Tárogató, 1941-1942 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1941-07-01 / 1-2. szám
16 TÁROGATÓ her. “That bird warns me in plenty of time, so I can sleep in peace.” Then there is “George.” A common alley cat. When his family take to their shelter under the stairs, they say. “Here George.” And faces are buried in blankets, and hands held over ears, while George takes his place under a chair. Without fail, no sooner is George settled, than a very near crash is always heard. And though the “All clear” may not have sounded, if George leaves the shelter, the family know that they can safely do so. “Harry Tate,” is a ginger cat, belonging to a little girl. It was Harry who came and woke his little mistress when an incendiary bomb had set the house on fire. Aroused, they were able to throw the sand, that is always ready in a pail, over it. Probably lives and property were saved by that animal’s instinct. Dogs, too, have contributed their share in saving life and, property in this war. Mike is an old Irish roof-spotter. He always has “Paddy,” his Irish terrier, with him on this job, for that dog always barks ahead of the explosion, giving Mike time to reach safety himself, as well as ring the warning to the people in the building he guards. “Duke” is a Great Dane, who has won a row of pots, medals, and blue ribbons, at peacetime dog shows. One night as he and his master were running to an airraid shelter, he suddenly caught hold of his master’s trouser leg, and pulled him to the ground, where he stood guard over his prostrate body. A moment later a mass of debris fell and buried the shelter and spot where they would have been but for that animal’s instinct. Hens, too, showed they sense danger, for a flock of these birds flew from their roosts, just before their houses were smashed to smithereens. The chicken farmer said the birds were safe, but some of them were so frightened that they laid an egg no bigger than a twenty-five cent-piece. Bravery, too, is a quality of animals as well as of humans. A house was bombed, but another bird sat bravely protecting her young ones, in their nest under the eaves, and remained there in spite of all the noise and the fact that practically all the wall fell around her. An A. R. P. warden, patrolling a devastated area, heard the loveliest trilling bird song among ithe debris. He called a rescue squad, who dug out seven people and a canary in a cage whose song had saved them. Another warden, after an explosion, saw a cat come out of the debris, carrying a kitten which she laid at his feet, and with a little “meow” she ran off and brought out another. In this way she saved her whole family of five. I can assure you they had the safest and most comfortable home that could be found. A little girl was grieving in the shelter because her pet mouse was left behind. She had tried to save it, but its cage was empty. What was her surprise when her little cocker spaniel came to her and laid the little damp mouse at her feet. It was quite unhurt:. The soft trained mouth of her dog had carried it safely. Is it any wonder that England has so many animal lovers? We know our dumb friends are worthy of the best we can give them. —The United Churchman. A Morning Prayer Open mine eyes that I may see how near Thou art to me. Make Thy presence, Lord, an increasing power in my life; let it become the supreme fact and favor of my daily existence. Let all my decisions — small and great — be made in Thy light. —From the Unveiled Heart by Walter James. When I made up my mind that 1 wanted to be as perfect a citizen as I could, the first thing I did was to swear off the use of all alcoholic drinks. I have been forty years at sea and in the Arctic, and I have never used alcohol, neither personally nor in my practice as a doctor. Personally, I believe there is only one glory in life anyhow, and that is to leave the world better for our having been in it, and I am absolutely certain that alcoholis drinks do not help us to do that. — The late Dr. Wilfred Grenfell of Labrador.
