Th« Barawll Ptopl»-8ed a black and unsavory reputation, attested by many references to its evil omen in Shakespeare and other writers. Among American Indians, owls, though feared at times, were in bet ted repute and were the basis of vari ous lively legends. Zuni tales include stories of one called “gray owl” that lived In a house as a man does. The Pima Indians held that at death the human spirit passeil Into the body of an owl and, to assist In thia trans migration, they gave owl feathers, kept for the purpose in a special box, to a dying person. Among the Plains Indians, the Arl- kara Included an owl group as one of their eight mystic societies, and in the sacred rites of this body they used the stuffed skin of an owl with disks of cunningly fitted buffalo horn for eyes. Owls are found throughout the world from the Arctic regions through the continents and to remote Islands in the sea. Mgre than 300 kinds are known, ranging in size from the tiny elf owls, no larger than sparrows, to the power ful horned owls and eagle owls, which are two feet or more In length. Scientifically, ail owls are Included In one order, the Strlgiformes, In which two families are recognized, one for the barn owls (Tytonidae) and the other (Strlgldae) for all other species. Regardless of their size, owls are Instantly identified by their broad faces with prominent disks of feathers about the eyes, coupled with sharp, curved beaks and claws, and long, fluffy feathers. Their nearest, rela tives are the whippoorwills, night- hawks, and goatsuckers. Formerly it was thought that owls were allied to hawks and falcons, but on careful study It was found that these two groups differ radically In structure. The resemblances are su perficial and are due to the form of the beak and claws, which have under gone similaj* development from seek ing the same kinds of foods. Other Birds Dislike Them. Most owls are nocturnal and by day sleep In caves, hollow trees, tangles of leaves, or whatever may offer pro tection. When they are found by oth- birds, there Is high excitement, Jays, cardinals, and the like gathering to scold and chatter at these enemies of the night Crows are more aggres sive and often drive the largest owls to seek more secure cover where they may avoid their cawing black tor mentors. The homes of owls are located In hollows of trees, caverns lh rocks, or in stick nests built by hawks, crows, or oilier birds. Often no nesting ma terial of any kind is used. The eggs are white, occasionally tinted with buff or pale blue, but without mark ings, and are peculiar in being usu ally elliptical or nearly round. The young are covered with white down and remain In the nest under care of the parents for a considerable time. In defense of their young, owls are often aggressive and swoop at any and all who chance to pass, sometimes with startling effect when the attack Is delivered without warning. A scien tist climbing to the nest of a great horned owl once was struck so sav agely in the back by one of the par ents that the strong talons of the bird drew blood through the heavy clothing he wore. While walking at dusk near a wood land camp In eastern Kansas, the scientist was startled by something thatV without warning, struck his bare head. The aggressor was a little screech ow*l with a family of young nearby. At other times he has had owls knock off his hat, assisted no doubt by his Involuntary flinching as the bird brushed past. In Puerto Rico, country people inform you gravely that a native owl steals the hats of per sons who walk the trails at night and carry them off to use them for nests, a superstition probably based on at tacks such as those described. Their Plumage Is Soft. All owls have soft plumage com posed of long, fluffy feathers. The wings have softened margins, so that In flight the birds move without sound, as If they were shadows. In owls, the lower leg, or tarsus, and upper surfaces of the toes, bare In most birds, are covered with feath ers, these being reduced or absent only In a few species that Inhabit warm countries. The plumage colors run usually to gray, brown, and buff, with lighter markings of buff and gray. White and black are extensive In some, but brighter colors are rare or absent. Some ~of the smaller owls have rounded markings on the back of the head, resembling eyes. In South Amer ica the country people tell you these birds have four f^yes. They can see behind ns well as ahead. The eyes of. owls are fixed so im movably in the head, where bo\h are directed forward, that the bird must change the position of the head to alter its line of vision. Though the majority of owls remain hidden in shaded, secluded places by day, there are a few that are abroad by day or by night indifferently.' This Is true of the snowy owl, which lives In summer through the long Arctic day, and of the borrowing owls of open country In the new world. The latter delights in resting in the, sun, and in broad daylight detects and watches hawks and other birds flying at such great heights that one can barely see them. What They Eat. Owls live mostly on animal food which is captured alive, except that occasionally they feed upon rabbits freshly killed by automobiles along our highways, or upon other carcases. Mice, rats, and other small mammaTh are regular prey, as are birds of vari ous species. The barred owl eats many crayfish and fish, while crabs and fish are staple foods of the fish owls of Africa and India, which have featherless legs and rough, horny-surfaced toes to as sist In capturing such slippery prey. Horned owls have been known to cap ture goldfish in ornamental pools, but this Is unusual. Owls, like hawks, tear their prey apart and swallow the pieces entire. During digestion the flesh is assimilat ed, while bones, fur, feathers, and oth er indigestible portions are formed In to compact pellets, which are regur gitated to leave the stomach empty for another meal. Such pellets accumu late about roosts and, through identifi cation of the bones contained, give a valuable Index to the food of the bird concerned. The great horned owls and snowy owls are fiercely predatory, killing rab* bits, squirrels, and other creatures of good size. The former has been known to capture and eat small owls. In the Dominican Republic was seen a bur rowing owl tearing at the body of a young bird of Its own kind which had been killed and thrown aside by some native. Occasionally wild mice Increase for various reasons until they form a veritable plague. Under such circum stances short-eared owls gather in abundance and aid In reducing the numbers of the pests. Burrowing owls feed extensively on beetles and other large Insects. IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL S UNDAY! > chool Lesson »y REV. P. B. riTZWATER. D. D. RUmbar of Faculty, Moody Blblo Inatltuto of Cblcoco. A Wostorn Nowapopor Union. ’ Lesson for May 10 EFFECTUAL PRA>f€R LESSON TEXT—Luka 11:1-14. GOLDEN TEXT—God bo merciful to me a sinner.—Luke 18:13. PRIMARY TOPIC — How Two Mob Prayed. JUNIOR TOPIC — When Prayer Changes Things. INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC—How Should I Pray? YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC—How Shall We Pray Effectively? From first to last the books of the Bible teem with the language and spirit of prayer. Prayers of every type are found In the Old Testament—per sonal confession and petition. Inter cession, and especially praise to Jeho vah voiced in private and public prayers. The present lesson offers definite instruction by a great Teacher. I. "Men Ought Always to Pray" prayer, even when we do not understand the mysteries of delay. II. The Urgent Prayer of a Widow (vv. 2-8). The picture here Is of a helpless widow who was being cheated out of her property rights, coming to a god less Judge for redress. Her only means of getting help was persistently to de clare the Justice of her claim. He com plied with her urgent request, not be cause he feared God or man, but to get rid of her. The point here Is not that God is like this unjust judge, that he can be teased Into compliance, but rather the teaching is by contrast. If through persistence the Judge yields, how much surer Is the help of a merci ful God for the elect who cry unto him day and night The believer’s prayer U to a covenant keeping God. This is why the truth concerning the coming of Christ is of such meaning. The church should pray for the fulfillment of God’s promise, and not be disheart ened and discouraged, as are some (II Pet. 3:4). Though many may despair, we should be assured that genuine faith will abide and that the divine promise concerning the coming of Christ will be fulfilled. III. The Prayer of the Proud Pharl. mo (vv. 9-12). 1. He took a striking attitude (t. 11) . The Jewish custom was to stand while praying, but the word “stood” Implies the assumption of ostentation. He was self-righteous and trusted In himself. 2. He prayed with himself (vv. 11, 12) . He was merely soliloquizing, pre tending to thank God, while really com plimenting himself. He congratulated himself upon his morality (v. 11). He claimed to thank God that he was not as other men: extortioners, adulter ers, unjust, or even as the publican standing afar off. One who has been kept from the grosser sins ought to thank God, but should not set himself above his fellow men, as though the virtue were his own. He congratulated himself for his religious merit (v. 12). He fasted twice a week and gave tithes of all he possessed. He thus Informed God that he did even more than was required. IV. The Prayer of the Humble Pub- lican (v. 13). How great the contrast In the prayer tnd spirit of the publican! He did not stand with ostentation, but for very shame could not so much as lift up his face to heaven, but snooty upon his breast, a sign of anguish and despair, and cried'“God be merciful-to-me a sinner.” That this heart-cry Is Indeed the heart of the lesson Is Indicated from the fact that It is cited as the golden text. V. Christ's Testimony (v. 14). Christ makes it unmistakably evi dent that the attitude and petition of the publican meets with his favor. Pharisees of every age, for their pride and self-righteousness are rejected of God. The spirit of the publican ex pressing Itself in the prayer of a peni tent, will today meet with the com mendation, “This man went down to bis house justified.” The believer who weighs thoughtful ly the meaning of this lesson will find much encouragement to prayer. He must be Justified, knowing his sins for given In answer to penitential prayer. He must pray in spite of a natural Im pulse to faint, to neglect the practice of prayer; he ought always to pray, and not faint A Harth Word To be silent, to suffer, to pray when we cannot act, is acceptable to God. A disappointment, a contradiction, a harsh word received and endured in his presence, Is worth more than a long prayer.—Fenelon. Ennobling Our Work Our dally life should be sanctified oy doing common things In a religious way. There Is no action so slight or so humble but it might be done to a great purpose or ennobled thereby.—G. Mac Donald. Uncommon Sense ♦ JOHN BLAKE" 83 • B«U Sradical*.—WNU S«rrto* Wars and rumors of war hare for a long time made Europe uneasy. ^ Russia and Japun Science Stays are still making on the Job face * at eacb oth er, and each of them Is getting ready for “eventu alities.” It Is not much different with some of the other countries. But the unruffled scientists proceed calmly with their job of *nalri*ig life easier and safer by land and sea. Of these scientists relatively few become prominent, but that doesn’t mean that they are not doing great and useful work, most of which is devoted to combatting Illness and increasing the span of healthy life. Today, one of the greatest of all per ils of the sea—fog—has centered the attention of this studious and keen- minded life-saving corps. Fog to the mariner, and to the sea-goers entrusted ^to his care, Is one of the greatest of perils. the mist particles stick to It. become heavy and sink, thus clearing a path through the wavea for the moving vessel. *' There Is little doubt that this de vice will be greatly Improved as fur ther experiments are conducted, and that lu time—and not a very long time—the fogs that drift across the oceans hiding ships from one another and concealing’dangerous Ice will, to a considerable extent, be cleared aSw&y. • * • Since the days of the Phoenicians, men have battled with the sea, and have often been defeated. But men through the um of science —which word means knowledga ■ have put a new weapon into the hands of the men q411 Aornid the House if A cloth dipped lu vinegar and rubbed over the kitchen stove before It Is blacked will remove all the grease that may have accumulated on it. • • • To keep celery crisp thoroughly wash It and cut for serving. Place It In a cheese-cloth bag and store It In a cold place. • * • Flannels and blankets will keep soft and white and will not shrink If washed with a tablespoon of am monla in the water. • • • Grease spots can be removed from washable materials with warm water and soap as In ordinary launderftag If care is taken to rub spot thorough ly. Soap containing naphtha or kero sene is efficient. • • • To remove soiled places on the children’s rompers and play clothes dip garments in water, sprinkle with granulated soap powder, roll up and put to soak In the bottom of tub. • • • One teaspoonful of onion juice added to each quart of potatoes gives them a different flavor. • • » Soiled white window shades may be successfully painted on one side with a coat of flat white paint and with green paint on the other side.. ® BalLSyndlcate.—WNU Service. To tho Bittor End Mr. Snap—My motto la: What la worth doing is worth doing well. Mrs. Snap—I notice that when you make a fool of yourself. Some are chosen and some are not, as you remember. And this is one of the “summer” chosen I A pretty bad pun, but this perfectly stunning spectator sports frock makes up for It. And you can wear it yourself when summer sets in If you’ll send for the pattern now. It Is surprisingly easy to make, and with the aid of the step-by-step chart, illustrating the cut and lit of the new slit sleeves and the way to pleat and stitch-up the youthful bodice, you will immediately realise bow automatically It goes together. The bodice has a lot of blouse to It, even makes you suspect that It’s held underneath by an elastic baud, and the side pleats of the skirt bar- 1 monlze beautifully with the action ' pleats In the back blouse. Barbara Bell Pattern No. 1868-B is available In sizes 14, 16, 18, 20; 40 and 42. Corresponding bust meas urements 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42. Size 16 (34) requires 4^4 yards of 39 inch material. Send fifteen cents for the pattern. The Barbara Bell Pattern Book featuring spring designs Is ready. Send fifteen cents today for your copy. Send your order to The Sewing Circle Pattern Dept., 367 W. Adams St., Chicago, 111. • Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service. King for r Day A. —What would you do If yon could be a king for one day only? B. —I would borrow so much money that I could live carefree the reet of my life. NO SUCH COURAGE