Tárogató, 1944-1945 (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1944-10-01 / 4. szám
16 TÁROGATÓ opment seems to guarantee within a comparatively short time — the caribou will be its true pioneers. —Onward. THE BLESSING OF GIVING In a certain city lives a coloured man who runs a shoeshine stand. On the days when the school reports come out there is a line-up at the stand, and sometimes as many as thirty boys and girls get free shines, because their reports show Grade A instead of Grade B. This is the bootblack’s way of encouraging education. He says, “I don’t have to give away millions to get a kick out of life. I’m poor, but I can give away shoeshines, and it makes the boys and girls happy, and I am happier than any of them.” This is one bootblack’s way of encouraging education, an education which he himself never had. Surely this is one way of carrying out the Golden Rule! It does not require much money to do good, and often we can help people who do not need money so much as some other form of assistance. The hand of the lowliest may help in humble guise the child, or man, who needs just the kind of encouragement we are able to give. EIGHT THINGS By a Bishop Dr. Blunt, Bishop of Bradford, England, has been saying some blunt but very wise things in his monthly magazine. First, he says, keep in mind two slogans in these hard times: Do more than your duties. Ask less than your rights. The bishop then goes on to give six wise precepts: Try to avoid giving unnecessary trouble to public servants-Be courteous and considerate in your dealings with tramway and railway servants, shop assistants, waiters, and so on. Be thoughtful for the sick, the aged, and the busy. Do not stickle for privileges and advantages, even when you have a right to them. Practise every possible economy including economy of selfish acts and unkind words. Believe that the men at the head of affairs are trying to to their best. —Onward. BOMB BROTHERS Men from Basutoland have rendered great service to the Allied armies. How highly their fighting qualities are valued by the Eight Army was illustrated by Major Nathan in a B.B.C. short-wave talk recently. One of the first messages the Eigth Army sent after it had obtained a footing in Sicily, he said, was to the Middle East, and it said: “Please send us our Basutos.” “Our” referred to Basuto members of the Auxiliary Pioneer Corps whose splendid work helped the Eighth to keep up its historic advance from Álaméin to Tunis. Several companies of the Basutos crossed the Mediterranean and did excellent work on Sicilian of communication. Originally there had been no intention of sending them out of Africa. But their enthusiasm and eagerness, together with the urging of the Eighth Army, were too strong. Sergeant Mpete, from one of the Basuto units, said the men were anxious to get back to active service. “We belong to the Eighth Army,” he insisted, “we were bombed with them, we enjoyed the same rations, we laughed at the same jokes, we were blown up by the same mines.” The sergeant said they liked being soldiers. They didn’t want to fly and had no liking for the sea; they thought it “best to be a soldier on the ground.” He gave an interesting example of their transactions with the Arabs in the desert. “Funny thing was they would not come near us to sell their eggs. When they knew we were Basutos they were afraid and ran off. We had to put our money on a stone and then go away. After a while, the Arabs crept up and took the money, leaving eggs in exchange.” —Onward. ANIMALS PROCESS FOODS Man sometimes speaks loftily of his marvellous discoveries in the preservation of foods, but he should remember that he was not the first in this field- It is a long while since the bee first learned that a little formic acid in the honey cell would preserve it; and he learned also that wax was one of the necessary articles in conserving the summer supplies for winter use. And squirrels, for some thousands of years, have been storing nuts in dry places to preserve them from decay, so that they could secure food in winter. Even the dog buries his bones so that they will be more palatable to him when they become a little softer. -—Onward.
