Mladinski List A JUVENILE MAGAZINE FOR AMERICAN SLOVENES . . and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." February Mladinski List JUVENILE CONTENTS FOR FEBRUARY 1939 Pregled vsebine v februarski številki STORIES AND POEMS Page In še ena (pesem).................................................. 7 Pantry Symphony, The (poem)........................................ 2 Pravljica o blagajniku za plin..................................... 8 They Passed the Test...............................................20 Zbrali so se Lincolni.............................................. 4 Zimska (pesem) .................................................. 6 ARTICLES Su-Lin the Greatest Favorite of Them All...........................15 FEATURES Andrew’s Travel Talk ..............................................29 Be on the Look-Out for These Things................................10 Birthdays of the Great Men..........................................7 interesting Hobbies ...............................................28 Introducing Book Friends ..........................................32 Just for Fun ......................................................30 Our Pen Pals Write ................................................26 OUR SCHOOL.........................................................16 SNPJ Primer, The .................................................. 1 When We Play ......................................................31 OUR OWN JUVENILE CIRCLES......................................... 11 SOLUTION AND WINNERS OF TWELFTH CONTEST LESSON 17 Published monthly by the Slovene National Benefit Society for the members of its Juvenile department. Annual subscription, $1.20; half year, 60c; foreign subscription, $1.50. Address: 2657 S. Lawndale Ave., Chicago, 111. Entered as second-class matter August 2, 1922, at the post office at Chicago, 111., under Act of August 24, 1912. MLADINSKI LIST JUVENILE LETO XVIII,—Št. 2 CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRUARY, 1939 VOL. XVIII.—No. 2 The S. N. P. J. Primer Short Stories of Our Society in the Making The first and humble SNPJ convention (with 12 delegates—hardly enough for the Supreme Board to be chosen from) was over, in April, 1904, and Frank Medica, the first Supreme Secretary, had settled down to his duties behind a small, flat-top desk in a dingy room of the ram-shackled two-story frame house. This was the first SNPJ “main office.” An ordinary, middle-sized ledger, some newly-printed Society stationery and an inkwell with penholder and a few pencils strewn about were all the equipment on the desk; four drawers of the desk were the files for the initial correspondence and the documents necessary for the beginning. No sooner had the Secretary sat down on his squeaky chair behind the desk than a knock on the door aroused him. “Come in,” he retorted, and his friend Martin entered. “Well, good morning, Martin. What’s the news? Any good news?” the Secretary greeted his friend as a matter of course. “You’ve said it! There never was better news. Here it is. Read it!” Out of his coat-pocket Martin pulled a newspaper and handed it to Medica. It was a copy of the Voice of the Crowd published in the Far East. The Secretary eagerly took the paper and readily saw the piece around which Martin drew a heavy circle with red pencil. “It’s a report on the SNPJ convention,” blurted Martin vigorously winding his heavy black mustache as he always did when he was in exceedingly good mood. The Secretary read aloud: “There occurred a gathering on the Lake Michigan shores; a handful of fraternal adventurers met and decided that there should be another Slovene fraternal society. So a new babe was born—called SNPJ. We are sad to report that the babe was born—dead. Omit the flowers . . .” The Secretary looked at his friend with a smile. “Isn’t that a scoop?” said Martin and chuckled. “You bet it is”—agreed Frank and roared. “But we’ll fool that crowd, eh, Frank?” “You bet we will!” shouted the other one, banging the desk. “This lusty babe, the SNPJ, although born ‘dead,’ will give them a mighty kick!” Compiled by I. M. The Pantry Symphony By MARY JUGG Q What’s this we hear? It’s voices clear From pantry shelf And breadbox; From frigidaire The noises blare And fruit boivl sings And rocks. “I am important! I!I! I!” The celery is dancing; “Just look who boasts! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!" The carrots bright are proMcmg. “Stop! Stop! My sides! You’ll split my sides!” The lettuce head is mocking; “The %my you puff And bluff and huff Is positively shocking. I am the stuff That brings the health That’s Billy’s ivealth, For ‘health is ivealth,’ I’m king! Tra la! I’m king!” “Hold on! Hold on!” There is a stalking And a stumping And a strutting And a striding. The loaf of bread— The bread is on the march. Illustrated by E. H. Dougherty. “Clumsy! Clumsy! Clumsy is the loaf of bread!” “What’s that? Who speaks?” The bread demands, “Who speaks?” “’Tis I! ’Tis I! I have an eye— An eye to see— Nay! many eyes And Billy prefers me!” “Ha! Ha! potato! So it’s you! It’s you ivlio chides me, Spud. I’ll roll you down atvay, away. Your name—it tv ill be Mud. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Your name—it will be Mud!” ‘Hee-Hee!”- ■ “Hee-Hee!”-The loaf of bread stops short. The sounds have stopped; It is so still, So very still; Take care! Take care! Beioare! Beware! “Hee-Hee!” “Hee-Hee!” “Who’s there?” The loaf of bread does snort. That Billy likes Tomatoes, O-o-o-o! And Billy likes The orange, too. And Billy likes Us very best; We know, we know He likes us best.” “Why, you— you— you—/” the bread is speechless! The orange says, “At last you’re screechless.” But the bread Again is stalking; It is stumping; It is striding! The loaf of bread is on the march. “I’ll roll you all away, away— The Spud, tomato, Orange, too! Ho! Ho! I come! I come! I come! I come to roll you all aivay.” “Stop!” And from the fruit bowl, The gleaming, crystal fruit bowl, A defender, tall, arises. “Why it’s my fruit salad brother; No need now to call for another; The round-faced orange does sputter. “The Banana!” “You’re yellow, banana,” the loaf of bread blusters; “There are two of us if you must know, And both of us can stop the show, And push you all in the farthest row, For all of this ice happen to know: “Come now,” says banana; for punsters.” ‘we’ve no time Just then from the shelf of the big frigidaire A loud and deep gurgle made everyone stare. The gurgle had come from the milk that was there— The bottle of milk for young Billy LaDair. And then there was thumping and clinking— not quiet— Meat, butter, and eggs wanted place in the diet. The door of the pantry Opened full wide— The fruit and the vegetables Saw Billy inside— Inside of the pantry Where the foodstuffs reside. He reached for the celery; The lettuce he took; And the bread and potato Their quarrel forsook. He picked up each food; He said all were good. And that is the way That Billy LaDair Made a symphony sweet From the food that was there. c\ c\ 4 MLADINSKI LIST Zbrali so se Lincolni Slika v enem dejanju Billy, Joey, Petey, Don in Marion, vsi iz ene šole in ene soseščine velikega ameriškega mesta v starosti 12 do 15 let; vsi iz tretje slovenske generacije v Ameriki. Pozorišče je prazno stavbišče med hišami. Lep, solnčen zimski dan v februarju. * PETEY (zavije na stavbišče): Hello, Don. Lep dan je. Hurej! DON (zavije tja z druge strani): Takisto hello, Petey. Da, lep dan in šole ni. Juhej! PETEY: Veš zakaj ni šole danes, ti učenjak? DON: Učiteljica je rekla, da je bil nekdo rojen tega dne. Čakaj no, kdo bi bil? Washington ali Lincoln bo—eden teh dveh. PETEY (se zasmeje škodoželjno): Lep učenjak, ki ne ve! DON: All right, pa ti povej. PETEY (se dela, da ni slišal): Glej, tam gresta Billy in Joey, major in šofer. Hej, Billy! Hej, Joey! Juhu, sem, sem! DON: Povej, povej, Petey, čigav je danes rojstni dan? BILLY (zavije k njima): Hello, Don, naš saksofonist. JOEY (zavije za njim): Hello, Petey, naš jelen. PETEY: Naša ganga je tukaj. Koga še manjka ? BILLY: Kaj pa ti trobiš, Don? DON: Danes ni šole. Ali vesta vidva zakaj je ni? Petey ne ve; on, ki ima dolge noge, zna samo teči kot jelen. PETEY (razgreto): Saj tudi ti ne veš, čeprav si učenjak in saksofonist. DON (presliši): Billy, ki je major, bo vedel. Kdo je bil rojen v februarju, Billy? BILLY: Washington in Lincoln. DON: Hehe, to vem tudi jaz, modri major! PETEY: Jaz tudi, hihi. JOEY: Še jaz sem to slišal ali čital v šolskih bukvah. PETEY: To je pribita resnica, gangeži— ampak oba nista bila rojena na en datum. V februarju imamo dva šolska praznika. Čigav je prvi in čigav je drugi—to je tisto. BILLY (moško): Washington je bil prvi —Washington je bil prej rojen kot Lincoln— I. M. in danes je prvi februarski šolski praznik, torej je Wahingtonov. Kaj praviš na to, šofer Joey? PETEY: Jaz se bi strinjal s tem pojasnilom, gangeži. JOEY: Jaz pa ne—naš major nas je že potegnil. Vprašajmo raje koga drugega. DON (malomarno): Saj ni važno . . . Pustimo to. Glavno je to, da ni danes šole—ni pa za nas važno, če je danes Washingtonov ali Lincolnov rojstni dan. Oba sta bila velika moža. če se ne motim, sta že oba mrtva. PETEY: Danes ne boš šofiral, Joey. BILLY: Jaz sem za Washingtona. JOEY: Jaz pa za Lincolna! PETEY: Podaj se, Joey!— DON: Pustimo to. Glavno je, da ni šole in da je lepo vreme! JOEY: Glejte, glejte, tam je Marion, naša punčka iz cunj! Njo vprašajmo. DON (jezno): Boš tiho!—Ali te ni sram? Od punčeta se boš učil? Čemu pa hodiš v solo ? Kakšen šofer pa si ?— JOEY (ga ne posluša) : Hej, Marion, sem poj di! MARION (se približa): Kaj hočete, potepini ? DON: Prav, prav! . . . JOEY: Čigav rojstni dan je danes ? Washingtonov ali Lincolnov? MARION: Hahaha, ta je lepa!—Sram vas bodi! Ali v šoli spite?—Lincolnov je! DON (napol tiho): Prav ti je, prav, Joey! BILLY: Le nikar se ne šopiri, Marion, bila je le šala. Joey dobro ve—in vsi dobro vemo, da je danes Lincolnov rojstni dan. Saj nismo tako zabiti kot ti misliš ... Le pojdi, Marion, k svojim punčkam iz cunj. JOEY (ga osuplo pogleda): Tako je, haha! PETEY (takisto): Res je, hehe! DON: Le pojdi, hihi! MARION (odhaja): By-by, potepini! BILLY: Tako! Zdaj sem vas izmazal— drugič pa pazi ti, šofer, da nas spet ne potlačiš v kalužo!—Nobenega prepira več. Zdaj se bomo igrali Lincolna. Lincoln je bil velik mož. Saj veste, kaj je bil. DON (poparjeno): Lincolna bomo igrali? Kakšen business pa je to? In jaz sem pri- čakoval, da bomo igrali žogo. Tako lep dan! . . . čemu imamo praznik? PETEY: Tako tudi jaz mislim. BILLY: Tiho vidva, saksofonist in jelen! Kaj praviš ti, šofer? JOEY: Meni je vseeno;—all right, pa dajmo se Lincolna. BILLY: Sta slišala vidva ? Lincolna bomo igrali, če vidva hočeta ali nočeta! Ako nočeta, vaju pretepem, razumeta? Oba lahko namlatim—slišita? DON (še bolj poparjeno): All right, all right—torej Lincolna . . . PETEY: Pa dobro. BILLY (pomirjen): Dobro. Lincoln je bil velik mož. PETEY: Jaz sem velik, največji med vami, torej bom jaz Lincoln. BILLY: Res imaš dolge noge, ampak za Lincolna nisi; ti si dober samo za jelena. Lincoln bom jaz—čeprav sem majhen, najmanjši med vami, sem pa čokat in močan! Lincoln je bil močan mož . . . PETEY: All right . . . JOEY (živo): Res je, Billy ima prav. Lincoln je bil močan mož. Učiteljica nam je pravila v šoli, da je Abe Lincoln vihtel velikansko sekiro in kalal dolga debla. Moje mnenje je, da igramo Lincolna, ki cepi debla. Imate pri vas težko sekiro, Billy? BILLY: Tiho, prismoda! Jaz ne bom vihtel sekire. Jaz vem o Lincolnu nekaj drugega. Lincoln je rešil nigre iz sužnosti; To bomo igrali! Kdo bo niger med nami? Ti, Don? DON (ogorčeno): Jaz že ne bom niger, ne pa ne! PETEY: Jaz tudi ne! Nimaš nič usmiljenja, Billy? JOEY (boječe): Jaz tudi ne bi rad bil niger . . . BILLY: Hm—nigra moramo imeti. Moramo ga nekje poiskati—s črnilom mu počrnimo obraz in prste. DON: Glejte, fantički! Tam se vrača Marion! Ona bo dober niger. Ej, punčka iz cunj! Sem, sem! Lincolna bomo igrali in ti boš naš niger . . . BILLY: Saj res, Marion bo dobra. Saj je vseeno, če je niger ali nigerka . . . MARION (pride zraven): Kaj imate spet, potepini ? BILLY (navdušeno): Imenitna igra! Jaz bom Lincoln, tile moji gangeži bodo moji vojaki, ti boš pa nigerka—in jaz te rešim iz sužnosti. MARION (zaničljivo): Smešna igra! Lincoln ni bil v vojni. V Beli hiši je sedel in pisal povelja za bitke. Ali ne veste zgodovine, potepini? In ko je bila velika bitka končana, je Lincoln stopil na oder in govoril o svobodi. Ali ne veste zgodovine? BILLY (moško): Seveda vemo! Vse to vemo—vse to smo vedeli prej ko ti—in ko si se ti učila o tem ,smo mi to že pozabili! Ali ni res, fantički? All right, pa pustimo nigra ali nigerko. Igrajmo Lincolna na odru po končani bitki, ko govori o svobodi------------- MARION: Imenitno! Veš pa, kaj je Lincoln govoril? Veš njegov getisburški govor? Jaz ga vem od prve do zadnje besede. BILLY (pogleda ostale): Samo začetne besede izreci, Marion, pa se bom hitro spomnil. MARION: Tako ne bo šlo. Če jaz govorim Lincolnov govor, moram biti na odru, drugače mi ne gre. Kje imate oder? (Se ozira naokoli.) Aha, tamle, je star avtotruk, ki je dober za oder. Tja pojdimo. (Steče k avtotruku in vsi gredo zanjo.) Tako. Cuj-te zdaj: tole stavbišče je getisburško bojišče in tale avtotruk je oder. Jaz sem Lincoln, ki bo zdajle govoril. DON: Stoj, Marion! Lincoln je bil mož, ti si pa dekle . . . MARION (odločno): To je igra. Jaz vam pokažem'—jaz sem učiteljica—kako je bilo, potem boste pa vi govorili. Billy bo prvi za menoj, potem Joey, potem Petey in ti, Don, boš zadnji. All right? VSI: All right. MARION (zleze na avtotruk in postavi se moško): Tako! Jaz sem Lincoln in vi ste poslušalci. Govorila bom počasi in kadar med govorom malo počakam, morate vi ploskati; na koncu morate ploskati pet minut. Ne pozabite! Tako! Zdajle začnem: “Preteklo je štirikrat dvajset in sedem let, odkar so si naši očetje omislili novo državo, spočeto v načelu, da so vsi ljudje porojeni svobodni in enakopravni . . (Preneha.) Ploskajte! Čemu ne ploskate? (Dva malo zaploskata.) “Danes smo se zbrali na velikem bojišču, nahajajoč se v veliki vojni, katera ima preizkusiti, če država, tako zamišljena in spočeta, lahko dolgo obstoji . . (Spet preneha in Joey malo zaploska.) Kaj pa vi drugi, potepini? Jaz ne bom govorila, če ne boste vsi ploskali, kakor je zapisano v zgodovini! (Godrnjavo ploskanje.) “Zbrali smo se tu, da posvetimo košček tega bojišča kot zadnje počivališče za one, ki so tu padli zato, da država lahko še živi . . (Spet malo ploskanja.) “To je popolnoma pravilno od nas, ampak v širšem pomenu mi ne moremo posvetiti tega prostora, ker so ga že posvetili junaški možje, ki so se tu bojevali, mi pa ne moremo ničesar več dodati . . (Še malo ploskanja.) “Široka javnost se ne bo dosti zmenila za te naše besede, niti se jih ne bo dolgo spominjala, ne bo pa nikdar pozabila dejanja, ki je bilo tukaj izvršeno. Mi, ki smo še živi, se moramo posvetiti nedokončanemu delu onih, ki so se tu bojevali; mi moramo danes tukaj skleniti, da njihova smrt ni bila zaman, da se naša dežela prerodi v novi svobodi in da vlada ljudstva, po ljudstvu in za ljudstvo ne sme izginiti s sveta!” (Vsi ploskajo.) V bližini zatuli poldne. Dečki se spogledajo. MARION (skoči z avtotruka) : Tako! Igra je končana. Zdaj pa hitro vsi domov! Kosilo nas čaka!— * ENGLISH SYNOPSIS: This is a one act playlet in which Billy, Joey, Petey, Don and Marion take part. They attend the same school and live in the same neighborhood in a big American city. Their ages range from 12 to 15 and all five are from the third Slovene generation. The scene takes place on a vacant lot between houses. It is a sunny winter day in February. Petey, Don, Billy and Joey gather on the vacant lot trying to guess whose birthday it is, Washington’s or Lincoln’s. Their teacher told them whose birthday they are observing when she announced that there would be no school. But how are they to remember that? Billy knew that both Washington and Lincoln were born in February, and so did the others—but which one was born first? The main thing to them was the fact that there was no school. At this moment, Marion appears on the scene, and they ask her. She scolds them deridingly and tells them that it is Lincoln’s birthday; don’t they know that, the dumb-bells! Upon Billy’s suggestion they decide to play Lincoln, because they know that he was a great man. But who is to take part of Lincoln? And who will be the “nigger”? No one wanted to play the latter. At this point Marion again appears. Billy chooses the part of Lincoln, his gang will play soldiers, and Marion will be—the “nigger.” She explains to them indignantly that Lincoln wasn’t in the war but in the White House issuing orders for battles, and after the war he was talking about liberty. She knows his Gettysburg speech. If they want her to recite it, they must provide a stage. Near-by stands an auto-truck, she climbs on it and begins: “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.................” Marion interrupts her recitation now and then instructing the boys to applaud between sentences. As she finishes, a whistle is heard from a near-by factory and all of them depart from the scene. The play is over—it is lunch time! loIYCX Katka Zupančič Na okno Mrazek sel je sinoči in tako začel je: —Rad bi dobro vsem ljudem, pa ne vem, zares ne vem, kaj bi in kako, da bi prav bilo. Dihnem, pihnem v bel oblak: zvezdic takih poln je zrak kakršnih ni sanje ne rode. Mar jih ceni kdo? Ne. In jih 'kaj razveselim, ko jim ceste pološčim, da so gladke kakor steklo, da so trde kakor jeklo? Pa pod žlebom vrsta sveč — kakor iz kristala—ni jim všeč. Crne strehe z biseri obsujem; grde jarke v led zakujem; Vse goljave jim pokrijem; drevje z ivjem jim ovijem, da se vse tako iskri, ko v nobeni pravljici! A sem le mrki mož, dih mi je nabrušen nož . . . Razočaran Mrazek še sedi, sedi, se jezi, jezi, jezi . . . Pa na mah ga jeza mine, ko domisli se mladine: rdečih noskov na saneh, žgoče radosti v očeh . . . —Oj, si Mrazek pravi, še je mesta zame v naravi; ne, obupal še ne boš—. Evo vam na šipi šopek rož!— Birthdays of the Great Men VALENTIN VODNIK Valentin Vodnik was born on February 3, 1758, in Gornja Šiška near Ljubljana. He ivas the first Slovene secular poet and began to write poetry at the age of seventeen. Although he was a Catholic priest, he ivrote chiefly on things that had nothing to do with religion. Vodnik’s best known poem, “Ilirija Oživljena” (Illyria Revived), was dedicated to Napoleon, for which he later suffered humiliation at the hands of the Hapsburgs. He was the first Slovene who ivrote openly (in Velika, Pratika in 1796) that the earth is round and that it revolves around the sun. He also condemned the Holy Spanish Inquisition in the “Lublanske Novice” (the newspaper he founded in 1797) stating that “religion is worthless when forced upon anyone.” Valentin Vodnik studied in Ljubljana and Novo Mesto and ivas acquainted with the literary personalities of the day. He did much for the awakening of Slovene national life. He discovered beauty and richness in the Slo- vene language and put it into writing. He ivrote the first Slovene textbooks for grade schools. His other works were almanacs and handbooks on a variety of subjects as well as a German-Latin-Slovene dictionary. Vodnik was a tireless worker, had a healthy sense of humor and was always ready to help his fellow men. He was able to converse and write in several Slav languages, also in Latin and German. His greatest hobby was the collection of rare coins found in Slovenia which he described in detail. Ha ivas also interested in archeology. Voclnik died on January 8, 1819, in Ljubljana where a monument to his memory was erected several years later. IN ŠE ENA— Katka Zupančič Dečko! biješ žogo; bij, le bij, da ko hrust močan boš paradiral; ali pazi, dobro pazi, da pa umsko ne boš shiral . . . Pravljica o blagajniku za plin Robert Anton Babica in vnukinja Reneta sta živeli v nekem starem gradu. Babica je tipkala in tako služila kruh, da sta živeli. In tipkala je babica na starem pisalnem stroju in grad je bil neromantičen, zgrajen iz betona z neštetimi stopnicami brez luči, ali vendar s centralno kurjavo in tekočo vodo. Renata je prišla iz šole. “Kaj pišeš?” je vprašala. “Odgovarjajoč na Vaše cenjeno pismo . . .” je govorila babica in tipkala naprej. Tako je potekal dan. Zvečer se je majhna pisarna spremenila v spalnico. Divan se je spremenil v posteljo. Reneta in babica sta ležali skupaj. Reneta se je ta večer ves čas izpraševala, ali naj babici pove, da je danes zaslužila deset šilingov. Pomagala je namreč sošolki bogatih staršev v latinščini in matematiki. S temi desetimi šilingi se lahko udeleži s tovarišicami izleta, lahko kupi dvajset indijakrapov, s sladko smetano oblitih. Če bi sploh mogla pojesti vseh dvajset indijakrapov naenkrat! Babica pa premišlja: Jutri zjutraj bo prišel blagajnik, ki pobira za porabljeni plin denar. Denarja pa nima. Kaj bo, če zapre plin? Babica vzdihne. “Kaj premišljuješ?” je vprašala Reneta. Babica molči. “Babica . . Glas Renete je bil zdaj kakor glas majhnega otroka. “Že dolgo mi nisi pripovedovala pravljic.” “Prevelika si že za pravljice,” je rekla babica. “O, večkrat si rekla, da človek za pravljice ni nikoli prevelik.” ‘No, dobro! Kakšno pravljico pa ti naj povem? Tisto o zvočnikih? Tisto o princesi in kraljiču? Ali o blagajniku za plin?” Reneta je imela tanka ušesa. Ko je babica rekla ‘o blagajniku za plin,” je začutila, da je to nekaj v zvezi z vzdihom, ki se je malo prej izvil iz babičinih prsi. “Prosim, povej mi pravljico o blagajniku za plin,” je zaprosila Reneta. Noč je, tema in glas babice plava nežno po majhni spalnici. “Blagajnika za plin poznaš? Tako nekako med sedmo in osmo uro zjutraj ga moraš po navadi srečati. Prijazen je njegov obraz in ob trebuhu mu visi torbica. Pod pazuho pa nosi knjižico z računi, na katerih je zapisano, koliko kdo dolguje za plin.” “Da,” je rekla Reneta. “Danes sem ga srečala.” “Odpravila sem ga, ker nimam denarja,” je rekla babica. “Ali to vendar ni nobena pravljica, babica,” se je začudila Reneta in otroški glasek je bil nekako užaljen. “Le počakaj! V pravljici reče čarobnik: Še enkrat bom prišel in te bom našel!—Blagajnik za plin pa je rekel: Jutri pridem zopet. In če ne plačate, moram, žalibog, plin zapreti!” “Koliko dolguješ?” je vprašala Reneta. Babica je preslišala vprašanje in začela pripovedovati pravljico: — Drugo jutro zazvoni. Blagajnik za plin je pred vrati. In njegov glas je strog, ko govori: Računa za plin včeraj niste plačali. Vi ga tudi ne morete plačati danes. Plinarna pa tega ne more trpeti. Ne more trpeti, da bi njeni najstarejši odjemalci živeli v takem siromaštvu in bi niti plina ne mogli plačati. In glejte, tukaj je tisoč šilingov. Plinarna vam jih daje. In tu je že potrjen račun. Plin je plačan. Ali gorje vam, če teh tisoč dinarjev porabite za plačilo svojih dolgov. Veselja si kupite za teh tisoč šilingov. To želi plinarna! ... Ko je to izrekel, je izginil. Samo vonj po vijolicah in mimozah je še vel po sobi. Tako, pravljice je konec!”— Renata pa je premišljala: “Noben indijakrap bi ne dišal več, če zdaj ne pomagam babici!” “Koliko pa je račun za plin?” je vprašala. Babica pa je molčala, in Renata je slišala njen dih, kako je enakomeren in miren. Nemara že spi? Srce Renete bije. In smehlja se v noč. * Blagajnik za plin je bil v začetku zelo začuden in ni vedel, kaj prav za prav hoče mala razburjena gospodična. Nato pa je zapopa- del, se smehljaje in pokimal. In smehljal se je še, ko je pozvonil v babičino sobo. * Babica se je ustrašila, ko je zapel zvonec. Blagajnik za plin je pred vrati. Vedela je, da pride, ali vseeno se je prestrašila. Kaj bo? Odprla je. “Dobro jutro,” je rekel blagajnik in listal po knjigi. “Vem, vem,” je rekla s pridušenim glasom babica. “Sedem šilingov je, ali . . Blagajnik za plin je odprl torbico na trebuhu visečo. Zaduhtelo je močno po vijolicah in mimozah. “Tukaj račun,” je rekel. “Je že plačan. Upam, da ste zadovoljni. To želi plinarna!” Blagajnik za plin je pozdravil in odšel. Vrata je zaprl za seboj, kajti babica je stala in ni vedela ali sanja ali kaj je. V rokah je držala plačani račun za plin, vijolice in mimoze. “Čudež,” je zajecljala presenečena. Čudež . . Rene ta pa je baš takrat jedla ostanek iz desetih šilingov v obliki indij akrapa, močno oblitega s sladko smetano. In bil je tisti indijakrap bolje okusen kakor dvajset indijakrapov . . . Prevedel Iv. Vuk. A SHORT ENGLISH VERSION. In this tale the writer tells us about a grandmother and her granddaughter Reneta who lived together in an old castle. Reneta’s grandmother was a typist and earned their living with her old typewriter. Although the castle was old and unromantic with a long unlit stairway leading to their room, it had a central heating system and running water. Reneta was attending school. At bed time, the “office” was' changed into a bedroom, the sofa serving for bed. Reneta is disturbed: shall she tell her grand- mother that today she earned ten shillings by helping her rich classmate with her Latin and mathe-matic lessons? Or shall she buy a box of candy nicely covered with sweet cream ? Her grandmother, too, was disturbed, worried. The gas-collector will come tomorrow and there was no money; no money, no gas. Reneta noticed her worried look. What is the matter? Won’t she tell her a story? Grandmother tells her a story about a gas-collector who came to her to collect for the gas bill, but she had no money. He said he would come the next day, and if she can’t pay he would turn off the gas. But in- stead, when he did come, he brought her a thousand shillings donated to her by his company. But she must not use the money to pay her debts. She should buy happiness with it. Then he left . . . Reneta was thinking: grandmother must pay seven shillings for the gas, or—. She decided. The next morning she went out to meet the bill-collector and gave him her money. He was indeed surprised at this, but took the paid bill to her grandmother. Reneta’s grandmother didn’t know if she was dreaming or if this was a miracle ... At that very moment Reneta was eating the last piece of candy she bought for the three shillings left out of her ten shillings. She was very satisfied and ate her three pieces of candy with much more pleasure than if she had had twenty pieces of the cream-coated candy. ORIGINAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE 1 2 3 * s 1 e 7 i '//, '//. % /o '//, // % 12. 13 if 15- lt> (7 V, 18 ao 3J '//, (//, 11 33 a? '// % 3S 3.6 V, 21 38 as 30 31 32- v/, 33 V/, 35 '//, By Dorothy Zager, age 15, Lodge 61, Gilbert, Minn. (Answers will be found in another section of the Mladinski List.) ACROSS 3. Blood-sucking animal 1. Received on Feb. 14 4. Conjunction (Latin) 10. To allow 5. Meddles 11. To reconcile 6. Italics (abbr.) 13. Digit 7. Organ 14. Store up 8. To smear with blood 15. Note of the scale 9. Selenium (abbr.) 16. Formerly 12. To eat together 18. Gratifies 13. Small jug 20. To conduct 15. Corded material 22. Pinches 17. Impatient 23. Refuse 19. Chains of mountains 25. Predictions 21. Empty pride or con- 27. Clean ceit 29. Men (Latin) 24. Fruit 30. Apparition 25. Egg-shaped 32. Balance (abbr.) 26. Factory 33. Bone 28. East Indies 34. To quiet or calm 30. Prefix meaning un- 35. Insects der DOWN 31. Sailor 2. Unaccompanied 32. Symbol for barium Be On the Look-Out for These Things Dear Ladislav: I think everyone has a trait of looking into the future. At least, young people do. And some people stay young all their lives. Of course, generally when we speak of “looking into the future” we are looking forward to what science promises for us. Science is that real “benefactor” (not a fairy or imaginary one) for helping us to peer into the unknown and find the answers. Today I must tell you about another thing to be on the look-out for. And that is: growing plants without soil. This might sound only like a clever little experiment upon first reading, but it has already become a much more serious thing. If you will let your mind Wander upon the possibilities of it, you will come upon many new things to think about. When we say that plants can be grown without soil, we mean that they are grown by chemicals. If you will think about this in the simplest way possible, things will become clear for you. You see, plants (just like our bodies) are made up of a certain number of chemicals. These, of course, must be in just the right proportions or the plant dies. When the plant is rooted in the soil, it finds these chemicals in the soil. And so scientists tried to discover if these same chemicals could not be fed to the plant without the soil and the plant would still grow. Such experiments were performed and they were successful! Immediately, plant-growing without soil became a good hobby. You could simply buy the needed chemicals in the right proportions and grow tomatoes, flowers, beans, cucumbers, cabbage, and a few other vegetables without any soil! Already this hobby threatens to become greater than photography. But it goes further than a mere hobby. These vegetables have been grown commercially! This means that growing vegetables for use as food has been done on a large scale. In California, tomatoes are being produced for the market—by chemicals. In New Jersey, flowers are being grown in greenhouses—chemically. What advantages, you may ask, are there in growing plants chemically? There seem to be three outstanding ones: 1. They take less space, since the roots do not have to search for food. 2. They may be grown at any season of the year. This is one of the greatest factors in our present-day food production. We are altogether dependent upon the weather and seasons. If the climate has not been just right, the food yield will be poor. 3. The chemicals to produce plants in this manner are cheap. Now, can you let your mind consider these things in the light of other countries? How many European countries there are which are saving on space for growing plants! How many there are that do not have enough foodstuffs for their people! How many there are that would like to be self-supporting so that they wtould not have to rely on other countries. And growing plants in the manner here described could be just one of those things that would bring about the greatest changes of all. Then, along with that, would come the question: what would become of the farmers? Are you beginning to see some of the ideas that this topic provokes? Anyway, my advice to you is: be on the lookout for progress that will be made in the field of “growing plants without soil.” Your humble friend, MARY JUGG. DELAYED JUDGMENT A temperance address gave Lincoln an opportunity to illustrate the subject of threads and promises with this typical Irish story: “Better lay down that spade you are stealing, Paddy, if you don’t you’ll pay for it at the end of the world.” Paddy replied: “By the power, if ye’ll credit me so long I’ll jist take another.” Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday we honor on February 12, is universally recognized as a great statesman and humanitarian, and of course, as the greatest President of the United States of America. His statements with reference to the problems of labor and capital are well known. But Lincoln’s humor is very seldom quoted. We think that this side of his nature should also be presented. Here are a few of his humorous expressions found in his speeches and writings: MLADINSKI LIST 11 Our Own Juvenile Circles of the S. N. P. J. Send all your questions and requests for your Juvenile Circles to Mr. Vincent Cainkar, president of the SNPJ, 2657 S. Lawndale Ave., Chicago, III. He has been appointed the Director of Juvenile Circles, and your Advisers should keep in touch with him. From “Jolly Jesters” Circle CLEVELAND, OHIO.—Jolly Jesters Circle reporting again. At the annual meeting of Dec. 1 we held the election of officers. Marion Tratnik is president; Frank Chaperlo, vice-pres.; Anna Cebulj, sec.; Alma Zagar, treas.; these officers also represent our circle at circle conferences. The girls are going to organize a sewing circle and receive instructions from Mrs. Tratnik, a Senior member. The boys are going to take up woodwork and painting. If we have enough work done, we are going to hold a bazaar in the fall. We also elected delegates to the circles’ conference. Our Christmas party was held Dec. 17, and circles 13 and 3 were invited. We played games, sang, and had refreshments. We also celebrated the birthday of Cai'oline Jerina and Dorothy Svigel at the party, and two lovely cakes were given them by the Jolly Jesters. Gifts were exchanged and everybody received something. Mrs. Simcic, our adviser, was given a lovely sewing basket made by Mrs. Tratnik. In behalf of all the Jolly Jesters I thank Mrs. Simcic for her wise counsel and kindness to us during 1938. We hope that many new members will be enrolled in the Juvenile Circles of SNPJ in 3939. ANNA CEBUL, Secretary, Circle No. 2. * Circle “Walsenburg Pioneers” WALSENBURG, COLO.—This is Circle No. 1 reporting. We held our annual meeting on Dec. 18 at which time officers were elected, also a program committee, and we selected a name for our circle, “Walsenburg Pioneers.” Our new officers are as follows: President, Joe Strovas; vice-pres., Ed Tomsic; sec’y> Ann Urban; recorder, Evelyn Strovas. The Program Committee consists of Theresa Evans, Marguerite Landia, Bob Bargoch, John Zorman, Billy Tomsic, Albert Tomsic, and Victor Tomsic, chairman. Edward Tomsic Sr. is our adviser. Our circle sponsored a Christmas party Dec. 25 which was a great success. An interesting program was presented and enjoyed by all. Two plays were given, one by the girls, titled “Surprising the Surprised,” and one by the boys, titled “A Friendly Talk.” We also sang carols and played games. After the program was over, refreshments were served and furnished by the Senior members. Everybody had a good time at the party. ANN URBAN, Box 31, Walsenburg, Colo. * Circle No. 11 Yule Party is Success GIRARD, KANS.—With the passing of the old year passed also the juvenile jubilee campaign commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Juvenile Department of the SNPJ. Reports in the Prosveta show, that the goal of 2500 new juvenile members has been reached. Last year, about fifteen juvenile circles were organized. All this, the campaign and the circles, is a record of which we can be proud. The “Jolly Kansans Circle” is well under way with a large group of circle-minded members who wish to make the Jolly Kansans reach the top. This was proven on Dec. 18 at our Christmas party held in the Slovene hall at Frontenac with an attendance of 75 members. The program started promptly at 2 p. m. First on the program we had the SNPJ Playboys, John Burgar playing the guitar, John Tisu playing chromatic accordion, and John Cuk-jati the violin. And boy, what music! Then we had the introductory address by Bro. Anton Shular. Then we heard an accordion duet by Antone Baimo and Henry Jelovchan, after which Miss Mary Shular, our Adviser, talked on some fine points of the SNPJ. Two girls appeared in an interesting dialogue, Mary Nolimal playing the part of husband and Mary Cizerle the part of the wife. The smaller children appeared in an exercise, “Mladinski List,” each letter standing for a word, and a line was said by each member. Miss Shular, our Adviser, took the exercise from an old copy of the M. L.; she has every issue for a great number of years. Then Mr. Shular introduced the Circle Officers and each gave a little speech on the progress of the circle. The last number on the program was a song by Mary Nolimal. There were also several instrumental and vocal numbers rendered. Accordion solos by Antone Biamo and Henry Jelov-chan, Slovene and English singing by Mary Nolimal, Olga Knapich, and Dorothy Karlinger, and also plenty of good Slovene music by the SNPJ Playboys. Of course, Old Santa appeared on the scene also, and you should hear little tots scream with delight. Then the distribution of the gifts followed, after which refreshments were served to the children. That completed the program. Then the older folks danced to the rhythm of the SNPJ Playboys. Our Christmas party was really a great success. Our first meeting this year was held Jan. 8 at Yale.—I wish to congratulate Ohio on its wideawake members who organized so many circles, especially in Cleveland. I wish you the best of luck. — I would like to have a few stamp-collectors write to me, also Charles LaSaker whom I knew when he lived in Kansas. HENRY WM. JELOVCHAN, President, Jolly Kansans Circle, No. 11. * Circle No. 13 of SNPJ Lodge No. 5 CLEVELAND, 0.—Another report from the Juvenile Circle No. 13, Lodge No. 5. Our December meeting was very interesting and a large crowd turned out. We were thinking of a name for our Circle, but we finally decided to wait until we get more suggestions from our members. We are going to give a play when our Lodge Naprej No. 5 SNPJ celebrates its 35th anniversary. Our adviser will give out the parts at our next meeting. It is very likely that in the future we will be able to hold two meetings a month, provided, of course, that we will have as large a crowd at every meeting. One will be a business meeting, the other a social. So come and decide what you would like to do at our social meeting. Our Christmas party was swell. Lodges 53 and 5 had their party togehter at the Slovene Workmen’s Home on Waterloo rd. I am sure that all of those who attended had a grand time. We played games, danced and had refreshments. Well, I’ll be signing off now. Don’t forget our next meeting. ALICE POPOTNIK, Vice President, Lodge 5, 6219 Carl ave., Cleveland, Ohio. * From Circle No. 12 CLEVELAND, 0.—The third meeting of our Juvenile Circle No. 12 was held at the usual place and time. There were about 15 members from different circles at our meeting. Brother Gabrenja gave a discussion on a program for the new year. Brother Terbizan from Circle No. 3, captain of their baseball team last summer, talked about the good team they had which won for them 18 games and lost only 6. Our Circle members voted to have a baseball team next summer. We also decided that our Circle have a stage performance this winter. A contest was started for the best name for our Circle, and a prize will be given for the best name selected. Our new officers for the coming year are: Jean Jersin, president; Sophie Jerman, vice-president; Irma Yuretic, secretary (reelected); Josephine Cu-kyne, treasurer (reelected); Rose Yuretic and Prances Suholnik, circle representatives. Members from the different circles then spoke a few words and introduced themselves. We are grateful for their visit and friendly spirit. After the meeting, Julia Peternel played a few pieces on the piano, and Maxine Jusic and Olga Jansa each recited a poem. Then we all joined in community singing. We then distributed our exchange of gifts and later were served refreshments. It was an enjoyable evening for all of us. I remain your respectful Secretary, IRMA YURETIC, 1378 E. 52nd st., Cleveland, 0. * Milwaukee Circle Marches On! MILWAUKEE, WIS.—We held our annual meeting on Dec. 10 and discussed our play which was scheduled to be presented on Dec. 17. The following officers were elected to lead our Circle during the coming year: President, Leon Segadin; vice-president, Don Jaeger; secretary, Elsie Schmaltz; treasurer, Ann Tesovnik; publicity committee, John Poklar and Billy Ambrosh. There were about 75 members present to make this meeting a success! Our dance and Christmas party on Dec. 17 was a big success. About four hundred people attended this affair at the SST hall. The party was sponsored by the Juvenile Circle of Milwaukee under the supervision of the senior members. A crowd of youngsters attended. The paly, “Santa Claus Junior Substitute,” was very effectively presented. In fact, the whole program was successful and the people enjoyed it very much. The children were given gifts by Santa after the program. The proceeds from this dance will go into our treasury. We wish to thank all the various lodges and their members for their help in making our dance a success. They have given their help without getting any pay in return. We hope that we can do as much for them in the future. JOHN POKLAR JR., 613 W. Virginia, St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. * Krožek društva št. 300 NORTH BRADDOCK, PA.—Prosim, da mi odstopite malo prostora v našem priljubljenem Mladinskem Listu. Že tri tedne se učim vsak dan po eno uro pisati in brati slovensko. Učita me moj ata in mama. Počasi bo že šlo. Star sem 12 let in že 11 let sem v mladinskem oddelku pri društvu št. 300 SNPJ. Mene zelo veseli, da sem član SNPJ. Na 17. decembra je naš mladinski krožek imel svojo prvo sejo. Na tej seji smo izvolili odbornike, ki so sledeči: Antoinette Cesnik, predsednica; John Rednak, podpredsednik; Pete Sedmak, tajnik; Louie Karish, blagajnik; Mrs. Frances Marthus je voditeljica našega krožka. Takoj po seji se je prikazal stari Miklavž in nas obdaril z raznimi stvarmi, mi pa smo nato zapeli par lepih pesmic. Društveni predsednik Anton Rednak in tajnik sta nas nagovorila v angleškem jeziku in poudarjala, naj ostanemo zvesti in dobri člani krožka in jednote ter naj pišemo v Mladinski List. Vsem odraslim članom našega društva se lepo zahvaljujemo za njihovo pomoč in jim želimo obilo sreče v novem letu! JOHN REDNAK, 1719 Poplar Way, North Braddock, Pennsylvania. * Circle No. 3 Elects Officers CLEVELAND, O.—On Dec. 23 our Circle President Ray Durn called the meeting to order. At this meeting we elected our officers for the coming year. They are: Ray Durn, president; Eugine Terbizan, vice-president; Josephine Gorjanc, secretary; Dorothy Ogrinc, treasurer; Tony Smith, captain of baseball team; Olga Zaubi, Florence Durn and Stanley Jankovich, publicity committee; Frank Gorjanc, sergeant-at-arms. After the meeting we had a Christmas party together with Circle No. 13. Mrs. Anne Medvešek, adviser of the latter, also was present at the party. We received free of charge five cases of pop from the Double Eagle Bottling Co. We also had plenty of cakes, cookies, candy canes, ice cream, etc.; in fact, so much of everything that we couldn’t eat it all. For entertainment we played games and later on danced to the music of a good accordionist, and boy, did we go to town! In other words, this party was a grand success. I should like to thank the food and entertainment committees, also the persons who brought cakes, cookies and other goodies, not forgetting Joe Stru-kel, our happy-go-lucky member who nominated himself the official bartender, and everyone else who helped. Our circle wishes all the juvenile members of the SNPJ and the editor of the M. L. much happiness during the coming year. STANLEY JANKOVICH, 14306 Sylvia ave., Cleveland, Ohio. * Circle 13 Plans Program CLEVELAND, 0.—Hello, circle members everywhere! This is Circle No. 13 of Lodge No. 5 speaking. Circles 13 and 5 had a combined Christmas party on Dec. 23 at the SDD on Waterloo rd. Before the party we had two meetings and laid plans. We gathered at the SND on St. Clair ave. at seven in the evening and then our Adviser Ann Medvešek drove us to the party. We were dancing, playing games, and for refreshments we had cakes, cookies, candy canes, ice cream and pop. At our January meeting we are going to discuss plans for a play which will be presented on March 19 for the 35th anniversary of Lodge Naprej No. 5 SNPJ. Parts will be given out then and a complete program prepared. Where there is cooperation, there is unity, and where there is unity, there is success. DANIELA SLABE, Rec. Sec., Circle 13, 9503 Columbia ave., Cleveland, Ohio. * Voice From Circle No. 1 WALSENBURG, COLO.—We are very proud of the fact that our Juvenile Circle was the first to be organized. We owe our success to our Adviser Edward Tomsic. Since our circle was the first to be organized, we’ve named it the Walsenburg Pioneers. We elected new officers at our last meeting. We wish to express our thanks to our Senior Lodge who made possible our Juvenile Christmas party. We gave a program—two plays and other numbers, after which Old Santa appeared on the scene and passed out nuts and candy. We also received soda, pop, oranges, and sandwiches. After, a dance was held and many participated in it. Everyone was in the best of spirits and had a good time. I hope more members would attend our meetings. We have over one hundred and fifty members, but only about twenty members come to our meetings. Let’s have a greater attendance this year. VICTOR TOMSIC, 837 W. 7th st., Walsenburg, Colorado. * Likes Circle Meetings MULBERRY, KANSAS.—Our “Jolly Kansans” Circle No. 11 was organized last October. I was present at that first meeting and we all had a very good time. Ice cream and pop were on the menu. They were singing and playing. At this meeting it was decided to hold our first picnic on Novak’s farm. We had lots of fun roasting marshmallows, and we had our pictures taken. Our second meeting was held in Franklin on Nov. 6, and again we had a good time. Our third meeting took place on Dec. 4 at Breezy Hill, in my home town where I was born (June 13, 1928). I live a block and a half from my one-room school which used to be a four-room school with four teachers. Now there is only one teacher and 16 children. I will write more next time. Best wishes to all. CARL ULEPICH, Lodge 65, R. R. No. 1, Mulberry, Kans. * The Voice of a “ W. Va. SNPJer" PIERCE, W. VA.—On Dec. 11, the “West Virginia SNPJers” held their annual meeting and elected the following officers for the coming year: Ernest Selak, president; Frances Komac, vice-president; Helen Vidmar, secretary; Frances Bozic, rec. secretary. Our Manager or Adviser, again is Bro. George Beline. At the present time we have 88 members and are still working hard to get more. Thanks to our Adviser George Beline who has done so much for us. I am sorry no one wrote to the Mladinski List before, giving the names of our officers and the manager. If I am not mistaken, Lodge 29 of Thomas, W. Va., was the first to have organized a juvenile circle. This circle was organized on August 8, 1937, and so we were the first to have a juvenile circle, but our name was never mentioned in the Prosveta or the Mladinski List. In November, we came second for having secured 16 new members. All the members were very happy, but when they saw that we were not mentioned at all since the juvenile circles were being organized, they were disappointed. They said, “We were the first to organize a juvenile circle and we never see our name anywhere —we have been forgotten.” If I am not mistaken, our circle really was the first one organized, therefore, it should be Circle No. 1. I surely am glad so many SNPJ circles have been organized throughout the country and I hope that soon there will be a juvenile circle in every state.— The “W. Va. SNPJers” were to have a Christmas party, but it had to be called off because scarlet fever was spreading in this community. But Lodge 29 had a Santa for the children and that made them very happy. Best regards to all. HELEN VIDMAR, Secretary, Box 76, Pierce, W. Va. * From Circle No. 2 CLEVELAND, O.—Our circle, Jolly Jesters, was organized by Lodge 137. At the annual meeting we elected new officers, and I was elected treasurer. (The names of our officers appear elsewhere in this column.) We are very grateful to Florence Durn of Lodge 53 for the splendid write-up she gave us in the November issue of the M. L. on our circle program participating at the 25th anniversary of the Juvenile department, held on Sept. 25, 1938. Violet Vogrin deserves the same credit for her keen thoughtfulness of our circle. On Dec. 17, we had a very successful Christmas party at which guests of Lodge 53 circle were with us. We had a wonderful tim'e and everyone received a gift and some candy. At the same time we celebrated the birthdays of our two members, Dorothy Svigel and Caroline Jerina, who received beautiful gifts from their mothers. ALMA ZAGAR, 1111 E. 66th st., Cleveland, 0. * ROSTER of JUVENILE CIRCLES AND OFFICERS Circle No. 1—Walsenburg, Colo. (299)—Joseph Strovas, President; Victor Tomsic, Vice-President; Ann Urban, Secretary; John Zorman, Treasurer. Circle No. 2—Cleveland, O. (137)— Marian Travnik, President; Sophie Kobal, Vice-President; Anna Čebulj, Secretary; Frank Chaperlo, Treasurer; Antoinette Simčič, Manager. Circle No. 3—Collinwood, O. (53)—Raymond Durn, President; Billy Zurc, Vice-President; Florence Durn, Secretary; Olga Zaubi, Treasurer.—Meetings on the Fourth Friday of every month. Circle No. 4—Milwaukee, Wis. (16, 584)—Frank Primozich, President; Leon Sagadin, Vice-President; Mary Poklar, Secretary ; Sylvia Poličnik, Treasurer.—Meetings every other Saturday at 2:00 P. M. Circle No.5—Luzerne, Pa. (204)—John Baloh, President; Carl Hodra, Vice-President; Joseph Slapar, Secretary; Mary Vozel, Recording Secretary; Frank Zupančič, Treasurer; Mary Bizjak, Manager. Circle No. 6—Cleveland, O. (312,142)—Sophie Žnidaršič, President; Dorothy Fier, Vice-President: John Spiller, Secretary; Sophie Kapel, Recording Secretary. ; John Kapel, Treasurer.— Meetings first Wed. of every month at 7:30 P. M. Circle No. 7—Girard, O. (643)—Bernice Lutz, President; Eleane Yaklevich, Vice-President; Dorothy Selak, Secretary; Junior Yaklevich, Treasurer; Fannie Milavec, Manager.—Meetings on the first Friday of every month. Circle No. 8—Euclid, O. (158, 450)—Lillian Koller, President; John Knific, Vice-President; Margaret Bucar, Secretary; Louis Janezic, Treasurer; Joseph Mekind, Recording Secretary.— Meetings on third Tuesday of every month. Circle No. 9—Crested Butte, Colo. (397)—Anna Slobodnik, President; Anna Schaeffer, Vice-President; Robert Slobodnik, Secretary, Joe Yudnich, Treasurer; Martin Težak, Manager. Circle No. 10.—Salem, O. (476)—Ava Krizay, President; Martin Omejic, Vice-President; Helen Mihevc, Secretary; Joe Kovich, Recording Secretary; Frances Mihevc, Manager; John Dermota, Assistant Manager.—Meetings on first Sunday of each month. Circle No. 11—Girard, Kans.—Henry Jelovchan, President; Mary Nolimal, Vice-President; Olga Knapich, Secretary; Mary Shular, Manager. Circle No. 12—Cleveland, O. (126)—Frank Peternel, President; Josephine Jersin, Vice-President; Irma Juretic, Secretary; Josephine Cukojne, Treasurer.—Meetings every 2nd Friday of the month at 7 P. M. Circle No. 13—Cleveland, O. (5)—Frank Kranjčevič, President, Alice Popotnik, Vice-President; Angeline Bratovich, Secretary ; Daniela Slabe, Recording Secretary; Joseph Krancevic, Treasurer; Ann Medvešek, Manager.—Meetings every second Saturday in the month at 2:00 P. M., in Room 3 of the Slo« vene Auditorium. Circle No. 14—Braddock, Pa. (300)—Antoinette Chesnick, President; John Rednak, Vice-President; Peter Sedmak, Secretary ; Louis Karish, Treasurer; Frances Martakus, Manager. Circle No. 15—Verona, Pa. (216, 680)-—Ernest Krulac, President; Tony Doles, Vice-President; Matilda Doles, Secretary; Margaret Ziberg, Treasurer; Catherine Zolet, Manager.—Meetings every fourth Friday of each month. Circle No. 16—Thomas W. Va.—Ernest Selak, President, Frances Komac, Vice-President; Helen Vidmar, Secretary; Frances Božič, Recording Secretary; Jennie Vidmar, Treasurer; George Beline, Manager. IMPORTANT!—Omission of the names of any officers in the above Roster, especially the names of the Circle Manager (Adviser or Administrator), many of which are missing, means that the names were not reported. Please report the name of the Manager (Adviser or Administrator) of the Circle where it is missing. It is very important to have the Manager’s name in this Roster. Report any correction to Vincent Cainkar, General Director of Juvenile Circles, 2657 So. Lawndale Ave., Chicago, 111. Impulse By Steven Kerro, Seanor, Pa. Impulse is a funny thing; It works when you will eat; It comes upon you when you sing, Or when you rest your feet. When you are toiling or at play, It brings a thought anew Of something dear that went astray Or something new to do. But you must act right there and then, To profit by its call; For just as sure as you will ken— It lingers not at all. MLADINSKI LIST 15 Su-Lin the Greatest Favorite of Them All Here she is, boys and girls! Su-Lin! Su-Lin “lives” again just as you see her in this picture in the Chicago Field Museum. All of you, no doubt, know that Su-Lin was the first giant panda in captivity. Mrs. Harkness captured her in China when she was but six weeks old and brought her to Chicago. She was placed in the Brookfield Zoo. Mr. Harte, of the Field Museum, says: “In all the history of zoos, museums, and circuses, probably no animal ever received such extensive and prolonged public attention at Sun-Lin. The nearest approach was, most likely, Barnum’s elephant, “Jumbo,” but he must now be considered a poor second in popularity.” While Su-Lin was in Brookfield Zoo, she was the greatest delight to all the visitors. Every day, at certain specified hours, she was allowed to come outdoors, where she played and tumbled just like a great big live teddy bear. Visitors stood by the hours to watch her antics. Then on April 1 of last year, she died. It was, to thousands of people, as though a human friend had died. But the Field Mus'eum acquired her, and through Courtesy Chicago Field Museum the greatest care of the taxidermist, Mr. Albrecht, has placed her into a permanent exhibit. Perhaps you are interested in knowing just how such an animal is prepared for exhibit. There is no such thing as merely “stuffing” it. Here are some of the steps that have to be taken: First, a death mask and plaster mold were made direct from the carcass. Then a framework skeleton and clay model were made by sculptural methods, using photographs from Su-Lin’s life to get a suitable pose. From the clay model, new plaster molds were made, and in these was built up a manikin made up of several layers of glued burlap, plaster, and other materials. The various parts of this manikin were fitted together, and the outside plaster molds broken away. The manikin was then shellacked and the skin of iSu-Lin mounted upon it. Before this could be done, there was also tanning, trimming, and drying of the skin, besides much other work. You may be interested in knowing that after Su-Lin’s death, the Brookfield Zoo still had another baby giant panda—Mei-Mei. She had been acquired as a playmate to Su-Lin, but Su-Lin died soon after Mei-Mei had been captured, also by Mrs. Harkness. Mei-Mei looks very much like Su-Lin, and is also the attraction of the zoo at the present time. But, of course, Su-Lin was the very first in captivity anywhere and that accounts for her tremendous popularity.—M. J. 16 MLADINSKI LIST OUR SCHOOL Steelworker after work mini i n n n An Original Drawing by L. Garm, 994 Stambough Ave., Sharon, Pa. L. Garm, who submitted the original drawing in this issue, says he has a hobby of collecting match folders from all over the United States. Some day he hopes to have them from all over the world. WHAT DOES JUVENILE MEMBERSHIP MEAN TO THE SNPJ? I am going to give a few values of Juvenile Membership to our large, Slovene organization, the Slovene National Benefit Society. Of what value are we youngsters to the SNPJ? In my personal opinion I would say, we are to the SNPJ, what the spring is to the year. Everything comes to life: warmth, sunshine, trees growing, grass turning green, cattle grazing in the mountains, and the dear little children who had been waiting for spring are outdoors with the birds at last and happy smiles on their faces. This is only a new life and future. What would any organization be if it had a group of older members but no young members? It would simply be an organization without a future! Many years ago, your father, mother, aunts, and other relatives as well as mine, came from Europe from many parts they do not come any more. If they do, there are a very few. The doors are shut at last to the immigrants and we children of the second generation of the SLOVENES, are the only members available. We, all members of the different juvenile circles, should follow the footsteps of our fathers, mothers and relatives. If this organization was good enough for our dear parents, we can make it even better for us. We must act soon and awaken our will power and as I stated previously: the work of to-morrow falls on the new members, but the work of to-day falls on us. The SNPJ is my favorite organization. I am ready to boost our society today, tomorrow, every day, and anywhere. We, the young members are the new blood injected into our society. We are the same as the spring, full of power and ambition. And when we become older, we will carry on the work of our organization. Perhaps we will try and make some changes or improvements, too, but nevertheless we will be the members, officers, organizers, builders and also directors in the future work, life, power, and glory of the SNPJ. We are like the seed that is planted in the fall in carefully prepared soil. At last it’s decided that it’s high time to do the planting now for the future of the SNPJ, or else leave the land lie barren and idle without consideration of future crops. It can be seen that our seed has been planted and at last the soil is filled with many new ideas and we are working harder to make it still a ibigger and better society for the younger generation. This is the estimation of the value of Juvenile membership to the SNPJ. OLGA KNAPICH (age 16) R.R. 3, Box 714, Girard, Kans. Lodge 225. A sum of not more than $200.00 is available for the SNPJ juvenile members who will, in 1939, contribute to the Mladinski List: 1.) The best letters, according to quality as judged by the Editor, on the subjects of our Society (including Juvenile Circles), freethought, labor unions, social justice and hobbies; 2) The best letters, according to quality as judged by the Editor, dealing with the most unusual experience of the writer; 3) The best original drawings (in India ink) on any subject deemed acceptable by the Mladinski List (such as cross-word puzzles, cartoons, games, etc.). Every month, beginning with this issue, the best letter of those deserving awards in each division or one drawing will be published on this page. (Others, also deserving awards, will be published elsewhere.) The awards, based on the quality of material received, will be distributed twice a year—at the end of each six months. The number and size of awards for each six-month period will depend on the number of qualified letters and drawings contributed. RULES: 1) Every contributor must be a member of the SNPJ Juvenile Department. 2) State your age and lodge number of the SNPJ lodge to which you belong. 3) PJvery contribution must be signed by either parent. 4) Every contribution must be in the hands of the Editor by the first of the month if intended for the issue of the following month. NOTE: All work which is intended for reproduction, such as puzzles, cartoons, etc., must be in India ink or we cannot accept it. This is because the work must be sent to the engravers before it is ready for the Printery. The Solution and Winners of Twelfth Contest Lesson ENTRIES A total of 53 contest letters was received for the last contest of the year 1938. DISQUALIFIED ENTRIES A total of 13 entries was disqualified. These occurred in instances where various members of the same family submitted answers. We will admit that it is exceedingly difficult to know just how much help brothers and sisters give each other. And it was one of the errors on our part that we did not, from the beginning, allow only one prize to each family. However, for this contest those letters that bore an almost word-for-word resemblance with that of the brother’s or sister’s were disqualified. In some of these cases the direct copy was almost too evident. We regret that such instances have accurred; nevertheless, we do not .believe it is fair to award two prizes for the same work. No doubt, some errors may have been made on our part in rejecting these entries. But the similarity in the entries leads us to believe that we were not far wrong. COMMENTS ON THE CONTEST Many of our prize-winners have been very careless about securing the signature of the parents. We wish to remind you that all such cases, also, are very much evident. Some of the lower scores in this contest were due to the member’s forgetting to answer all the parts of each question. For every part of the question wrong or omitted, 1 Vz was deducted. WINNERS (Ages up to and including 12 years) Prizes of $2.00 each: VIRGINIA LEE WASHINGTON STONICH, 100%, age 10, R. R. 3, Box 135, Pueblo, Colo., Lodge 21. LEO FENDE, 97%, age 11, Channing, Mich., Lodge 438. JULIUS AMBROZICH, 97%, age 11, 2802 N. 33rd St., Milwaukee, Wis., Lodge 747. ELSIE MAE MIHELICH, 97%, age 11, 602 S. 26th St., Colorado Springs, Colo., Lodge 94. Prizes of $1.00 each: RUDY SLAVEC, 92%, age 12, Louisville, Colo., Lodge 412. (Mladinski List for December, 1938) JUSTIN MARTINČIČ, 90%, age 12, 712 Highland Ave., Canonsburg, Pa. Lodge 138. WILLIAM TOMSIC, 86%, age 12, Farr, Colo., Lodge 299. STANLEY VIDMAR, 80% age 10, 1129 S. 15th PL, Milwaukee, Wis., Lodge 16. (Ages from 13 to 16 years, inclusive.) Prizes of $2.00 each: VIDA KERNZ, 100%, age 15, West Porter St., Oglesby, 111., Lodge 95. CHARLES JENIKER, 100% age 14, 2303 Cottonwood St., Butte, Mont., Lodge 207. HELEN STRUKEL, 100%, age 15, R. R. 5, Box 111A, Springfield, 111., Lodge 567. HENRY WM. JELOVCHAN, 100%, age 15, R. F. D. No. 3, Box 1526, Girard, Kans., Lodge 225. KARL KOSIANCICH, 100%, age 16, Box 102, Klein, Mont., Lodge 132. FRANK E. JENIKER, 100%, age 15, 2303 Cottonwood St., Butte, Mont., Lodge 207. Prizes of $1.00 each: FRANK PADAR, JR., 98%, age 16, 222 Wyckoff Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y., Lodge 580. ANTONIA SPARENBLEK, 98%, age 15, 746 N. Haugh St., Indianapolis, Ind., Lodge 575. HELEN LESKOVEC, 98%, age 16, Box 202, Ches-wick, Pa., Lodge 586. FREDERICK F. TAUCHER, 97%, age 15, 317—I- St., Rock Springs, Wyo., Lodge 10. DOROTHY DOBRAUZ, 97% age 15, 3414 Sheffield Ave., Chicago, 111., Lodge 86. ELEANOR SHAFFER, 97%, age 13, Crivitz, Wis., Lodge 537. STANLEY JANKOVICH, 97%, age 16, 14306 Sylvia Ave., Cleveland, O., Lodge 147. MARY TURK, 97%,, age 16, 713 McKinley St. Elizabeth, N. J., Lodge 540. JEAN FENDE, 95%, age 15, Box 21, Channing, Mich., Lodge 438. ANTON ZUPAN, 95%, age 15, 417 Woodland Ave., Johnstown, Pa., Lodge 82. ANNA MESTEK, 95%, age 15, 638 N. 9th St., Clinton, Ind., Lodge 50. MILOTIN LAURENCIC, 95%, age 15, 973 Addison Road, Cleveland, O., Lodge 5. MILAN PUGELY, 95%, age 15, 1409 S. 56th St., West Allis, Wis., Lodge 104. JOSEPH ZUPANČIČ, 95%, age 15, 4745 Modac Way, Pittsburgh, Pa., Lodge 118. MARY AMBROŽIČ, 94%, age 16, Box 188, R. D. No. 5, Crafton Branch, Pa., Lodge 88. LOUIS EVERETT PERKOVICH, 94%, age 13, 304 East Oak St., Chisholm, Minn., Lodge 322. HELEN MATKO, 93%, age 13, 960 N. Thornton St., Aberdeen, Wash., Lodge 560. MARTIN LENICH, 92%, age 14, 700 Sandford Ave., Nokomis, 111., Lodge 209. JOHN POKLAR, JR., 91%, age 16, 613 W. Virginia St., Milwaukee, Wis., Lodge 16. ALICE (ANGELA) POPOTNIK, 91%, age 16, 6219 Carl Ave., Cleveland, O., Lodge 5. ANGIE RESNER, 88%, age 15, 309 Friant St., Grand Haven, Mich., Lodge 550. JENNIE MIKOLICH, 87%, age 16, 513 Hays St., Eveleth, Minn., Lodge 69. ANNA KAPARIC, 85%, age 13, South Brownsville, Pa., Lodge 398. ANNA LESKOSHEK, 83%, age 13, Box 157, Irwin, Pa., Lodge 63. JOHN AMBROŽIČ, 83%, age 13, R. D. No. 5, Box 188, Crafton Branch, Pa., Lodge 88. JOHN DRAGER, 82%, age 15, 528 Fairfield Ave., Johnstown, Pa., Lodge 3. ANNA CERAR, 67%, age 15, Johnstown, Iowa., Lodge 605. ANSWER TO THE DECEMBER CONTEST 1. Millions of years before any form of life existed on the Earth, it was in a state of cooling. (See Jan. 1938 issue of M. L.) 2. The proper dates for the following eras are: a. Life begins—more than 1 billion years ago. b. The coral reefs—400,000,00 years ago. 3. The Devonian forest—350,000,00 years ago. d. The fin-back and lizard-like reptiles—215,- 000,000 years ago. e. The age of flying reptiles—150,000,000 years ago. f. The Brontosarus—100,000,000 years ago. g. The North American dinosaurs—100,000,000 ago. h. The Mosasaur—90,000,000 years ago. i. The Titanotheres—30,000,000 years ago. j. Bears that were foes of prehistoric man— 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. 3. Other mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates were the forms of life that were on the earth before man. 4. The remains of the earliest plant life are more than a billion years ago. 5. We can have no trace of plant life that existed even before that time because no remains were left by which these forms might be traced. The animals that lived so very long ago left no shells or other remains by which they might be known and studied. 6. A coral is a small, primitive animal, a little more than a tube of flesh with a mouth and a crown of tentacles on its upper end. 7. The correct order of the prehistoric periods of Man, together with the dates, down to the dawn of history are: a. Chellean period, 250,000 years ago. b. Neanderthal man, 50,000 years ago. c. Aurignacian period, 35,000 years ago. d. Solutrean period, 22,000 years ago. e. Magdalenian period, 20,000 years ago. f. Azilian hunters, 12,000 years ago. g. Neolithic man, 10,000 years ago. h. Swiss Lake Dwellers (no definite date.) 8. The following statements apply to the following prehistoric men: a. “He ate his food raw.”—Chellean b. “He began art.”—Aurignacian d. “He fashioned flint spearheads.”—Solutrean e. “He learned to work with bone.”—Magda- lenian f. “He domesticated animals.”—Azilian g. “He became superstitious and believed that there were supernatural forces.”—Neolithic 9. Five ways in which the earliest race of man looked different from the human beings of to- day are: 1. His body was very hairy. 2. His neck was short and stocky. 3. He was much smaller than the race of man today. 4. His hands had fingers which looked like tthose of a monkey. 5. His jaw was like that of a wild animal which uses its teeth as fork and knife. (NOTE: Very many contestants enumerated as one of the differences: “He wore no clothing.” This, of course, cannot be considered a difference in the structure of ancient man. Present-day man is a creature without clothing also until he fashions it for himself.) 10. The correct answer is quoted from Vida Kernz’s letter, which was one of the best answers to this question: Scientists would be able to know how many years ago there were art beginnings by knowing what kinds of layers these designs are covered with, because each kind of layer belongs to a certain period or age. Scientists and geologists know to what period these layers belong. So, if a wall design were discovered, scientists would inspect the layer immediately on top of the drawing. If the layer was discovered to be 50,000 years old, they would known immediately that the drawing, too, is 50,000 years old. 11. Flint instruments, as distinguished from bone, are a kind of quartz or glass. 12. Early man became superstitious at a certain period because he began to form words. He then found that there were things that he could not explain, such as diseases, seasons, best times for planting seed, etc. Since he could not yet understand these things, he became possessed with a fear that some supernatural power is making all these changes and that this power governs all his actions. This fear will continue to have hold upon man until he will have discovered all the unknown things about nature. 13. The last of the prehistoric peoples were the Swiss Lake Dwellers. 14. (a) In the evolution of the horse, he grew from a smaller to a larger animal. 16. 17. 18. o. 3. 4. 6. 7. (b) In the evolution of Man, he also grew from a smaller to a larger man. By Nature’s family tree is meant the life relationship of all things. Every animal (or plant) belongs to a certain “family”—the members of which are all related. Why, even the cabbage, kale, and lcohl-rabi are members of the same family. Different development produced a difference in their looks, but they all sprang from the same root or branch. (For a full discussion refer to the April 1938 issue.) By the “three of life” is meant the evolution of all living things. (See your May M. L. to revive your memory on this.) a. The name of 7 authors and the months in which they were born: 1. Jack London, January Emile Zola, April Johann Wolfgang Goethe, August Fran Levstik, September Mark Twain, November Ivan Cankar, May. 2. One inventor: Elias Howe, July c. One statesman: G. Mazzini, June d. Three scientists: 1. Albert Einstein, May 2. William Harvey, April 3. Charles Darwin, February e. One musician: Joseph Haydn, March The authors of the following: 1. Abe Lincoln Grows Up, Carl Sandburg 2. Iron Heel, Jack London Audubon, Constance Rourke Our Planet the Earth, Then and Now, Kurt Weise and Lillian Rifkin Pudd’n Head Wilson, Mark Twain Martin Eden, Jack London Hunger Fighters, Paul DeKruif The quotation from Charles Darwin: ‘M‘an still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.” The quotation from Charles Steinmetz: “No evidence of proof of the existence of a God has been found.” 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 19. 20. Elucidation By Steve Kerro, Seanor, Pa. When to a small-town you will go And notice people queer Staring at you from each row Of houses in the clear, Don’t think their ways are rather strange; Don’t think you’re one to praise! For all and all within their range Is subject to this gaze. (They seldom see a face that’s new; So that is why they stare at you.) Sraka in njeni mladiči Sraka je peljala svoje mladiče na polje, da bi se učili sami iskati hrane. Toda to mladičem ni bilo po godu; rajši bi se vrnili nazaj v svoje gnezdo, zakaj mnogo udobneje je, če jim mati prinaša hrano v kljunu. “Otroci,” pravi mati sraka “dovolj veliki ste, da lahko sami skrbite za svojo hrano. Ko sem bila jaz tako velika kakor vi, sem že zdavno sama skrbela zase!” “Uh, lovec nas bo ustrelil,” so govorili mladiči. “Ne, ne,” je dejala mati, “lovec potrebuje nekaj časa, da pomeri s puško —- in če vidite, da dvigne puško imate dovolj časa, da zbežite!” “A kaj, če vzame lovec kamen in ga zažene v nas, tedaj mu ni treba meriti in mi smo izgubljeni!” “Dovolj veliki ste, da lahko pazite. In če vidite, da se lovec skloni, da bi pobral kamen, potem je treba bežati!” “A kaj, če bi imel lovec kamen že v roki in se mu tako ne bi bilo treba skloniti?” Tedaj je rekla mati: “Ho, ko tako bistro vprašujete, že vidim, da dobro opazujete. In to je glavno — in zato si tudi sami lahko poiščete hrano za svoje želodčke!” Ko je izrekla te besedea, je hitro zletela visoko v zrak in pustila mladiče na polju. In hočeš nočeš so morali sami skrbeti i za svojo hrano i za svojo življenjsko varnost . . . ORIGINAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE By Helen Sroka, Lodge 321, Warren, O. (Answers will be found in another section of the Mladinski List.) 12. Abbreviation for company DOWN 1. Cry of a sheep 2. Vase ACROSS 1. Public conveyance 4. Prefix for double 5. Went up 7. Indefinite article 8. An elongated fish 9. Gift to the poor 10. A bar of timber or metal extending from one support to another 3. Adverb 4. To think 6. Vend 9. To feel pain 10. Note of the scale 11. Negative answer They Passed the Test (A Play in Two Scenes) By Mary Jugg SCENE 1 (Outdoors. The stage is empty as the play begins. From the right, ERIC, an energetic athletic lad strides upon the scene. As he approaches center, he hesitates and looks back. He speaks loudly.) ERIC: Come on, gang. (Pauses.) Come on. Get a move on you. OWEN (breathlessly): Here I am, Eric. Gosh, I’m all outa wind. (Motions to group offstage.) Hey, hurry, fellows. We ain’t got all day—er—all night. ERIC: What’s keeping them? OWEN: They got started on the “Lone Ranger.” “Nels” is the only one that went to show last night, so he’s telling ’em what happened next. ERIC (contemptously): “Lone Ranger!” Fine thing for a gang of Young Crusaders to worry themselves about! OWEN: Yeh. (Pointing) Look! Look at Perry. He’s all ears. He’ll get trampled down by those big guys. (After a moment, impatiently.) Hey, hurry up! (There is a loud commotion off right as a group of boys of various ages and descriptions tumble upon the scene. Before the commanding presence of Eric, they come to a halt and become more or less attentive.) ERIC (Looking over the group) : All here? All right. Now listen, gang. PERRY (quickly): Where we goin’ ? NELSON (lays his hand on Perry’s head) : Pipe down, Perry. ERIC: We got a duty to perform and we’re ready to do it. Right? ((There are shouts of “You said it!” “Righto!” “Sure!”) ERIC (continuing): And we go forward to our duty as one man! (Again there are shouts of “Hurray!” “Bravo!” “Now you’re talkin’.”) ERIC (becoming louder and more eloquent) : All together, now. What is it the Young Crusaders stand for? (There is a sudden silence. The boys look from one to the other, uneasily. The situa- tion threatens to provoke laughter if it were not for the restraining glance of Eric.) ERIC: Well, say something! PERRY (weakly): Where we goin’? (The group laughs. ERIC (enraged) : Shut up, Perry! (Assuming a more natural tone) Now, for the last time: What was the first young people’s group to be organized in this town? ALL in unison: The Crusaders! PERRY: What for? ERIC: Shut up! (He continues slowly and impressively, giving much weight to each word.) All right. The Young Crusaders! We were growing into a big organization. We were here by right. And all of a sudden, what happens? There’s a bunch of kids got together and formed another organization. A “Juvenile Circle” or something, they call it. They— NELSON (interrupting) : Well, I heard— ERIC (quickly): Pipe down, Nels. Now remember. We were the first; we were the biggest— NELSON: Well, why can’t I say what I was gonna say? ERIC: I said “Quiet!” (Nelson walks towards the back and sits down with an “Aw, gee whiz! A guy don’t get a chance to say anything!”) We were the first; we were the biggest; we belong here. We are the Young Crusaders. We defend the rights of our Constitution ! We will have no competition. We cannot afford to have competition! We are here to make sure that there will be no competition! WAYNE: Yeh. But what can we do? ERIC: “What can we do ?” We can see to it that there will be no other organization —no Juvenile Circle! We’re out to break it up! They’re holding a meeting tonight, and we’re going to break it up! CHORUS of voices: How? How are we going to do it? ERIC: Right now we are on our way to their meeting. When we get there, we will demand admittance. WAYNE: Yes. But let’s act like gentlemen ! ERIC: We’ll act like gentlemen. From the first, anyway. But if they won’t let us in, then we’ll force our way in! CLINTON (warning) : We’re going to get in trouble! ERIC: We can’t get into trouble. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? To protect our rights. To see that nobody makes it harder for our organization to exist. And there isn’t room in this town for two organizations. No one else has any right to hold meetings but us! WAYNE: That’s not in the Constitution! ERIC: It’s in our constitution! Come on, fellows, let’s get going! And remember: we go as one body; we were the first and biggest club in this town; we don’t want any competition; it’s our duty to make everyone join the Young Crusaders. PERRY (simpering): I don’t wanna go! I’m afraid! (A group of boys lead him along with expressions of “Don’t be a cry baby!” “Aw, grow up, Perry!” He goes unwillingly. Nelson follows, sulking. They exit.) SCENE 2 (A meeting of the Juvenile Circle. The chairman, secretary and recording secretary sit at a table, front. The sergeant-at-arms is on duty. The meeting has been in progress for some time, and the members sit attentively.) CHAIRMAN: All those in favor say “Aye!” MEMBERS: “Aye!” CHAIRMAN: All those opposed say “Nay!” (Silence) The “Ayes” are in the majority, and the motion is so carried. Is there any other business before the house? (Winona raises her hand.) WINONA: I have been thinking about the secretary of the senior lodge. He is always willing to help us out. Whenever we have a party or a picnic, he lets us have free use of his car and even takes time off to take us. I think our Circle should send him a nice card of thanks. I make a motion to that effect. EDMUND: I second that motion. CHAIRMAN: You have heard the motion. Any discussion? (Voices of “No! No! Question!”) All those in favor say “Aye!” (There is a unison of “Aye! Aye!”) CHAIRMAN: The motion is unanimously carried, and the secretary will secure a card of thanks and send'it to the secretary of the senior lodge. Is there any other new business to come before the house? OTIS: I have been thinking about some of the activities of our Circle. Last year we had a baseball team and during the winter we had basketball. But that seems to be going rather strong on sports. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to form some sort of chorus? Most of us sing in glee clubs in school, and so we know something about music. Then we could put on entertainments for the members of the senior lodge. CHAIRMAN: You have heard the suggestion made by Otis. Is there any discussion? (Katherine raises her hand.) Yes, Katherine? KATHERINE: I think Otis has a grand idea. We could learn Slovene songs. We learn only English in school. I think it would be lots of fun to learn Slovene songs. CHAIRMAN: Any other ideas ? (At that moment there is a loud knocking at the door. The sergeant-at-arms quickly rises and goes out to see who is making the noise. All eyes are turned towards the door, and as he is gone slightly longer than they had expected, the members become restless.) CHAIRMAN (rapping with gavel): Order! Order! Our sergeant-at-arms will make his report shortly. (From the outside of the door loud voices are heard. There is excitement among the members.) SERGEANT-AT-ARMS (entering): Brother Chairman, it’s the Young Crusaders! (A shudder runs through the members.) CHAIRMAN: Bid them welcome and ask them to enter. HENRY (jumping up and protesting loudly): Brother Chairman, I object! They’re here to break up our meeting! Eric Snyder is their leader! I know him! (A number of excited voices shout: “We don’t want them in!” “Let them stay out!” “We don’t want them!”) CHAIRMAN (rapping gavel) : Sergeant-at-arms, I repeat: Let them enter! (The sergeant opens the door to admit Eric and his group.) CHAIRMAN: Welcome to our meeting. Won’t you be seated? (There is some shuffling and disturbance while the group finds places. After a moment, there is a reasonable amount of quiet, and the chairman resumes.) We will suspend the business of our meeting while we learn the mission of our visitors. Is there a spokesman among you? ERIC (rising): There is.—President of the Juvenile Circle, we are the Young Crusaders. We have been organized in this town for almost four years. We are proud of our organization. We want it to prosper. But that is impossible as long as we have competition. We feel that this town is too small to have two organizations. And so we are asking you to disband. We do not believe you should be allowed to hold meetings. HENRY (raising his hand) : Mr. Chairman! (He gets recognition.) Ask them what their purpose is. OWEN: Our purpose is to defend the Constitution ! HENRY (still standing): But we defend the Constitution, too! (There is general amazement among the members of the Young Crusaders at this remark. There is so much interruption that the Chairman must resort to his gavel once more to secure silence.) CLINTON (contradicting) : Your purpose is to defend your Society—The Slovene National Benefit Society. HENRY: Yes. But we govern ourselves strictly according to the teachings of our Constitution. We believe and practice everything it says. OWEN (interrupting): Meaning what? HENRY: Meaning that we allow each member to speak what he wishes. Each member speaks and each member votes. That’s how we practice Democracy! PERRY (enthusiastically): Hurray! ERIC: Hush up, Perry! You have nothing to say here! CHAIRMAN: It is our desire to hear Perry speak. We believe he has as much right as anyone else. PERRY (arising, meekly): You mean—you mean you let everyone talk that wants to? CHAIRMAN: Everyone that has something to say of interest to the whole group. PERRY: Gosh! What else does your organization do? CHAIRMAN: Our Juvenile Circle holds parties, programs, and makes trips to interesting places together. We make it a practice always to respect every individual—no matter what nationality or race he belongs to. We believe there is good in everyone. We give everyone a chance to show the good that is in him. ERIC: You’re parroting us! CHAIRMAN: Exactly. But we have gone one step ahead of you. When you burst in here telling us we can’t hold meetings you have betrayed your organization! (The members of the Young Crusaders are aroused. “Betrayed!” “We have betrayed?” “Impossible!”) ERIC: How? Whats the “one step ahead”? CHAIRMAN: You have come here telling us we can’t hold meetings. That’s against the Constitution! It’s against the Constitution of these United States. ERIC: It’s not true! OWEN: Prove it to us! WAYNE: It can’t be true! CHAIRMAN: It is true. Because our very Constitution gives us the right to hold meetings! HENRY (excitedly): That’s right! In the first article of the Bill of Rights! “The right of the people to assemble peaceably”—that’s what it says! PERRY: They’re right! It does say that! CHAIRMAN (continuing) : And here is the test for you! If you believe in what you say, you’ll prove it. The way to prove it is not to disturb us when we “assemble peaceably.” WAYNE: Don’t let them talk you out of it, Eric! NELSON: Say, you people have the right idea! It’s true, Eric, what they say! It’s true! WAYNE: It’s not the right idea! Suppose a group is plotting to overthrow the Constitution. Should we let them get away with it? OWEN: No! No! (He is followed by others who shout “NO!”) HENRY: If they are meeting “peaceably" you can’t do anything about it! WAYNE: You can, too! You can break it up! HENRY: Where will that get you ? PERRY: In the hoosegow. HENRY: You’re right. And suppose you’re all battered up from having been in the scuffle, will that help you—or anyone else? And will that keep those people from meeting again in a different place ? CHAIRMAN: Henry has the right idea. If people are spreading ideas that you think are wrong, you should make yours so much stronger and more convincing. If you are too weak to do that, then you shouldn’t yelp when someone else has taken advantage of you. Fighting by force is not civilized! It is not educated ! MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE! That’s right! He’s right! Hurray for our chairman! ERIC (rising): Well, fellows, let’s go. We’ve no time for bickering. It’s not worth it —arguing with them. PERRY: Yes, but I want to stay. I w'ant to stay and learn more about this “Circle.” I want to learn how to become its member. NELSON: Those are my sentiments, too. CHAIRMAN: Young Crusaders, we invite you to stay. We promise to respect you as a group and as individuals. There will be refreshments after the meeting, and you’re welcome. ERIC (impatiently): Come on, fellows! (Eric’s followers are hesitant. Perry and Nelson lead the remarks of “We’re staying!” Eric glares at them with an “You’ll be sorry!” and leaves in a huff. A small number follow him; the majority remain.) CHAIRMAN (rapping the gavel): Let’s pull ourselves together. The Young Crusaders have every right to hold their meetings in their own way. We’ll continue with ours. If We gain more members, we’ll call it the result of “fair competition.” HENRY (interrupting): And we’ll call it “making our ideas stronger and more convincing.” We’ve passed the test! Hurray! We’ve passed the test! (Voices shout “Righto! Righto!”) CHAIRMAN (raps with gavel): All right. We’ll proceed with the meeting. What is the next order of business? (A number of hands are raised, as the Curtain falls.) * PRODUCTION NOTE: As many characters as desired may be used in this playlet. Scene 1 may be played before the Curtain* which is lowered so as to permit the stage to/ be in readiness for Scene 2.) Prosim! Hvala! “Mama, kos kruha mi daj!” “Ne razumem, Peter!” “Mama, rad bi imel kos kruha!” “Se vedno ne razumem!” “Mama, prosim za košček kruha!” “Zdaj pa razumem. Na, vzemi!” “Hvala, mama!” —Naš rod. Pesem o črvu Leze črviček, leze čez pot, rad bi se malo sprehodil, pa prikorakal je mimo gospod in ga je s čevljem pohodil. —Zdravko Ocvirk v Našem rodu. Uganke za cicibančke Bela hišica stoji, nima vrat in oken ni, če hoče kdo iz nje po sveti, pa mora skozi okno vdreti. (•}[93fBf ) Zakaj skače vrabček čez plot? (•UBj^s ogn.xp uu [0St.id iq uq) Kako bi “zmrznjena voda” zapisal s tremi črkami? (•paq) Več ko dobi, bolj je lačen, ko pa vse požre, umre! (•ru9S0) —Iz NašegA roda. JUMBO CROSSWORD PUZZLE By Charles A. LaSaker, SNPJ Lodge 69, Eveleth, Minn. (Answers will be found in another section of this M. L.) ACROSS 1. A body of men summoned by by a sheriff to assist in enforcing the law 5. To doze 8. Roman weight, about half an ounce 10. A conjunction 12. Celestial body visible as light 14. Works Progress Administration 16. Ache 17. Mother (in short) 18. United States Navy (abbr.) 19. Railway (abbr.) 20. Contraction for I am :21. A straight, slender wand 22. Italian (abbr.) 23. To perceive by the eye 24. A prefix denoting half 25. The son of a brother or sister mouth of a river 27. Deposit of sediment at the to you 31. Same as 22 across 32. A transparent body in the eye 33. A direction to cancel something in type 35. Large in size, etc. 26. Arabian 37. Electrical Engineer (abbr.) 38. Jumbled printing type 40. A separate division 45. An article 47. A web-footed animal 48. Compensate 52. Implement for washing floors 54. Unit of length and size of type used in printing 56. Greek God of love, son of Aphrodite 57. Nominative of me 58. Preposition 59. Past tense of eat 60. A man 61. To place fault 65. Aluminum 66. A iboy 67. To disconnect 69. Sister and wife of Osiris in Greek mythology 72. United States Mail (abbr.) 73. A number 75. Louisiana (abbr.) 76. Seventh note in musical scale 77. Mister (abbr.) 78. Negative answer 80. Inch (abbr.) 81. An act 82. A small point 86. A prefix meaning two-fold 87. A personal pronoun 88. Erbium 89. Egyptian God of Sun 90. Second note in musical scale 91. Glides DOWN 1. Game bird allied to quails or pheasants 2. Test of knowledge 3. Reflections 4. To admit 5. The present moment 6. One who takes part in a game 7. A stone 9. Emotional judgment 11. Identical 13. To chide 15. A prefix meaning before in time, place, or standing 26. The 16th letter of the Greek alphabet 28. Before 30. To strike lightly 33. A bank or wall to keep back a body of water 34. Before 39. A vehicle 42. Post Office (abbr.) 43. Same as 8 across 44. Dismissal 46. No (Scottish) 48. Balance 49. Epoch 51. Application to anything to a particular purpose 53. A preposition 54. Diminutive suffix 55. Skilled artisans 59. Alabama (abbr.) 61. Error 62. Three letters of your puzzler’s last name 63. Permit to enter 64. Stems to form adjective equivalent to present participle 65. A preposition 67. To unwind from a reel 68. Yellowish brown color 70. A separate article 71. Bounding of a surface 74. Printer’s unit of measure 79. In, within, or during 80. Idaho (abbr.) 83. A metal-bearing mineral 84. United States Navy (abbr.) 85. A code signal of distress MLADINSKI LIST Our Pen Pals Write EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the fact that so many letters from readers were received for this issue, it has been necessary to omit fully half of them. These will appear in the next issue of the M. L. Jean Likes Winter Dear Editor:—Since my last letter in the Mladinski List appeared, I have acquired a new Pen Pal, and I enjoy corresponding with him. I hope more Pen Pals will write to me—I promise to answer promptly. I like winter because most of our dances are held now and because I like sledriding and snow fights. Yet, I’ll be very glad when spring and summer come, “for this cold winter wind stings the toes and bites the nose.” I bet most of the readers of the M. L. have heard the joke about the man who just came from Europe and didn’t know how to speak English. He was told to go to the employment office and ask, “Mr Boss, I want a job.” But when he got to the office, he said, “Mr. Job, I want a boss.”—I wish everyone reading these lines will have lots of luck in 1939.—Jean Anzur, 720 25th st., Ambridge, Pa. * “I Forgot to Mail It’’ Dear Editor:—I am sorry I didn’t write to the M. L. for such a long time. I had a letter written and sealed ready to mail—but I forgot to mail it and then lost it.—Our Mladinski Pevski Zbor had a concert Nov. 6 at the Slovene Workmen’s Home on Waterloo rd., and Ester Negodie and I sang a duet, “Rožica.” First on the program was a play, “Neubogljenci.” I was a fairy in this play. Then followed several solos and duets, and finally the entire zbor (chorus) sang. I belong to Lodge No. 53 SNPJ, and we have a Juvenile Circle, No. 3, formed by our lodge. We are having much fun at our circle gatherings, and had a Christmas party. I hope I’ll get some new Pen Pals soon. “Come on, Ohio!”—Wilma Glazar, 434 E. 160th st., Cleveland, 0. * “Kakor bi bilo sto dolarjev” Dragi urednik!—Božični prazniki so bili za nas v decembru glavna stvar. Komaj smo čakali, kaj bomo dobili za “krizmus.” Vsem nam euclidskim “Skrjančkom” je namreč stari Miklavž obljubil, da nas obišče na božični dan v Društveni dvorani na Recher ave. Seveda je svojo besedo držal in mi smo se prav dobro imeli. Toda dnevi pred njegovim nastopom so se vlekli kot morska kača. Iskreno se želim zahvaliti SNPJ za poslani dolarček, ki sem ga bila zelo vesela, saj je pa prišel tik pred prazniki. Saj pa je bil to tudi moj prvi zaslužek. Tisti dolarček sem vedno ogledovala in pazila, da ga ne zgubim in da se ne zamaže. Zdi se mi, kakor bi bil vreden sto dolarjev. Gotovo bosta odšla že v pozabnost božič in novo leto, predno bodo te vrstice priobčene v M. L. Zato želim vsem čitateljem tega mesečnika obilo sreče v novem letu in pa mnogo veselja!—Violet Vogrin, 19515 Kildeer ave., Cleveland, O., Lodge 137. * Dear Editor:—I haven’t written to this magazine since ’way back in 1938, but I hope to write every month from now on. I am 11 years old and I am in the 4th grade. I like my teacher very much. I take M. L. to school and I let my friends read it. They all like it very much. I noticed that the January number was different and I like it because it is so interesting. I do not believe in Santa Claus (who does?) but it was lots of fun when Christmas came around. My best wishes for the new year to all.—Virginia M. Gill, Box 32, R. No. 2, Hall, W. Va. * “Mi pa drsamo po ledu . . Dragi urednik! — Danes pa bom napisal kratko pisemce po slovensko. Pri tem mi pomaga moja mama.—V decembru smo pričakovali božiča in Miklavža, ki otrokom vselej kaj prinese, ako mu starši kaj dajo. Tudi letos smo imeli božičnico v dvorani SNPJ, in vsakemu članu mladinskega oddelka SNPJ je prinesel lepo darilce. To smo bili veseli.— Well, sedaj je zima in vsak dan se grem sankat in drsat. S tem imamo otroci obilo veselja. Ta zimski šport je res lep in pa tudi zdrav, če smo siti.— Sedaj smo pred zaključkom starega leta in novo leto je že med nami. Vsem čitateljem želim obilo si’eče in veselja v letu 1939, mladinskemu oddelku SNPJ mnogo novih članov in M. L. mnogo novih čitateljev! — To je prvo moje slovensko pismo, zato upam in želim, da ga ne vržete v koš.—William Frantar, Box 336, Eveleth, Minn., član društva 69 SNPJ. * Dear Editor:—This is my second letter to the M. L. I wrote the first one a year ago, but in the future I intend to write more often. I am eight years old and am in the third grade at O. H. Perry school. I like to go to school because my teacher, Mrs. Rose Gates, is kind. Winter is here and so are the holidays which bring with them Old Santa and the New Year. Santa didn’t forget me this year either as he didn’t last year.—Dorothy Lipanye, 763 E. 185th st., Cleveland, 0. * Dear Editor:—I wish to thank the SNPJ for the prizes I won in the 1938 Our School contests. The money I received for my last contest letter I spent for Christmas gifts for my mother and father and brothers. Our circle is planning to go sled-riding at Gordon park at the first snowfall. I am very sorry I didn’t answer some of my Pen Pals yet. I wish to thank Justina Lovšin for the beautiful Christmas card she sent me. It feels good to hear that Louis A. Janezic is going to continue his articles on stamps. Come on, members of Circle No. 3! Wake up and write to the M. L.!—Stanley Jankovich, 14306 Sylvia ave., Cleveland, 0., Lodge 147. * Dear Editor:—I decided to write to this magazine every month from now on. Now we are back to school after the holiday vacation. I am a sophomore at Lake View High. It certainly was a surprise to see so many letters from Kansas and one, besides mine, from Chicago. I wish that more Chicago members would write to the M. L. Let’s put Chicago on the map! My suggestion to the M. L. is to have a camera page. Someone else suggested this already, if I am not mistaken. I know there are many members who like to take snapshots of various objects, and particularly of themselves and their friends. It would be very interesting to see just who writes to the M. L. I remain a proud member, —Dorothy Dobrauz, age 15, 3414 Sheffield ave., Chicago, 111. >1« Dragi urednik!—Zelo sem bil vesel, ker ste moj dopis tako lepo uredili. Iskrena hvala SNPJ za prejeti ček, za katerega se bi bil moral zahvaliti že prejšnji mesec, pa sem menda od samega veselja pozabil. Za tisto vsoto sem mojemu mlajšemu bratcu kupil lepo darilce in eno moji mami. Hvala tudi članicam društva št. 322 .SNPJ, ker sem tudi od njih dobil en dolar. Dobili smo tudi slaščice. Mama je rekla, da ji ata ni nič kupil, ker ne dela. Kadar se ne dela, tudi stari Miklavž nič ne prinese. Tukaj pa imamo dosti snega. To je veselje za vso otročad. Drsamo in sankamo se, da je kaj, zraven pa delamo sneženega moža. Prazniki so minili in spet hodimo v šolo.—Louis Everett Perkovich, 304 East Oak st., Chisholm, Minn. * Dear Editor:—I am sorry that this letter has to be the last one from me in the Mladinski List, because this year I am being transferred to the Adult dept. Through this magazine I received a large number of Pen Pals, most of them from Pennsylvania, others from West Virginia, Calif., Idaho, N. Mex., and Colorado. I surely hope that some day I would have the privilege of meeting these pen pals. This year I am filling a seat in the Junior Class, and my subjects are: English, Typing, Shorthand, and Spanish; my clubs are: Girls’ Glee Club, Mixed Chorus, Home Economics, Manual Training, and Foreign Correspondence. I want to thank the editor for being patient in correcting all my errors in the letters I had written in the past seven years. I hope this year brings more success to the SNPJ which greatly deserves all of it.—Julia Slavec, Box 153, Louisville, Colo. * Dear Editor:—I enjoy reading the M. L. and liked the January issue very much. My New Year’s resolution is: I resolve to continue to write a letter to the M. L. every month. I am 12 years of age and a student in the seventh grade of the public school. My hobbies are stamp collecting, roller skating and ice skating, drawing and reading. This is my first letter and I sincerely hope to see it in print. Here is a little poem about winter: “I decided to make a man from snow, as I thought my eyes began to glow, I mused, first his body and his feet, I must make him nice and neat.” I would like to have some Pen Pals and I will gladly answer all letters.—Mary Ostanek, R. D. No. 2, Forest City, Pennsylvania. * Dear Editor:—With the new year here, I am going to keep on writing. I am taking more and more interest in our Society and in the years to come I will be able to understand the true fraternalism of the SNPJ. The boys and girls who are members of our juvenile circle, will also be able to keep their own lodge, hold offices and make improvements. We have been successful in organizing the juvenile circle in the past year and now we are trying to make it better. Our Christmas party went over big and everybody had a grand time. I wish our circle will have another party in the near future.—John Zibert Jr., age 8, R.R. 3, Box 1512, Girard, Kansas, Lodge 225. * Dear Editor:—This is my second letter to the M. L. I like to draw. Santa brought me a doll and a book and some dishes at home, and at grandma’s he brought me a watch, dress, twin sweater and purse.—Georgie Marie Močivnik, Box 86, Jenny Lind, Arkansas. * Dear Editor:—When the M. L. comes, I read it from cover to cover, and that’s what I did with the January number. I like poems. I like to write letters for the M. L. For Christmas I got a dress, purse, twin sweater, stockings, etc. Elsie sent me a present and Margie sent me a card. I got more presents up at igrandma’s, and they are beautiful.— Ernestine Močivnik, P. 0. Box 86, Jenny Lind, Arkansas. * Dear Editor:—I have had a wonderful time for Chistmas and received many presents. At the Slovene hall, Mr. John Skerbetz was dressed as Old Santa. I got a Pen Pal now, Anna Marleene Pasko from Slickville, Pa. I am 12 years old. Our family belongs to Lodge 52. Best regards to everyone.—• Anna Grobin, Box 17, Broughton, Pa. * Dragi urednik!—Že spet se oglašam v M. L. Zadnjič sem omenila, kaj vse naj prinese stari Miklavž. Pa vam je res mož beseda, ta starina! Naročili smo tolstega prašiča in prinesel iga je! Pripeljal ga je Jakob Dolenc iz Libraryja. Iskrena hvala moji stari materi, ki mi je poslala dva dolarja. Dobila sem tudi dve lepi obleki in nekaj igrač. Vsem skupaj prav lepa zahvala! Tudi v Slovenski dom je prikorakal Miklavž in nam razdelil darila. Miklavža je igral moj boter John Škrbec. Prihodnjič bom kaj več napisala.—Angeline Grobin, Box 17, Broughton, Pennsylvania. Deal- Editor:—Our basketball season started in December, just as it did in most schools, I suppose. I enjoy watehing and playing basketball. We won our first game and hope to win all the rest. Our school G. A. A. (Girls’ Athletic Association) sponsored a volleyball playday. Girls from all the nearby schools came and we had a great time. Our school choir, of which I am a proud member, sponsored a singing night Dec. 18. Our choir numbers seventy members and this was our first performance.—I must tell you that I do enjoy seeing letters in the M. L. from Springfield, and since no one else writes, I have made another attempt. I wish to thank sincerely the SNPJ for the check I received. Thank you a lot!—Mildred Ovca, 1841 So. 15th st., Springfield, 111. * Dear Editor:—I was anxiously awaiting the new M. L. for 1939 and it finally came. I like it very much. In school I am very busy as I am secretary of the “4-H Club,” and sort of a secretary for the girl scouts. I served lunch to help out the P. T. A., and also helped the boy scouts out by serving in a banquet they gave for all the teachers in our county. Now we have winter and it is cold. I must tell you that I am going to write to a girl in Africa, and if she answers and tells many interesting things, I am going to send them to the M. L. My best wishes for a very happy 1939 to all.—Jean Fende, Box 21, Channing, Mich. * No Circle in Elizabeth . . ■ Dear Editor:—Here I am writing to the wonderful Mladinski List again. I just love to read this interesting magazine. I am thanking the SNPJ for the prizes I won in the contest. I will try to enter every contest this year, and I do hope they will be more interesting and not so hard. Christmas came and went, and so did the New Year. It certainly was lots of fun around Christmas time. We haven’t any juvenile circles around here, and I don’t think there will be any formed because we can’t start to form one. I would like to begin one but I don’t know if they would cooperate. (Of course they will, Mary! Just try and talk to other juvenile members in your vicinity, and also to the senior members. All beginnings seem hard at first, but once they are started, more than half of the work is done.—Ed.) So far we had some snow in Elizabeth and we enjoyed it very much. I have a few Pen Pals and hope to get more. I have written to Tony Adlesich who said that the first Pen Pal that writes to him will get a reward. I have written to him the very same minute I read his letter in the M. L. I have a number of hobbies and like them all—singing, ice skating, writing letters, playing the piano and writing to the movie stars. I am a movie fan and have many pictures sent to me from movie stars. I would like to have a M. L. movie star fan pen pal. Wouldn’t it be interesting to form a movie fan pal club? I think it would, and I would answer all the letters. Best regards and good luck to all.—Mary Turk, 713 McKinley st., Elizabeth, N. J., Lodge 540. Dear Editor:—I am a freshman in high school. On Dec. 18, the South School burned down. The school was valued at $75,000 and was insured for $28,000. This was the biggest fire we had for many years, it could be seen for many miles and many people came to see it. My brother said he was glad the school was on fire, but he didn’t like it so well after it burned down. We are having fine weather here. This is all for this time, but I’ll try to write more if I don’t fall asleep again. I haven’t written to the M. L. for a long time. I like high school work; for Christmas we had ten days’ vacation.—Martin Lenich, 700 Sandford ave., Nokomis, 111. * Dear Editor:-—It has been quite a long time since I have written to the M. L. I have been kept busy with my homework and housework, because my mother was in the hospital. Now she is home and is feeling better. We all hope she gets well soon. I want to thank the SNPJ for the check I have received for entering the contest. I go to Arsenal Jr. High school and enjoy going very much. We go swimming once a week, that is every Monday. I am a captain of a Dodge Bat Ball Team. Prom now on I’ll try to write to this wonderful magazine every month. Best regards to every member.—Sylvia Zupančič, 4745 Modor Way, Pittsburgh, Pa. * Dear Editor:—I am a regular reader of the Mladinski List, but I am sorry to say that I am no active correspondent to this interesting and educational magazine. Ever since I was able to read I made good use of the M. L., but it never occurred to me that I should spend a few minutes every month to write to this magazine. Now, however, I have decided to write to show other members that I also belong to the SNPJ. I enjoy reading about boys and girls living outside of wintry Minnesota, although I also take great interest in the letters coming from the good old Gopher State. Letters written by John Ujcich and Louis E. Perkovich should encourage many of us to take a more active part in making the M. L. a success—a larger magazine. I would enjoy having a Pen Pal about my age to drop me a letter; I promise to answer promptly.—Erna Ruparcich (16), 215 W. Tamarack st., Chisholm, Minn. * Dragi urednik!—Iskrena hvala za tako lepo urejeni dopis. Kakor vidite, res vse mine, vse odide v pozabnost. Staro leto je odšlo in se več ne vrne. Sedaj pa je nastopilo na njegovo mesto mlado, novo leto. Z novim letom je prišla tudi prava zima. Že smo mislili, da nam letos ne bo treba gorke obleke in sukenj, ker je bilo dolgo v jesen lepo in gorko vreme. Nič ne pomaga, tudi zimo moramo sprejeti, kadar nas obišče. Tako moramo tudi sprejeti dobro in slabo. A za nas otroke je vedno dobro, če smo pridni. Miklavž mi je veliko prinesel in jaz sem bil zelo vesel čez praznike, pa tudi še potem. Pozdrav čitateljem in uredniku!—Joseph Rott, 18815 Chickasaw ave., Cleveland, O. Interesting Hobbies BLOCK-PRINTING I wish to describe a hobby, Block printing, I mentioned in a previous contest letter. I have enclosed a small block that I have made and during the oncoming year I intend to submit many more. The material necessary to do Block Printing is a set of cutters (only two are vitaly necessary), some Battleship linoleum, printing ink, a sheet of smooth glass or marble, a fine paint brush and some white water color paint. I mustn’t forget the brayer or roller (as it is sometimes called). This seems to be a great deal to buy, but all of it can be bought at a cost of slightly more than a dollar. The first stage in the process is to paint the picture wanted in heavy white lines on a piece of the black paper (the same size as the block). When the picture is satisfactorily painted on the paper, paint the same picture but in reverse on the block using the white paint again. You have now completed the most difficult part of the whole process. Then with the fine tool held firmly in the hand and the block held rigidly to the table with the other, cut the white lines out of the block. It is not necessary to cut the grooves deeper than one sixteenth of an inch. Cut the wider lines out with the larger tool until all the white lines and spaces have been cut out. It requires little strength to cut out the lines but one must be careful not to slip and cut out an unwanted line and thus ruin the block. With the block completed you will want to see how it came out. Spread some printing ink out on the glass slate until it is spread evenly both on the glass and on the roller. Roll the brayer over the block until the ink is smoothed over all of it. Be careful that it doesn’t get into the cut out area. If it does, you will be obliged to wash all the ink off the block, dry it and begin inking it again. When this is done place a piece of white paper over the linoleum and without moving the sheet, rub the paper (a back of a spoon is very appropriate for this usuage) so that the sheet is attached to the block everywhere on its surface. Without sliding the paper, remove it from the block and on it, if done correctly, will be a picture exactly the same as the one you painted on the black paper. The block can be used for an unlimited number of times and if you chance to make an extra good block you might even win a prize with it in the M. L. By FRANK PADAR, JR., 222 Wyckoff Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. * BITS ABOUT STAMPS Rules for the Stamp Collectors Don’t use your fingers in handling stamps. Fingers are too clumsy. They wrinkle, soil and tear the stamps. Learn to use a stamp tweezer. You’ll find it a cinch with a little practice. Don’t sit around and wait for heaven to drop stamps into your lap. Join stamp clubs and trade your duplicates. Answer stamp ads and spend a few pennies once in a while. Take part in contests and win prizes in stamps. Don’t get your name on black lists. Be honorable. Send back approvals you do not pay for. Don’t expect service without pay. Be courteous. Always along a 3-cent stamp for reply letters. Don’t throw away stamps you can’t use. Give them away to some beginner. You’ll make him or her happy. Don’t paste your stamps down with glue, paste or sticky paper. You may want to take them off again and you will ruin them or the album. Always use stamp hinges. Don’t let folks make fun of your stamp collecting. They are only jealous and ignorant. Chances are they haven’t got a hobby themselves. You are collecting stamps, not collecting gold dust. Don’t think stamps are forgeries or fakes because they are unused. There are very few “fakes” to worry about, and very few people can tell one. Don’t throw away bad stamps until you get one to take its place. Don’t hide your stamps. Show them around. Stamp collections are to be displayed, not to be hoarded. Don’t worry about not being able to afford expensive stamps. ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD PUZZLE by Dorothy Zager ACROSS DOWN 1. VALENTINES 2. ALONE 10. LET 3. LEECH 11. ATONE 4. E T 13. TOE 5. TAMPERS 14. AMASS 6. ITAL 15. R E 7. NOSE 16. ONCE 8. ENSANGUINE 18. PLEASES 9. S E 20. BEHAVE 12. MESS 22. NIPS 13. TOBY 23. GARBAGE 15. REP 25. OMENS 17. EAGER 27. PURE 19. SIERRAS 29. VIRI 21. VANITY 30. SPIRIT 24. APPLE 32. B A L 25. OVAL 33. ULNA 26. MILL 34. ALLAY 28. E I 35. BEES 30. SUB 31. TAR 32. B A ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD PUZZLE of Helen Stroka DOWN ACROSS 1. BAA 1. BUS 2. URN 4. D I 3. S O 5. AROSE 4. DEEM 7. A N 6. SELL 8. EEL 9. A I L 9. A L M (properly 10. RAIL “alms”) 11. N 0 10. RAIL 12. C O MLADINSKI LIST Andrew’s Travel Talk Last month I left you in Havre, France. Now I will go on with my story about our automobile trip from there to Paris. We are on our way to Paris. There are five of us in our group: my mother and father, my auntie, my sister Valerie and I. We are passing through many villages and towns. Valerie likes the ride, and so do I. Now we are passing through Rouen, the largest town between Havre and Paris. We found out that it was in Rouen where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the public market. That was ’way back in 1431, they say. We are driving on and crossing the beautiful river Seine. It is interesting. Our car goes fast and we are already out in the country. I don’t like the small French towns through which we are passing. They are too close to the road and the houses all bunched together. But the country is beautiful, mostly rolling country with nice fields and herds of cattle grazing on the green pastures. Here and there we see nice country houses—we are approaching Paris! On the ship, we heard people talking about war. And so we thought we would see many soldiers everywhere. But it was not until we arrived in Paris that we saw the first French soldiers. It is eleven at night. Paris is all lit up. My parents are having a hard time finding our hotel. The policemen don’t understand us and we can’t understand them. You know, we can’t speak French. All we know in French is the word “rue,” meaning street. But that doesn’t help us at all. What to do ? A taxi finally comes to our rescue and accompanies us to our hotel—hotel Bedford. Here they speak English and we feel quite at home again. We have two nice rooms with bath. After settling down we take baths and we feel refreshed but still tired. And so we are ready to go to bed, and it was about time to go to bed. It was past midnight. The next morning we got up late. After breakfast we went out for a walk. My father is looking at a large map of Paris. We have to find the Paris Motor Club where we are to get a road map to Jugoslavia. Ah, but the place is closed. Business places are closed from 12 to 2 p. m. What now? Shall we wait? Yes, but in the meantime we’ll stroll toward the Concorde Bridge. We see many nice fountains, then we turn down on Avenue Gabriel. You know, that’s where the American Embassy has its offices. The building is surrounded by a beautiful garden. We are through with our business in the Embassy in a few minutes. The street leads into a nice park along Avenue des Champs Elysees. It’s a resting place, full of fragrant flowers and nice plants. Oh, look who comes now! My two playmates from the boat with their parents. They are nice people. They are Norwegians and are on their way to Norway, and we are going to Jugoslavia. Good-by, good-by! . . . What now? We are to stay in Paris only two days, because my Auntie is in a hurry to go to Jugoslavia as soon as possible. We go to Rue Royale, take a bus to se Paris. We haven’t been on such a bus before. It is nice. And our guide speaks English. He is showing us many points of interest, explaining this and that: “This is the famous Louvre, a big museum. Many, many years ago it was a palace of the French kings. And there is the Arch of Triumph, and there the famous Tuile-ries gardens.” My father is much more interested in these things than I. You know, I am too young to understand everything . . . And there is the Palace of Justice. That has something to do with the French revolution. Many people were beheaded there, even the queen, Marie Antoinette. And over there is the Pantheon, at first intended to be a church but the revolutionists changed it into a resting place for French immortals—great writers, scientists, artists, etc. About 50 great men are buried here, among them only one woman, the wife of the architect who built the palace. Voltaire and Victor Hugo are also among them. The front of this palace resembles the Capitol in Washington. And there is the well-known cathedral Notre Dame. It is so big and interesting. I got tired craning my neck to follow the guide’s explanations. Boy, oh boy! I have seen so many things in Paris that I’ll never forget them. But my mother says that I would appreciate all this much more if I were ten years older. I think she is right. Of course, ten years from now maybe we’ll take another trip to Europe. I hope we will. We saw other places, also the Bastille, the Eiffel Tower, etc., etc., etc. We all liked the Montmartre Hill the best because it gives you a grand view of Paris. My sister Valerie was interested in amusement parks, but my mother said we didn’t have time for that. In the evening we went window shopping. The displays are nice, just as nice as those in America. I wanted to buy a nice toy, but my daddy was of a different opinion. So—no toy for me and no amusement park for Valerie. And so my sister and I didn’t feel very igood when we left Paris and motored on to my parent’s native country—Jugoslavia. ANDREW W. FURLAN. □ JUST FOR FUN _f% K' 1. In the mountains I see a veliki hrast. Veliki hrast is: 1, large bear; 2, great oak; 3, big forest. 2. We walked and walked. Finally we came to and saw a mali potok. Mali potok is: 1, small rabbit; 2, little squirrel; 3, little brook. Rosaline was frightened and ran when she met a lev and slon. Lev and slon is: 1, lion and elephant; 2, wolf and donkey; 3, tiger and alligator. If you were given some golaž you would: 1, wear it; 2, eat it; 3, play with it. A papiga has: 1, fur; 2, feathers; 3, antlers. 6. Teta Julka is the Slovene for: 1, aunt Josephine; 2, cousin Jennie; 3, aunt Julia. 7. The real meaning of our newspaper “iProsveta” is: 1, Slovene workers’ paper; 2, Progressive Labor News; 3, Enlightenment. 8. “Kjer je vztrajnost, tam je moč” means: 1, Where there’s smoke there’s fire; 2, In persistency lies strength; 3, Might is right. 9. If you were to make a cake you would use which of the following: 1, jajce; 2, pesa; 3, maslo. 10. “Listopad” is the month of: 1, February; 2, September; 3, November. (Answers will be found on inside cover page.) By Ernestine Jugg § / VALENTINE SLOVENE QUESTION BEE 4. 5. For your sweet miss With curls so fine And eyes so blue A Valentine. Oh gracious, sir, Quick tell me, pray; You’ve made a heart What does it say? It says, “To you— My Valentine, I give my heart Won’t you be mine?” ANSWER TO CROSSWORD PUZZLE IN JAN. M. L. By Tony Adlesich, Snowball, Ark. ACROSS TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (Submitted by Mary Vidmar, Coketon, W. Va.) 1. What color is the yellow of an egg? 2. How long did the hundred year war last? 3. How much does a five cent ice cream cone cost? 4. What great American was buried in General Grant’s tomb ? 5. Who wrote Webster’s Dictionary? 6. Of what material is a cement sidewalk made ? 7. Where was the Battle of Bunker Hill? 8. What countries took part in the Spanish-American war? 1. PAIN 2. L A 5. NOW 7. EDIT 9. DOLL 11. D I E 13. A L 14. TANG DOWN 1. PAD 2. INTO 3. N 0 4. LEAD 6. WELL 8. IDEA 10. LAG 12. I T WHEN WE PLAY Compiled by Ann K. Medvešek Play gives power of restraint and self control.—BANCROFT. Marooned This game is very similar to “Musical chairs.” A circle is formed, and in the circle a large paper heart is laid in such a way that the players cannot help but step on it when marching around in a circle. It should be stressed to the players, that they must walk on the heart, and must not walk around it or jump over it. When the music starts, the players begin to walk around in a circle, and when the music stops, the one caught standing on the heart is out. This continues until but one person remains. Spinner A box of alphabet letters and a spinner is needed in this game. Each player has a turn to spin and allowed to take as many letters as the spinner designated. Of course, the letters cannot be seen, for the box is covered. The idea of this game is to build the words, “Saint Valentine.” When the player has drawn the number the spinner allows him, he may keep the letters that will help him build his words, and return the rest to the box. Initial Stunt Each player is given a piece of paper on which he is to write his initials; these initials may also represent those of some famous man like Grant or Lee. When this is done, the papers are collected, mixed up and again passed out among the players. The players are to think of some foolish stunt, the words to begin with the letters on the paper they are holding. Brief directions for the stunt are to be written down, after which the papers are again collected, and passed out to the original owners, or to the persons whose initials appear on the papers. These stunts are then carried out as directed. This is not as simple as it sounds, for example: Charles Graham, a shy and bashful boy, is demanded to carry out a “cute gesture” or Sara Burke, who has an extremely high-pitched voice, is asked to “sing bass.” Cherry Race The players are divided into two lines. The first one in each line is given one cherry which he is to carry on the back of his hand. When the signal is given, these two with the cherries on their hands race to the goal and back, and give their cherries to the next runner up who does the same thing. If the cherry falls off he must pick it up unaided. * The following are a few suggestions for a party on Washington’s Birthday. The room could be decorated with flags, hatchets, etc., and red, white and blue bunting, so as to add a patriotic touch to everything. A picture of Washington may be cut into many pieces for a puzzle. The one who succeeds in putting the picture together in the shortest time may receive a large picture of Washington for a prize. (Continued on page 32) Introducing Book Friends Reviewed by Betty Jartz Here, for the first time, is a biography of George Washington for young people which makes him a compelling and charming person as well as a great man. The author, Jeanette Eaton, has departed from the sentimental, conventional presentation of Washington. We first see him as a boy against the background of colonial Virginia, then his gradual development into the leader and moulder of his times. A youthful desire for glory and, later, a real devotion to principle pushed George Washington into activities which made him known in every colony. The story shows clearly his change from the Tory to the Revolutionary point of view. Dramatic scenes picture the highlights of the struggle against England and the critical period in which he served as our first president. Leader by Destiny treats both an individual and an era of history in a manner all the more accurate and interesting, because the book is human and unbiased. All young people may see an august, marble statue come to life. Its many pictures ai’e chiefly of the houses and landscapes and interiors closely associated with Washington’s career. Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years, in two volumes, is by no means a recent book, but I have been reading it with absorption and wonder. While we have been richer in Lincoln lore than that of other lives, there has been no book to which we could turn as we shall turn to this one on Lincoln’s birthday, and on other days. This biography of Lincoln is an extraordinary vivid and detailed account of the first 51 years of his life before he became president. Mr. Sandburg himself grew up in that section of the country where the greater part of Lincoln’s life was spent; and years of loving study of his theme have enabled him to build up the background against which Lincoln moved, and the forces that made him. In simple and homely language, at times rising to poetry, he shows Lincoln growing along with the growth of the nation. Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years is full of familiar stories in new settings; it is soaked with facts and is saturated with beauty. There are far horizons, deep meanings, and genuine surprises, written in appropriate style; the pictorial quality of the poet’s words present a clear portrait. “People joked him on being so tall. ‘You’re a man to look up to.’ In his way he belonged to the west country as Robert Burns belonged to Scotland or Hans Christian belonged to North Europe.” There are many illustrations from photographs, as well as letters, maps, cartoons, and sketches. Sandburg’s presentation of Lincoln is so complete, so excellent, that a section has been taken from this book, bound individually, and offered as ideal material to be read to, or by, all children. The title of this book is Abe Lincoln Grows Up. WHEN WE PLAY (Continued from page 31) A cherry tree may be represented by using a branch of any tree and decorating it with small candy cherries, or any kind of candy wrapped in red tissue paper and tied to the branch. The players are then blindfolded one at a time, and given a pair of scissors, and asked to cut off a cherry. To add to the fun, small paper hatchets may be hidden around the room for the players to find, as in a peanut hunt. The head of a hatchet may be drawn on a sheet which is tacked to the wall, and the players try to pin the handle in the proper place while blindfolded. “DIZZIE DOTS” YOU COMPLETE THE PICTURE Our Jungle Friends were enjoying their picnic until THIS surprise came along. . . . Let’s draw a line from dot to dot and see just what happened. ANSWERS 60. MALE 43. A S to 61. BLAME 44. REMOVAL 65. A L 46. N A Jumbo “SNPJ” Crossword I’uzzle 66. LAD 48. REMAINDER by Charles A. La Saker 67. UNATTACH 49. ERA ACROSS 69. ISIS 51. USE 1. 5. Q POSSE NAP A S A S STAR W P A PAIN M A 72. 73. TEN U S M 53. 54. O F E T 75. L A 55. MECHANICS O. 10. 12. 14'. 16. 17. 76. 77. 78. 80. 81. 82. T I M R N O I N DEED DOT 59. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. ALA BLUNDER LAS ADMIT ENT A T 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. U S N R Y I M ROD I T SEE SEMI 86. D I 67. UNREEL 87. M E 68. TAN 88. 89. E R R A 70. 71. ITEM SIDES 90. R E 74. E M 91. SLIDES 79. O N 25. NEPHEW DOWN 80. I D 27. D E L T A 1. PARTRIDGE 83. 84. 8i5. ORE U S N SOS 31. I T 2. EXAMINATION 32. LENS 3. THOUGHTS 33. DELE 4. ACKNOWLEDGE 35. GREAT 5. NOW ANSWERS ON SLOVEN 36. A R 6. PLAYER 37. E E 7. LAPIS QUESTION BEE ON “JUST 38. P I 9. SENTIMENT FOR FUN” PAGE 40. DEPARTMENT 11. SAME 1,- -2 45. A N 13. RATE 2,- -3 47. GOOSE 15. P R E 3,— -1 48. REMUNERATE 26. P I 4,— -2 52. MOP 28. ERE 5,- -2 (papiga is parrot) 54. E M 30. TAP 6.- -3 56. EROS 33. DAM 7.- -3 57. I 34. ERE 8,- -2 58. 0 F 39. CAR 9.- -1 and 3 59. ATE 42. P O 10.—3 r~~ The Slovene National Benefit Society Is Your Faithful Friend From Childhood To Old Age OUR 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 fraternal 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 AVE. CHICAGO, ILL.