The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing Part 52

Annually Mary Ann did kiss a jay, A cabby found a rough savage.

Now translate each significant into its proper value and you have the task accomplished. "Mother Day," m--3, th--l, r--4, d--l, and so on.

Learn the lines one at a time by the method of interrogatories. "Who will buy any shawl?" "Which Mrs. Day will buy a shawl?" "Is Mother Day particular about the sort of shawl she will buy?" "Has she bought a shawl?" etc., etc. Then cement the end of each line to the beginning of the next one, thus, "Shawl"--"warm garment"--"warmth"--"love"--"my love," and go on as before. Stupid as the work may seem to you, you can memorize the figures in fifteen minutes this way so that you will not forget them in fifteen years. Similarly you can take Haydn's Dictionary of Dates and turn fact after fact into nonsense lines like these which you cannot lose.

And this ought to be enough to show anybody the whole art. If you look back across the sands of time and find out that it is that ridiculous old "Thirty days hath September" which comes to you when you are trying to think of the length of October--if you can quote your old prosody,

"O datur ambiguis," etc.,

with much more certainty than you can serve up your Horace; if, in fine, jingles and alliterations, wise and otherwise, have stayed with you, while solid and serviceable information has faded away, you may be certain that here is the key to the enigma of memory.

You can apply it yourself in a hundred ways. If you wish to clinch in your mind the fact that Mr. Love lives at 485 Dearborn Street, what is more easy than to turn 485 into the word "rifle" and chain the ideas together, say thus: "Love--happiness--good time-- picnic--forest--wood--rangers--range--rifle range--rifle fine weapon--costly weapon--dearly bought--Dearborn."

Or if you wish to remember Mr. Bowman's name and you notice he has a mole on his face which is apt to attract your attention when you next see him, cement the ideas thus:

"Mole, mark, target, archer, Bowman."

MEMORY RHYMES.

The Months.

Thirty days hath September, April, June and November; All the rest have thirty-one, But February, which has twenty-eight alone.

Except in leap-year; then's the time When February's days are twenty-nine.

Birthdays.

Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for crosses, Friday for losses, Sat.u.r.day no luck at all.

The lines refer to the days of the week as birthdays. They are, in idea, the same as the more familiar lines:

Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace; Wednesday's child is merry and glad, Thursday's child is sorry and sad; Friday's child is loving and giving; Sat.u.r.day's child must work for its living; While the child that is born on the Sabbath day Is blithe and bonny and good and gay.

Short Grammar.

Three little words you often see Are Articles, a, an, and the.

A Noun's the name of any thing, As school, or garden, hoop, or swing.

Adjectives tell the kind of noun, As great, small, pretty, white, or brown.

Instead of Nouns the p.r.o.nouns stand-- His head, her face, your arm, my hand.

Verbs tell something to be done-- To read, count, laugh, sing, jump or run.

How things are done the Adverbs tell-- As slowly, quickly, ill or well.

Conjunctions join the words together-- As men and women, wind or weather.

The Preposition stands before The noun, as in or through the door.

The Interjection shows surprise-- As Oh! how pretty, Ah! how wise.

The whole are called nine parts of speech, Which reading, writing, speaking teach.

To Tell the Age of Horses.

To tell the age of any horse, Inspect the lower jaw, of course; The six front teeth the tale will tell, And every doubt and fear dispel.

Two middle "nippers" you behold Before the colt is two weeks old, Before eight weeks will two more come; Eight months the "corners" cut the gum.

The outside grooves will disappear From middle two in just one year.

In two years, from the second pair; In three, the corners, too, are bare.

At two the middle "nippers" drop; At three, the second pair can't stop.

When four years old the third pair goes; At five a full new set he shows.

The deep black spots will pa.s.s from view At six years from the middle two.

The second pair at seven years; At eight the spot each "corner" clears.

From middle "nippers" upper jaw, At nine the black spots will withdraw.

The second pair at ten are white; Eleven finds the "corners" light.

As time goes on, the hors.e.m.e.n know, The oval teeth three-sided grow; They longer get, project before, Till twenty, when we know no more.

Bees.

A swarm of bees in May Is worth a load of hay; A swarm of bees in June Is worth a silver spoon; A swarm of bees in July Is not worth a fly.

The Cuckoo.

May--sings all the day; June--changes his tune; July--prepares to fly; August--go he must.

Rules for Riding.

Keep up your head and your heart, Your hands and your heels keep down, Press your knees close to your horse's side, And your elbows close to your own.

HAPPINESS DEFINED.

Wanting nothing and knowing it.

The mental suns.h.i.+ne of content.

A "will-o'-the-wisp" which eludes us even when we grasp it.

Excelsior! The ever-retreating summit on the hill of our ambition.

The prize at the top of a greasy pole which is continually slipping from one's grasp.

The only thing a man continues to search for after he has found it.

The bull's-eye on the target at which all the human race are shooting.