Lesson 94 Future champions
What kind of race do the children compete in?
Experiments have proved that children can be instructed in swimming at a very early age.
At a special swimming pool in Los Angeles, children become expert at holding their breath
under water even before they can walk. Babies of two months old do not appear to be
reluctant to enter the water. It is not long before they are so accustomed to swimming
that they can pick up weights from the floor of the pool. A game that is very popular with
these young swimmers is the underwater tricycle race. Tricycles are lined up on the floor
of the pool seven feet under water. The children compete against each other to reach the
other end of the pool. Many pedal their tricycles, but most of them prefer to push or
drag them. Some children can cover the whole length of the pool without coming up
for breath even once. Whether they will ever become future Olympic champions,
only time will tell. Meanwhile, they should encourage those among us who cannot
swim five yards before they are gasping for air.
Lesson 95 A fantasy
Why was the Ambassador particularly lucky?
When the Ambassador of Escalopia returned home for lunch, his wife got a shock.
He looked pale and his clothes were in a frightful state.
'What has happened?' she asked. 'How did your clothes get into such a mess?'
'A fire extinguisher, my dear,' answered the Ambassador drily. 'University students
set the Embassy on fire this morning.'
'Good heavens!' exclaimed his wife. 'And where were you at the time?'
'I was in my office as usual,' answered the Ambassador. 'The fire broke out
in the basement.I went down immediately, of course, and that fool, Horst,
aimed a fire extinguisher at me. He thought I was on fire. I must definitely get that
fellow posted.' The Ambassador's wife went on asking questions, when she suddenly
noticed a big hole in her hus band's hat.
'And how can you explain that?' she asked.
'Oh, that,' said the Ambassador. 'Someone fired a shot through my office window.
Accurate, don't you think? Fortunately, I wasn't wearing it at the time. If I had been,
I would not have been able to get home for lunch.'
Lesson 96 The dead return
What happens to the lanterns at the end of the festival?
A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful
occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are
welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey,
food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to
help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sing.
In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a
river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it.
In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets
the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over.
Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey
to the other world. This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore
watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.