ALPHABET OF APOTHEGMS

 

From the Illustrated Catholic Family Almanac in the mid 1800s:
ALPHABET OF APOTHEGMS
 

Avoid an angry man for awhile, a malicious one for ever.
Be attentive to the end as well as to the beginning.
Cleanliness is the elegance of the poor.
Deeds are fruits, words are but leaves.
Endeavor to be what you would appear to be.
Fetters, though made of gold, are fetters still.
Great minds have wills; others, only wishes.
He is idle who might be better employed.
If you sow iniquity, you must reap misery.
Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.
Knowledge is the treasure of the mind.
Laziness begins in cobwebs, and ends in iron chains.
Make good use of time, if you love eternity.
Neither believe rashly nor reject obstinately.
One eye-witness is better than ten hearsays.
Poverty wants some; luxury, many; avarice, all things.
Quick believers need broad shoulders.
Reckless youth makes rueful age.
Speak not at all, rather than speak ill.
The key of the day and the lock of the night is prayer.
Unmerited honors never wear well.
Virtue that parleys is near a surrender.
Write injuries in dust, but kindnesses in marble.
Youth seeks renown; old age, repose.
Zeal in a good cause is commendable.

 

 

 

 

A COLLIE'S 26-DAY VIGIL

 From QUICK News Weekly, August 4, 1952:

 

 

 

 

THE REAL BOOK CLUB

 

       In the 1950s I belonged to the Real Book Club.  Each month Garden City Books in Garden City, New York, would send the members a new book.  I never knew what subject was coming next; it was an exciting surprise; and whatever it was would become my chief interest for a month as I perused the book's pages.  

       Just now searching the internet I see that it might be possible for a collector to obtain every one of the 63 books in the series, but as of now I have only 12 of them, and enjoy reading them now as much as I did seventy years ago  In the Lund Library we have The Real Book about Airplanes, The Real Book about Amazing Animals, The Real Book about Baseball, The Real Book about Dogs, The Real Book about Easy Music-Making, The Real Book of Games, The Real Book of Jokes, The Real Book about Our National Parks, The Real Book about Pets and How to Care for Them, The Real Book about Pirates, The Real Book about Prehistoric Life, and The Real Book of Science Experiments.

       If you'd like to collect them, or just remember them, here's a list of them all: 

The Real Book about Abraham Lincoln
The Real Book about Airplanes
The Real Book about Alaska
The Real Book about Amazing Animals
The Real Book about Amazing Birds
The Real Book about Amazing Scientific Facts
The Real Book about American Tall Tales
The Real Book about Andrew Jackson
The Real Book about the Antarctic
The Real Book about Armed Forces
The Real Book about Baseball
The Real Book about Benjamin Franklin
The Real Book about Buffalo Bill
The Real Book about Bugs, Insects and Such
The Real Book about Camping
The Real Book about Canada
The Real Book about Christopher Columbus
The Real Book about Cowboys
The Real Book about Crime Detection
The Real Book about Daniel Boone
The Real Book about Dogs
The Real Book about Easy Music-Making
The Real Book about Electronics
The Real Book about Explorers
The Real Book about Famous Battles
The Real Book about Farms
The Real Book about Games
The Real Book about George Washington
The Real Book about Gold
The Real Book about Great American Journeys
The Real Book about Historic Places of America
The Real Book about Horses
The Real Book about Indians
The Real Book about Inventions
The Real Book of Jokes
The Real Book about Journalism
The Real Book about Magic
The Real Book about Making Dolls and Doll Clothes
The Real Book about Mountain Climbing
The Real Book about the Mounties
The Real Book about Our National Capital
The Real Book about Our National Parks
The Real Book about Pets
The Real Book about Photography
The Real Book about Pirates
The Real Book about Prehistoric Life
The Real Book about Real Crafts
The Real Book about Rivers
The Real Book about Robots and Thinking Machines
The Real Book of Science Experiments
The Real Book about the Sea
The Real Book about Ships
The Real Book about Space Travel
The Real Book about Spies
The Real Book about Sports
The Real Book about Stars
The Real Book about Submarines
The Real Book about the Texas Rangers
The Real Book about Trains
The Real Book about Treasure Hunting
The Real Book about the Weather
The Real Book about Whales and Whaling
The Real Book about the Wild West

 

 

 

SMOKING AND CARING FOR YOUR CORN COB PIPE

 

Tips from Missouri Meerschaum to lengthen the life of your Corn Cob Pipe and enrich your smoking experience:

How to Fill and Smoke Your Corn Cob Pipe

1.   Filling your pipe correctly is the first step in enjoying your pipe:

2.   Draw gently, in short puffs, to produce smoke and enjoy the tobacco.  Doing so will provide a cool smoke and prevent “tongue bite.”

3.   If this is a new pipe, it is important to smoke it all the way through.  As you smoke, a carbon wall is formed inside the tobacco chamber.   This carbon wall not only insulates the pipe, but also helps a pipe perform consistently.

4.   As you smoke, it is important to blow smoke back through the pipe periodically while smoking.  It not only allows for a more consistent and enjoyable smoke, but aids in keeping the pipe lit.

5.   Additionally, it is essential to use a lighting method that gives a gentle flame, such as matches, a Bic Lighter, or a Zippo.  Do not use a “torch” lighter.

Maintenance and Care of Your Pipe

1.   We advise the use of pipe cleaners when you are finished smoking your pipe; they can be especially helpful to use while smoking as well.  Removing the filter, if it has one, is essential during this process.  If you hear a gurgle while smoking, it is indicative of too much moisture in the pipe.  A clean pipe is a good-smoking pipe!

2.   Allowing all the components of the pipe to cool together will help avoid breakage during disassembly.  Hold the shank firmly while gently twisting to remove the bit, and only once the pipe has cooled.

3.  Never knock your pipe against a hard surface, but rather against something soft such as the palm of your hand.  Holding the bowl (rather than the shank) while knocking out your pipe will prevent breakage.

4.   Having more than one pipe in your smoking rotation will allow your pipes to dry and “rest.”  Dry pipes will always smoke better and last longer than wet, overworked pipes.  Reliable smoking pipes are the key to a truly excellent smoking experience.  Most pipe smokers recommend having a 7-day rotation.

Missouri Meerschaum Company

400 W. Front Street - PO Box 226 - Washington, MO 63090 

800-888-2109  -  pipes@corncobpipe.com

 

 

 

 

OF WHAT USE ARE TARANTULAS?

 

 

 OF WHAT USE ARE TARANTULAS?

The ending of The Tarantula (1958 Regents Press of Kansas) by William J. Baerg

Tarantulas, in fact all spiders, are predatory; they are also cannibalistic.  They feed on a variety of animals.  When grasshoppers are abundant, tarantulas feed largely on them.  Grasshoppers are probably the main part of the diet during the latter half of summer and fall.  Beetles, especially June bugs and May beetles, are favorites.  The remains of these are common around tarantula holes.  All of these insects are considered pests.  To the extent that tarantulas feed on such pests, they should be regarded as beneficial – as playing a part in the natural control of insect enemies.

Tarantulas really are a very interesting part of the animal life around us. Living quietly in the ground or under rocks, they cause no damage to the soil, or to plant life; they are in no way a source of annoyance.  In fact, for anybody who has the good fortune of having one or more of them living in the backyard, as several of my colleagues have, tarantulas are good neighbors.  Their longevity, especially that of the females, makes them desirable.  They stay long enough for one to become much attached to them.

When Professor Comstock of Cornell University, an eminent entomologist and a recognized authority on spiders, was asked by a visitor, “What good are spiders?” he seemed at first somewhat baffled; then he explosively replied: “What good are they?  They are damned interesting.”