Animals For Children

Bears like to swim in the rivers.

 Be sure to make plenty of noise on

 your hike.

Bear

What a big black bear

Fuzzy and shiny hair

Very tiny baby she bears

She enjoys her heir.

 Would you like to see these footprints in your garden?

Two She Bears

 “And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is nought, and the ground barren.  

  And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.  

  And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.  

  So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.  

  And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.  

  And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.”

2 Kings 2:19-24

The prophet of God, Elisha, had just seen the prophet Elijah go to heaven in a chariot in a whirlwind, so these children had heard about Elijah going to heaven and these unruly children were making fun of Elisha because he had a bald head and he had not gone to heaven with Elijah.  Now God will not let His faithful workers be treated this way without the offenders being justly punished for their wicked deeds and evil hearts and on this occasion He used the bears to do this work.  The wicked are not always so speedily punished for their actions but their is a day of judgment coming when all evil will come before the Judge of all the earth.    

  THE BEAR.

CHILDREN very often like to "play 

bear" with each other. But if a 

real, live bear should come into the 

room, I think they would not play 

long. There are several kinds of 

bears in America. The bear in the 

picture is called a black bear. He 

looks savage enough to eat anybody that 

comes in his way. But although he looks 

very savage, he will seldom attack a man 

if he can avoid it, unless he is very hungry. 

A little boy and girl were once picking 

blackberries in the woods. Their baskets 

were nearly full, but they saw some very 

nice ones by the side of a large log. Just 

as they commenced picking them, they saw 

a big black paw reach up from the other 

side of the log and pull down some of the 

blackberry bushes, so that bruin could get 

the berries to eat; for bears, like children, 

are very fond of blackberries. As soon as 

the children saw the bear, they were

 terribly frightened and dropped their

 baskets and ran for home as fast as they

 could. But did the bear run after them ? 

Oh! No. He seemed as much frightened as

 the children, and turned around and ran 

away as fast as he could, in the other 

direction.

The black tear is very fond of sleep, and 

if possible, will get away by himself and 

sleep all day. When winter comes, he hides 

himself away in some hollow tree, where he 

lives all winter in a half stupid state with- 

out food. When he goes into winter 

quarters,  he is as "fat as a bear," but 

when he comes out in the spring he is lean

 and as "hungry as a bear." He is fond of 

green corn, berries, or roots. He is also a

 great thief, and if he can find a farmer's 

sty, he is sure to carry away a pig.

 A TRUE BEAR STORY. 

MANY years ago, in the western part of the State of New York, a little orphan boy lived with his aunt, whom he dearly loved. That part of the country was then quite new, and the older settlers used to have some startling stories to tell about wild cats, panthers, and bears. 

Children are usually rather timid; and this little boy, whose name was George, because of the many stories he heard, got to be quite a coward; in fact, many persons much older than himself were troubled in the same way. 

When "little George," as he was generally called, was five or six years old, he had an adventure which he will probably never forget. His Aunt Lottie, with whom he lived, was going to spend the night at a neighbor's, who lived two miles away, if you went round the road, but by going "cross lots," and through a piece of woods, the way might be made much shorter. 

It was in the autumn, and well toward night, when Aunt Lottie and little George started across the fields. 

They sped along as fast as possible, talking briskly all the time, so it would not seem so lonely. They had gone most of the way there, and were nearly through the "big woods," when it began to grow dark. With timid steps they hurried on, hoping to get into the clearing before it was really dark. They had nearly reached the edge of the woods, and were beginning to breathe 

easier, when lo! Right by the side of the path, near the fence, which they must climb, what did little George see but a great black bear. 

Now they were in a terrible fright indeed. Little George began to cry, and wanted to go home, but his aunt told him that would not do, for the bear would run and catch them before they got a quarter of the way through the woods. She then took the little boy by the hand, and started to go round the bear, but the old fellow seemed to turn his head, and eye them so sharply that she did not dare to go any farther. So she began to call out, 

"Shoo! shoo!" as farmers talk to sheep, but the bear did not stir. She began to feel that the case was getting serious, as it grew darker all the time; and seizing a large stick, she moved a few steps toward the beast, striking the ground, and calling out as before; but there the bear staid, doing nothing but move his dark ears. Then little George got a stick too, and he and his aunt both charged upon the enemy, but still he did not stir. Finally they went up closer, striking the ground with their sticks, hoping thus to make him run; when lo! As they came near enough to see, their bear turned out to be a big black elm stump. 

A recent fire in the woods had blackened the outside of the stump, and certain little projections made the nose and ears; the rest of the picture their imagination had formed. And that was all there was to little George's black bear. 

But he learned a lesson from the adventure, and so may the children who read this story. Do not allow yourselves to be afraid to go up stairs, or down cellar, or anywhere else you are sent, lest you meet some frightful object; for nine times out of ten your "bear" will turn out like little George's big black stump.