MARCH 1 MARCH O March that blusters, and March that blows, And you are the pathway that leads to the rose. Birthdays: Frederic Francois Chopin, a celebrated Polish composer and pianist, born near Warsaw, Poland, March 1, 1809; died in Paris, France, October 17, 1849. William Dean Howells, an American novelist and poet, born in Martinsville, Ohio, March 1, 1837; resides in New York City. True wisdom is to know what is best worth knowing, and to do what is best worth doing.-Humphreys THE STRANGE STORY OF SAM HOUSTON WHEN Sam Houston was quite young he left home and went to live with the Cherokee Indians, one of whose chiefs adopted him for his son. He became noted as an Indian fighter, and fought bravely under General Jackson at the battle of Tallapoosa (March 24, 1814). In 1827 he was chosen governor of Tennessee, but resigned his office and went back to the Indians. In 1834 he went to Texas, then a part of Mexico, and when in 1835 the Texans began a war of independence he was made commander-in-chief of the army. He met the Mexican army under Santa Anna, the Mexican president, at the San Jacinto River, and though he had only half as many men Houston gained a splendid victory (April 21, 1836). The next day Santa Anna himself was captured, and forced to sign a treaty by which Texas was made independent. Houston was twice elected president of Texas, and ruled the country well and wisely. He made treaties with Indian tribes, brought back trade and peace with Mexico, and finally succeeded in having Texas admitted to the Union (1845). After that he was United States Senator and governor of Texas. Sing: "Hail! Columbia," and "The Flag of the Union, Forever," from Uncle Sam's School Songs. Birthdays: Sam Houston, an American soldier, born near Lexington, Va., March 2, 1793; died at Hunterville, Texas, July 25, 1863. Carl Schurz, a German-American statesman and journalist, born near Cologne, Germany, March 2, 1829; died May 14, 1906. Special Day: Anniversary of Texas independence, observed in Texas. 3 WORDS Every gentle word you say, One bright spirit brings to you. -V. B. Harrison HOW THE TELEPHONE WAS INVENTED IN A recent lecture Prof. Alexander Graham Bell is reported to have explained, as follows, how he came to invent the telephone: "My father invented a symbol by which deaf mutes could converse, and finally I invented an apparatus by which the vibrations of speech could be seen, and it turned out to be a telephone. It occurred to me to make a machine that would enable one to hear vibrations. I went to an aurist, and he advised me to take the human ear as my model. He supplied me with a dead man's ear, and with this ear I experimented, and upon applying the apparatus I found that the dead man's ear wrote down the vibrations. "I arrived at the conclusion that if I could make iron vibrate on a dead man's ear, I could make an instrument more delicate which would cause those vibrations to be heard and understood. I thought if I placed a delicate piece of steel over an electric magnet I could get a vibration, and thus the telephone was completed. The telephone arose from my attempts to teach the deaf to speak. It arose from my knowledge, not of electricity, but as a teacher of the deaf. Had I been an electrician I would not have attempted it." Birthday: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, March 3, 1847; living in Washington, D. C. 4 INAUGURATION DAY Always vote for a principle, though you vote alone, and you may cherish the sweet reflection that your vote is never lost.-John Quincy Adams HOW THE DATE WAS SET THE date of Inauguration Day was settled by the old Congress of the Confederation in 1788, when the procedure was established for the election of a President. It was decreed that the Electoral College should meet on the first Wednesday of January, the votes be counted by the House of Representatives on the first Wednesday of February. and the President be inaugurated the first Wednesday of March. The March date was the 4th. March 4 has been Inauguration Day ever since. -Our Holidays Read: "How a President Is Inaugurated," from Our Holidays: Retold from St. Nicholas. Sing: "America." Birthday: Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish soldier, who fought in the American Revolution, born in Podolia, Poland, March 4, 1748; died at Savannah, Ga., October 11, 1779. Special Day: Inauguration Day. Birthdays: Antonio Allegri Correggio, a famous Italian painter, born at Correggio, now called Reggin, Italy, in 1494; died at Correggio, March 5, 1534. Howard Pyle, an American artist and writer for young folks, born in Wilmington, Del., March 5, 1853; died in Florence, Italy, November 9, 1911. MY BOOK IS A HOUSE BY ABBIE FARWELL BROWN It's a curious house, where people dwell, You enter, if you have a key, A blazoned notice next you view, And then you find a list enrolled And then you swing door after door, About the people of the house Behind its doors years pass away, Yet when this gate is closed behind, Your hand may move the house at will, Though months and years may pass away, Read: "Sheridan's Ride," by Thomas Buchanan Read. |