[Illustration:  They Love It.]

A little later in the Game the Conversation began to Sag and it was suggested that they have Something on the Piano.  They gathered around the Stack of Music and then Vogner went into the Discard and Puccini fell to the Floor unnoticed and the Classics did not get a Hand.  But they gave a Yelp of Joy when they spotted a dear little Cantata about a Coon who earned a Razor and had trouble with his Wife.  They sang the Chorus 38 times and the Young Lady wore out both Wrists doing Rag-Time.

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Moral:  It is proper to enjoy the Cheaper Grades of Art, but they should not be formally Indorsed.

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THE ONE OR TWO POINTS OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEARNING AND LEARNING HOW

In a Red School-House back in the Web-Foot District, it was the Custom to have a Debate every Friday Afternoon.  The much-mooted Question as to which does the greater Damage, Fire or Water, had been carefully gone over by the Squabs.  Also who was the heftier Proposition, Napoleon or Washington?  But the original Stand-by was as follows:  “Resolved, that Education is better than Wealth.”

The Corporate Interests got many a Whack here in the Knowledge Works.  Most of the Children wanted to grow up and be like Galileo.  They claimed that mere Wealth could not purchase Happiness.  The only genuine Peace of Mind came from being able to call off the Geological Periods with the Eyes closed.

[Illustration:  Otis and Bradford.]

Here in this little Brain Hatchery were two Kids who were not Mates.  One was named Otis and the other was Bradford, or Brad for Short.  Otis was the Boy who took the Affirmative side on Friday Afternoon.  Ote firmly believed that Learning was the most valuable Asset that a Man could tuck away.  Brad was for the Money End of the Game, but when he got up to make his Talk his Vocabulary would become jammed up and caught crossways in the Flue and teacher would motion him back to his Seat.  Otis, however, could tell in well-chosen Phrases why the Scholar was a better and happier Man than the Millionaire and so he always received the Vote of the Judges.

Now, Brad was done up but unconvinced.  He could not stand up before the District School and tell why it was good policy to corral the Coin, but he had a secret Hunch that it would be no Disgrace for him to go out and do the best he could.  Brad had a bull-dog Jaw and large blood-shot Hands and a Neck-Band somewhat larger than his Hat-Band.  He jumped the Stockade when they started to teach him Botany.  He weighed 180 and he thought he was too large to sit around and count the Petals of the Ox-Eye Daisy when he might be out selling Lightning Rods to the Yaps and making jug-handled Contracts.  Accordingly he Dug.