell a story,” she said. “Good!” cried Spotty and Crunchy almost in unison.
“I know a story,” ventured Tweets. “It is called ‘The Little Girl Who Was Made Happy’.”
I was amazed. Tweets did not talk much as a general rule. It was unexpected.
“Fine!” said Joanna. “Do begin!” “Well, once upon a time,” started Tweets.
“That’s the way all stories begin,” interrupted Crunchy.
“Sh-h-h!” silenced Spotty.
“. . . there was a little girl,” continued Tweets. “She lived in a large city.”
“What was her name?” inquired Joanna.
“Her name was Roma,” replied Tweets.
“How beautiful!” exclaimed Joanna.
“Yes,” Tweets resumed. “And so was the city where she lived. That is, certain parts of it were very beautiful. But Roma had never seen those parts. What she saw every day of her life was a corner schoolhouse that had been made into a relief station, broken-down porches, old black boards standing loose that did not pretend to cover the win-from the houses, dirty, torn curtains dow, tin cans and glass strewn in vacant lots, and worn-out sidewalks.
“But a very kind gentleman came into the neighborhood. He saw Roma and her playmates and how unhappy they were. He decided to make them happy.”
“I knew it!” said Joanna. “Something like that always happens in stories.”
“But the story is far from finished,” I said. I had a feeling that all would not go well.
“This kind gentleman found an old deserted building. It was very large, and it was very bleak and forlorn-looking. In a very short time he had
got the building and four or five other very kind men and women like himself who were interested in making Roma and her playmates happy. They decided to give all their time towards making this place a center for Roma and her friends—a place where they might come to play, a place where they would be always welcome.”
“And so Roma was made happy!” said Joanna.
“Not so fast,” I cautioned her.
“I attended the program that Roma and her friends presented for the people of the neighborhood,” continued Tweets. “I perched myself on the window sill outside, and this is what I saw: Roma was in the very first row of the children who were singing on a very, very small stage. The song was: ‘Smiles are contagious.’ ‘Smiles will make you courageous; smiles are so very contagious,’ sang Roma at the top of her voice.
“ ‘We are mighty; we are black; we are close together. We’ll crush you!’ echoed the four Walls.
“ ‘Oh, smile all the day; it’s the only way!’ continued Roma.
“ ‘Give us air! Give us air! It’s so stifling in here!’ a chorus of voices seemed to say.
“ ‘Open your hearts to the sunshine and smile, smile, smile’ Roma struggled on.
“ ‘But it’s so hard for me to come in,’ complained the Sunbeam where I sat. ‘There’s but one window in the entire room.’
“And then Roma burst into tears,” said Tweets.
“Then she wasn’t made happy?”
asked Crunchy and Spotty, disappointed.
“Well,” continued Tweets, “when I went to see Roma quite some time later, everything had changed. There were no more ramshackled houses of different sizes with ugly lots attached to them. In their place were rows and rows of three-story brick buildings. They were bright and cheerful-looking. Grass grew in the plots between them and trees had been planted. There were well-arranged flower-beds. Here and there were neat, gravel patches that were used by the children as a playground. And in the center of all these modern buildings was a very large playground. There were fountains spouting water where children in bathing suits were cooling off. There were all kinds of equipment for playing.
“And it was in this playground that I saw Roma. You never saw a more radiant and happy face. She was running here, there, all over the place. She will probably never know that I had seen her elsewhere with tears in her eyes . . .”
“Why, that is not a make-believe story; it is a true story!” said Spotty.
“You’re right,” answered Tweets. “It is a true story.”
“The Little Girl Who Was Made Happy,” I said.
“Yes,” said Joanna, half-way under her breath. “And I know where that is. I know that the government decided to tear down all the terrible, broken houses and give the people decent places to live in. Yes, one man or a few men could never help much just
(Continued on page 26)
MLADINSKI LIST
“Things to Make”
Magazine or Curio Rack	an(j	shape	pieces	(A) and (B) as illustrated
Use three pieces, 11/16 by 7 1/2 by 20 inches	in Figure 98. Slide the shelves (A) into the slots
(A). Two pieces, 11/16 by 7 1/2 by 37 3/8 inches	cut in the uprights (B). Glue may be used if de-
(B).	sired. The rack is then fastened to the wall.
NIFTY AND HIS FRIENDS
(Continued from page 25)
out of the goodness of their hearts without changing ... without changing the kinds of conditions people live in . .
“I think I understand,” I said. “Roma could never be happy in a make-believe world. It had to be a real world that brought her happiness. It had to be really cheerful things, not blackness and darkness and crowded places. It had to be sunshine . .
“All the boys and girls could be made
really happy,” Joanna was saying mostly to herself.
We could not understand her. But we were all hoping that Joanna might be able to help bring this about. . .
Willie: “What is a committee, pa?”
Father: “A committee, my son, is something which takes a week to do what one good man can do in an hour.”
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All work even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble.—Carlyle.
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The sweeping blast, the sky o’ercast The joyless winter day,
Let others fear; to me more dear Than all the pride of May.—Burns.
NOČ
Katka Zupančič Pod gorami, med gorami noč miruje, spi. Ali ko se solnce poslovi, noč zbudi se, zdrami. Tiho vstaja, roko dviga, da visoko nad drevesi, prav visoko pod nebesi zvezdice prižiga. . .
Narisala Katka Zupančič
A Salute to the Trees
Many a tree is found in the wood,
And every tree for its use is good.
Some for the strength of the gnarled root, Some for the sweetness of flower and fruit; Some for the shelter against the storm, And some to keep the hearthstone warm; Some for the roof and some for the beam And some for a boat to breast the stream; In the wealth of the wood since the world began
The trees have offered their gifts to man.
—Henry Van Dyke.
The Solution and Winners of Tenth Contest Lesson
(Continued from page 19)
ican organization. It will combat ignorance in the search for truth. It will work for the preservation of the memory of our ancestry, and for the promotion of its members in the modern world.
First Prize (Lower-Age Group)
By RUDY SLAVEC, age 12
(1) The Role of the SNiPJ in the Past
When the SNPJ was only in its primary stage, it had to face many a problem. In the “old country” no such thing as a fraternal insurance had existed, and it was difficult to persuade people to such ideas. They also had to face the problem of traveling: it was difficult to organize lodges or get all the members to come to a meeting. Many also thought someone was trying to persuade them to put their money into some worthless organization that would not bring them anything. But it soon proved that it did all that it promised and that it really saved many people from debts. It also began as a free-thought organization, which meant a great deal to the immigrants.
(2) The Role of the SNPJ at the Present Time
The SNPJ has done so much wonderful work that
it is now the largest Slovene organization of its kind. It has gone so far as to get Juvenile Circles, so that the juveniles will be able to take the place of their parents in making it a bigger and better organization. It has helped many a person by its sick benefit plan. It is now easier to approach people and tell them of the views and ideas of this organization. There are also men who represent our Society in different sections of the country. It also has a magazine for its juveniles, and this is another reason why it is the best.
(3) The Role of the SNPJ in the Future
I believe that the SNPJ will live for a long time to come. We all know (or hope) that life will be more modern, and so in order to keep up with the times, the SNPJ will also have to take on modern ideas to cope with the problems that it will have to face. I have a vision of this Society having hospitals, homes for the aged, libraries, orphanages, and schools of its own. All other nationalities will be glad to belong to this organization.
Why December?
The word December comes from decem, meaning ten. This is because in the old Roman days, before the reform of the calendar, December was the tenth month, and March the first. Later when 2 months were added, no Roman thought it of enough significance to change the name.
The Slovenia Cooking Club
By Marička
Meeting Your Health Requirements
Sometimes it is difficult to pay heed to so many “should” reminders. You hear them in school; you hear them at home; all in all you are likely to think that it would be much more pleasant to live without them.
But your health is something that you cannot afford to experiment with. Your body is made up of a certain number of elements, and these must be supplied to it if it is to function as it should. These bodily requirements are found in the various foods we eat. And since there are different kinds (because different parts of our body are made of different elements) we must be sure to eat a large enough variety to supply the needs.
Check over your diet and see if it meets these requirements every day: at least 1 quart of milk, 2 servings of fresh fruit on juice, 2 or 3 servings of vegetables besides potatoes, 1 leafy uncooked vegetable, 1 or 2 servings of whole grain cereal, 1 egg, a reasonable supply of butter, cream, or other fat, and a reasonable amount of meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, etc.
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Some Slovenian Dishes to Help Meet Requirements
Last month we centered our attention on dishes that contained a large quantity of milk and eggs. This month we will concentrate on vegetables.
Korenje s smetano
Korenje, of course, means carrots; smetana is cream.
Cut young, fresh carrots into small pieces. Cook in salted water until almost tender. Strain the carrots, making sure you save the water in which they were cooked. Into a skillet place an amount of butter; add the carrots. Let cook slowly, taking care that carrots will not stick to the pan. Add more
salt if necessary and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Add a few t a b le spoons of flour; use soup stock or water for thinning. Let cook until carrots are tender.
Add 2 w e 1 1-beaten eggs to the water in which the carrots were cooked originally. Add also 8 tablespoons of sour cream. Combine this with the carrots and let all come to a boil. Serve at once.
Kisla repa
In many Slovene communities it is possible to secure kisla repa, in other words, turnips that have been allowed to ferment and become “sour” in the manner of sauerkraut.
The method of preparation is simple: cook the turnips until tender. If necessary, drain some of the water and add salt to taste. Make a thickening of butter and flour, allowing it to become only light brown in color. Add to the turnips and let boil for a minute or so. If desired, chopped onions may be lightly browned in the butter before adding to the turnips.
Pesa
Pesa is beets. The beets are cooked whole, making sure that the stems have not been cut off too closely to the beet.
Peel cooked beets and cut into small pieces. Make a sauce of butter in which 2 small onions have been slightly browned, 2 tablespoons of flour allowed to brown slightly also, soup stock or water, lemon juice or vinegar (about 1 teaspoon) and a teaspoon of sugar. Place the beets into this sauce, let come to a boil, and serve immediately.
Krompirjev Golaž
If your mother does not make this type of “potato goulash”, persuade her to try this recipe.
Cut into small pieces about 2 pounds or
(Continued on page 29)
JEAN
By Ernestine Jugg
Jean pressed her short, freckled nose against the lighted, frosted store window decorated with toys of all kinds. It would soon be Christmas. Already the snow was whirling in little fairy flakes about the streets. The days were colder and shorter.
“How long is it ’til Christmas, Mother?” asked Jean one day.
“Oh, you’ll have to wait a little longer—about 15 days,” her mother replied.
“'Can I go today to see the pretty toys in the windows?” Jean persisted.
“If you’re a good girl, you may go with Brownie,” answered Mother.
Brownie was Jean’s big, brown and white dog. He liked to go places with Jean for it was much nicer than being shut in a backyard all day. When Jean called him to go window shopping, he jumped and wagged his tail, his brown eyes shining happily.
That’s why we find Jean now pushing her way through the crowded streets, pressing her nose on the window plates. She was only a little girl, six years old, with light, braided hair and a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes as she pulled and tugged at Brownie’s collar.
“Oh, Brownie, look! Mickey Mouse and Minnie! Oh, aren’t they cute?” Minnie and Mickey were swaying to and fro, their large, black eyes rolling. “And there’s Donald Duck—and would you believe it? Charley McCarthy.” The doll window next caught Jean’s eye. (She gazed wide-eyed at the hundreds of dolls—large, small, black, white, Shirley Temples, Dionne Quints, dolls of different lands. It fairly took her breath away, for never had she seen so many dolls all at one time before.
“Brownie, come here and look! look at the dolls! Oh, and see that big, black-haired doll with a blue dress. Gee, I wish I could have her—I like her best of all, don’t you, Brownie?”
But Brownie was too interested in a toy panda. He had never seen an animal like that before—like a big, black, woolly bear with a white stripe around his neck. Brownie barked and tried to be friendly, but the panda merely stared.
That night at supper Jean asked, “Why do they have so many dolls, pandas and toys only at Christmas? Why don’t they have them all year round?”
“Because it’s Christmas,” replied Mother.
“But why, what is Christmas?” asked Jean.
“Well,” explained Dad, “people celebrate it for different reasons. Some say it’s the birthday of one born hundreds of years ago.”
“Oh,” questioned Jean, “like Lincoln’s or Washington’s birthday? We always have a holiday from school then.”
“Yes,” answered Dad, “some people believe that is true. But it has never really been proved, you know. There are also other reasons why Christmas is a big day—it is the time for giving, especially
to the needy, like clothes and food. Another is to exchange presents among friends.”
“But can’t they do that any day?” inquired Jean. “And the poor people must always need food and clothing.”
“Oh, yes,” laughed Dad, “but the large stores make money if they set aside one day in the year to sell things. They raise prices and all the people buy more toys, gifts and food than at any time during the year. Christmas has nearly lost its best purpose—to give to the needy.”
“My,” marveled Jean. “I don’t think I know just what you mean.”
“Well, Jeannie,” said Mother, “when you grow older, it will be more simple to understand.”
That night after she was warmly tucked in bed, Jean couln’t sleep. (She could still see the fairy snowflakes twinkling in the blue, green, red and yellow lights. The big, black-haired doll was so nice. Jean liked Christmas, too, the lights, snow, dolls, jingling bells, candy and nuts. It was even nicer than her birthday party. Then she had only a cake and Billy and iSusan over for a little party. But Christmas was a make-believe holiday—not really anyone’s birthday, her daddy said, and he knew. Grown-ups were funny. They believed in bigger fairy tales than the stories she had in her story book about goblins and elves and fairies. She wondered if she’d believe in those things when she grew up.
The snowflakes whirled faster, the colored lights flickered off and on, the black-haired doll was going farther and farther away. It had been such a big day for Jean. Soon she was fast asleep.
SLOVENIA COOKING CLUB
(Continued from page 28) so of potatoes. — Into a pan place about 2 or 3 tablespoons butter, add 2 or 3 mediumsized onions, finely-chopped, 1 tablespoon finely chopped green pepper, and 1 or 2 tomatoes. When the onions have cooked slightly, add potatoes and salt and pepper. Cover tightly and cook for 10 minutes over a low flame. Stir often, “da se ne prižge.” After 10 minutes, add 2 tablespoons flour and slowly add soup broth or hot water. The amount of liquid will depend upon the thickness of golaž you desire. When the potatoes are cooked, add a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar, and the golaž is ready to serve. A bay leaf may also be added to the mixture, and the addition of cucumbers will also add a different flavor to this dish.
The Nutcracker
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ACROSS
1.	A son of a brother or a sister to you
5.	A month
8.	Order of Eastern Star (abbr.)
10. Therefore
11. A conjunction
13.	Male
SOME RIDDLES
Why is a wise man like a pin?—He has a head and comes to a point.
What is that which is put on the table and cut but never eaten?—A pack of cards.
What is lower with a head than without one?—A pillow.
Why are fowls the most economical things a farmer can keep?—Because for every grain they give a peck.
What belongs to yourself but is used more by your friends than by yourself?—Your name.
When is the clock on the stair dangerous? —When it runs down.
ORIGINAL “M. L.” CROSSWORD PUZZLE
(iSubmitted by Charles A. LaSaker, 309 Fayal Road, Eveleth, Minn.)
Which is the smallest bridge in the world? —The bridge of your nose.
When may a chair be said to dislike you? — When it can’t bear you.
When are we all artists?—When we draw a long face.
Why is a shoemaker the most industrious of men?—Because he works to the last.
When is a tall man a little short?—When he hasn’t quite enough cash.
Why is coffee like an axe with a dull edge? —Because it must be ground before it is used.
15. A West India plant that is a source of indigo
19. Right (abbr. before a title)
20. A male descendant
22. Father (abbr.)
24. A fact or principle
26. An indefinitely long period of time
27. Name of a Spanish or Mexican dollar
28. Georgia (abbr.)
29. People skilled in composing poetry
30. Latin and
31. Past participle of meet
32. iSixth note in musical scale 35. A honey-producing insect
37. A number
38. To ask with authority
DOWN
1. Threads corrugated to resist a skidding
2. Electrical engineer (abbr.)
4. Extremity
6. A conjunction
7. A loud, mournful cry
9.	Wharf accommodations
12.	Scottish no
14.	To plead
17. To value
18. Innermost 2il. Dispossession
23. To have stolen something as to be unobserved
25. Apogee (abbr.)
29. A game played on horseback with long mallets and balls
33. Archaic if
34. A conjunction indicating present singular
35. About
36. A prefix meaning in
When We Play
SOME INDOOR GAMES Steps
A blindfolded player stands in the center of the room. All the other players stand away from him at various distances. The blindfolded player is made to go around in a circle. Then he is told how many steps he must take to touch a certain person.
Who is It?
The committee in charge writes the name of each player on a separate sheet of paper. The paper is then folded so that the name is covered; the top is pinned down. The sheets are passed around to the different individuals, one to each They are then told to write down the weight of the one they suppose is written on the sheet. The sheet is folded once more and passed to the person on the right. The following things are then written down: disposition, color of hair, color of eyes, kind of nose, in what the person is talented, and other descriptions. The papers are then unfolded and the entire description is read aloud.
Head, Body and Legs
Each player is given a sheet of paper about three by six inches. Each one then draws at the top of the paper a head, making it as funny as his imagination and ability will permit. He then folds the paper so that just a little of the neck is left in view. This is passed to the right-hand neighbor. Each player in the same way next draws on the paper handed to him a body, joining it up with the neck the first “artist” has drawn. When that is done, the papers are folded as before and passed to the right once more. This time the recipients of the paper draw legs and feet, connecting them with the ■small portion of the body left below the fold in the paper. As this completes the picture, the papers are folded once more and passed to the right, where each player writes the name of the picture on his paper without
looking to see what it is like. You will get some very queer combinations this way, and there is no end of laughter. Try this game when everything else fails.
Statues
All the contestants line up on one side. A leader stands in front of them. When the leader turns his back to them and starts walking away, all the contestants follow him (or her). Immediately the leader whirls about facing them. All the players must stop suddenly and hold the position they had at the moment. Players who do not observe this rule must go back to the starting-point and start all over again. To make this game interesting, the leader must turn at the most unexpected moment. The leader continues this until the winner of the race has crossed the limit line.
Ring on a String
The players stand in a circle facing inward, holding a string. The ends of the string are tied and contain a ring. The player who is “It” stands in the center with eyes closed and counts ten while the players pass the ring. “It” opens his eyes and slaps the hand which he thinks conceals the ring. If his guess is correct, the two exchange places. If he is wrong, the player whose hand was slapped is permitted to swat “It” with a soft swatter.
Surprise Pantomines
After all the players are seated around the room, the one in charge of the game announces that each shall whisper to his right-hand neighbor some stunt that he desires him to do, the more absurd the better. Everyone must perform the stunt requested of him in absolute silence, and to the satisfaction of the person who assigned it to him. Anyone who disregards his silence by speaking, laughing, or giggling must pay a suitable forfeit. (See an earlier M. L. for a list of forfeits.)
Hibernation of Reptiles
By Karl P. Schmidt
Assistant Curator of Reptiles, Field Museum of Natural History
Many birds escape the rigors of winter by migrating to warmer climates in the south. Those that remain in our latitude through the cold season are able to find food by means of active habits, and are saved from freezing by the nearly perfect insulation afforded by their feather covering.
Mammals, like the birds, have warm blood and excellent insulation, and most of them survive the winter, without migration, by modification of their food habits or by subsisting on food stores laid up in times of plenty. Others, however, retire into burrows or hollow trees where, nourished by the slow consumption of their fat, they pass the winter in a state of suspended animation known as hibernation.
The frogs, toads, and salamanders, and the turtles, lizards, and snakes are “cold-blooded” as contrasted with the warm-blooded mammals and birds. Their body temperature is approximately the same as that of the air or water which surrounds them. These animals, accordingly, have no choice when the temperature falls toward the freezing point but to suspend their activity for the winter. Some, like the frogs and most turtles, bury themselves in mud in ponds or swamps. Highland forms, like toads and snakes and the box-turtle, bury themselves in sheltered situations in dry soil. The most familiar hibernating site of our Chicago snakes is beneath sidewalks, whence they emerge on warm days in November to sun themselves before their final retirement. Toads, which spend the winter in dry situations, migrate to water for the breeding season as soon as they emerge in spring. The two larger salamanders of the Chicago area have opposite habits in this respect. The tiger salamander (commonly called a “lizard”) spends the summer on land, but hibernates in ponds and marshes. During September and October specimens are frequently found in cellar-ways and brought to the Museum for identification. Such openings are pitfalls for these creatures in their nocturnal travels. The spotted sala-
mander lives in much the same situations through the summer, but spends the winter on land also, so that its migration to water for breeding and egg-laying takes place in the spring.
Many turtles do not lay their eggs until aarly summer, and these hatch as late as mid-September. When egg-laying or the development of the eggs is delayed for any reason, especially when a cool summer follows a late spring, the eggs do not hatch, and the embryo turtles may remain in the egg through the winter. If the winter is mild or if there is a sufficient covering of snow, such embryos come safely through this curious hibernation and emerge the following spring. Farmers engaged in spring plowing have frequently reported nests of turtle eggs with fully formed turtles in them, ready to hatch.
Nations, like individuals, live and die; but civilization cannot die.—Mazzini.
Answer to Original Puzzle in November M. L. By Mary Ban, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Chrysanthemums In Chicago’s Parks
Here is a mass of chrysanthemums such as were common in the exhibits at the Lincoln and Garfield Park conservatories from November 10 to December 4.
There were some four hundred thousand blossoms and buds on display of seven hundred and seventy-five of the newest varieties and the best of the old ones. There was every shade but blue represented.
There were some of the interesting exhibits: several of the original species, grafted plants with seventy-five varieties on a single stock, hanging baskets that resembled great balls of yellow, pink, and white; long-petaled species from Japan that looked like cole slaw; hairy kinds with small bristles on the petals; huge single flowers that measured twenty-one inches from tip to tip, plants six feet in diameter, and seedlings that have never blossomed before.
The name, Chrysanthemum, comes from the Greek “chrysos” meaning “gold” or “golden” and “anthos” meaning “a flower.” While Japan adopted it as its national flower, it was known to China as early as 2300 B. C. and probably centuries before that. A Japanese stowaway is responsible for its success in this country. This is how it happened:
In gratitude for not being put off a Boston-bound ship by its captain, Alpheus Hardy, and for being given a home and education by him and his wife, the stowaway sent Mrs. Hardy the finest cutting he could obtain when he returned to his country. Among these was the Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, which sold for $1500. This was the greatest sum any plant had been sold for. Newspapers gave this columns of space, and its place in the flower world was assured.
“A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless; forests which are so used that they cannot renew themselves will soon vanish and with them all their benefits. A true forest is not merely a storehouse, full of wood, but, as it were a factory of wood and, at the same time, a reservoir of water. When you help to preserve our forests or plant new ones, you are acting the part of good citizens.”—Theodore Roosevelt.
Answers to puzzle of Tony Adlesich: ALBERT EINSTEIN and MARK TWAIN.
The Slovene National Benefit Society
is
Your Faithful Friend From Childhood to Old Age
QUR Society paves the way to material and educational happiness. It is a workers’ fraternal organization providing a twofold service— fraternal insurance and labor enlightenment.
Its fundamental principles based on free-thought and labor ideology have been her outstanding success, as reflected in her steady growth and splendid record.
There is no sounder investment for adults and juveniles than frater■* nal insurance. The long depression has proved this beyond question. Our juvenile insurance fits the family budget. Low rates and maximum protection during the growing years. Your insurance is protected by* seven million dollars of assets.
For further information, consult your local secretary or write the Main Office *
The SNPJ Head Office
2657 S. Lawndale Avenue -	Chicago,	Illinois