Who was Goliath?

   Goliath of Gath, a champion of the Philistines, when at war with the Israelites, as recounted in I Samuel, XVII. For forty days at morning and evening this giant, whose height was "six cubits and a span," presented himself before the Israelites and dared any one among them to come forth and fight with him, but none would accept the challenge. At last Goliath is slain by the boy David, who refuses all armor and all weapons except his sling and "five smooth stones out of the brook." He goes forth trusting in the Lord who "delivered him out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear," and the stone from his sling "smote the Philistine in his forehead
and the stone sunk into his forehead," and he fell to the earth. Then David ran and stood upon the giant, took his sword and cut off his head which he carried to King Saul. The Philistines, seeing their cham¬pion dead, lost heart and took to flight. The Israelites pursued them, returning victorious.

The Middle Ages

Historians use the term 'Middle Ages' to refer to the period between the end of the Roman Empire in the AD 400s and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 1400s. At first, the Middle Ages were a time of great lawlessness in Europe. Barons built castles and terrorized the land around them, or fought each other. Kings had little power. This period is sometimes known as the 'Dark Ages'.
The Middle Ages were also the great age of chivalry. Knights were supposed to dedicate themselves to deeds of kindness and generosity, as well as courage. They wore armor to fight, and their horses were generally armored, too. There were no guns until about 1350, and bows and arrows were the main long-distance weapons. When besieging a castle, the attackers tried to shoot the defenders on the walls, and to throw up ropes with grappling irons so that they could climb the walls. The defenders responded by dropping rocks and boiling oil on their assailants.
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What is a Fresco?

   Fresco is a type of painting done on fresh plaster. The pigment is ground in water and applied to wet lime plaster, which on drying incorporates the pig¬ment in a film of crystalline carbonate of lime. The white lime is customarily used as the white pigment. Only limeproof pigments may be used, but these are exceptionally permanent. Indoor frescoes are among the best preserved of mural paintings, and in certain climates outdoor frescoes have been known to with-stand exposure remarkably well. True fresco is water-proof.
   The fresco painter, in order to visualize his work, often transfers his drawing to the wall before the application of the final coat of thin plaster (the intonoco). Only as much of the final coat of thin plaster is applied as the artist expects to cover in one day, and any unpainted portion is removed at the end of the day's work. A large fresco thus consists of a great number of small sections, often planned to co¬incide with the contours of the objects represented in order to make the joinings less conspicuous.
   The art of true fresco, or buon fresco, reached a high development in the Italian Renaissance and has seen a remarkable revival in the 20th century. Fresco secco, or painting on dry plaster with color ground in a glue medium, simulates true fresco but lacks some of its fine qualities. It has been used to retouch fresco, which otherwise does not permit of any changes when dry.
   Because of its permanence, clarity, and fine surface which does not vary or reflect light unevenly, fresco is an ideal medium for mural pairting. It is an exacting medium and demands expert craftsmanship.

Jasmine

   Jasmine, a woody climber, native to the South. The Carolina jasmine grows in rich woods from Virginia to Texas. It has shining evergreen leaves, and a wealth of bright yellow, exquisitely fragrant, handsome flowers, opening in March and April while the north is yet frost bound. The blossoms are deeply funnel shaped, with wide lobed borders. A cottage with jasmine over the door is certainly a poet-ical conception. Like our American "rob¬ín" and many other ñames of plants and animáis, jasmine is not strictly speaking a jasmine at all. A tincture of the root is used as a remedy for nervousness and spasms. An overdose produces paralysis.

Who were the Shoshone?

Chief Washakie

   North American Indian tribe speaking a language belonging to the Shoshonean branch of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic family.

   The tribe formerly lived in the mountainous lands of western Wyoming and Montana, central and Southern Idaho, and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Oregon.

   In common with their neighbors, the Bannock and the Piute, the Shoshone are often popularly designated the Snake Indians.

What is a jumping bean?

   Jumping bean is the name given to the seeds of certain Mexican shrubs. The larvae of a small gypsy moth spin their cocoons inside the seeds and cause the jumping movements. In Mexico, jumping beans are known as frijoles saltarines.

The Dark Ages

The time we call the Middle Ages lasted for 1,000 years. The first few hundred years of the Middle Ages, until about 800, are often called the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476. For some time the empire had been growing weaker. Ro¬man soldiers who were in the British Isles, northern Europe, and other faraway parts of the empire had been called back to protect Rome. Tribes of barbarians were pushing into the empire from the north and east. The barbarians proved too strong for the Romans. They swarmed over all of western Europe that had been ruled by Rome.
The barbarians were fierce, wild fighters. They plundered the palaces of the rulers of Rome. They let the famous roads that led to Rome fall into decay. The barbarians could not read or write and cared nothing at all for the learning that had come down from the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians and Greeks. Life in the lands they overran came to be not very much better than the life lived by the cave men in much earlier days. No wonder the time is called the Dark Ages.
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How does a neon sign work?

   A neon light is something like a fluorescent light. Neon signs are made of glass tubes shaped into words and decorations. When you push a button, the words light up — red, blue, green. The light seems to swirl around inside the tubes. But where does it come from? There is no wire running through the tube as there is in regular electric light bulbs.
   The light comes from a gas with which the tube is filled. When electricity goes through this gas, it glows very brightly. A gas called neon gives off a reddish glow, and that is where the name neon light came from. Other gases make lights that are blue or yellow. Yellow light in a blue glass tube looks green. The movement that you see in the tube comes from the gas swirling around.
   It takes very little electricity to make the neon tubes light up, and that is why they are used for huge signs.

What are game birds?

   People raise many birds for food. Many wild birds, too, are good food. They are called game birds. Hunting these birds is a popular sport.
   Many game birds spend most of their time on the ground. Among them are quail, grouse, and pheasant. Other game birds are water birds. Among them are wild ducks and geese.
   In the early days of America game birds were plentiful. They were killed a few at a time all year round by both white settlers and Indians. Later, hunters began killing more than they needed for themselves and selling them. Game birds began to grow scarce. Some, like the passenger pigeon, disappeared entirely.
   Then in some places people began to raise such game birds as quail and turn them loose. Laws were passed to protect game birds, too. Most of these birds can now be hunted only at certain times. The period when a certain kind of bird can be killed is called open season for that bird. Even in the open season there is a limit to the number of birds a hunter may bag. If hunters obey the laws, there should be good hunting for years to come.

Greyhound breed facts

   The greyhound is a racing and hunting dog famed for its sagacily and endurance. A medium sized dog should weigh about 65 or 70 pounds.
   In a well-bred greyhound the following characteristics are found: skull rather wide between the ears and flat on the top, with powerful though not clumsy jaws, and very strong teeth; eyes dark in color, and full of fire; ears rather small, and fine in texture; neck long and powerful (to enable it to reach its quarry); chest of fair width, extremely deep; body rather long, ex-tremely powerful especially at the loins, and slightly arched. The back ribs being short, make the body appear tucked up. The coat should be smooth, short, and glossy; gray, black, fawn, white, or brindled in color.
   A good greyhound is an affectionate animal, intelligent, and absolutely fearless. The greyhound breed has been used as a racing dog, the quarry being a mechanical rabbit that the dogs chase around a circular track

The Great Dane facts

   The Great Dane is a large dog of ancient type, formerly used as a protector of property and persons as well as a hunter.
   The great Dane is a large and powerful animal. The brindled varieties are golden yellow with black stripes; the whole-colored are various shades of fawn, blue, or black; a third combination of white with black spots is also recognized. It stands at least 30 inches high and weighs from 140 to 180 pounds. The animal has a naturally docile disposition but if uncontrolled may be savage and dangerous. It is intelligent, faithful, and devoted to its master.

   Points: Head carried high, long, and not too broad; muzzle broad, strong, and blunt; eye medium-sized with sharp expression; ears high and not too far apart, standing erect, sometimes cropped to a point; neck long and arched, free from dewlap; chest moderately broad; brisket deep; loin slightly arched; shoulders sloping; elbows well under; belly well drawn up; legs straight and muscular; second thighs long and strong; feet large, well-arched, and close; coat hard and dense; tail strong at root and ending fine, carried rather low.

Anna Freud works

  Sigmund Freud's daughter, carried on in her father's footsteps. She conducted psychoanalytic courses in London and has written several books on psychoanalysis in relation to children and education, notably Introduction to the Technic of Child Analysis (1928), and Infants Without Families (1944).
   Among Sigmund Freud's works of outstanding im¬portance, besides those previously mentioned, are: Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious (1905), Totem and Taboo (1913), The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1914), Leonardo Da Vinci (1916), Reflections on War and Death (1918), Beyond the Pleasure Principie (1922), Psychoanalytische Studien an Werken der Dichtung una Kunst (1924), The Ego and the Id (1927), Inhibition, Symptoms and Anxiety (1927), The Future of an Illusion (1928), Civilization and Its Discontents (1930), Autobiography (1935), Mases and Monotheism (1939).