The Camel

The animal called, "ship of the desert.''

       The  Camel  has  been  called  the  "ship  of  the  desert,"  and  for  a  very  good reason.  The  mighty  sandy  wastes  of  Africa  and  Asia  would  be  untraveled but  for  this  useful  creature.
       Its  stomach,  upon  which  the  life  of  the  camel  depends  during  its  long journeys,  is  constructed  in  a  wonderful  fashion.  It  contains  a  number  of  cells which  carry  a  great  quantity  of  water.  When  drinking,  the  camel  takes  in  sufficient to  fill  all  these  cells,  which  is  enough  for  a  six  or  seven  days'  journey, and  when  the  camel  gets  thirsty  it  draws  upon  this  supply.  It  is  thus  able  to live  a  week  while  crossing  the  blinding,  sandy  wastes  without  stopping  for water.  Some  naturalists  have  claimed  that  the  camel  has  never  been  wild,  for as  far  back  as  history  can  trace  it  has  always  been  in  the  service  of  man.
       In  parts  of  Arabia,  on  the  great  steppes  of  Russia,  and  the  plateau  of Central  Asia,  camels  are  sometimes  seen  in  a  wild  state,  but  they  have  probably escaped  from  some  of  the  tame herds.  An  attempt  was  once  made  to introduce  the  camel  into  the  United  States.  The  animals  were  taken  out  to Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  The  plan  was  a  failure  and  the  herd  rapidly diminished  by  decease.  A  few  of  the  beasts  escaped  and  for  years  afterward were  seen  from  time  to  time  in  various  parts  of  Arizona.
       The  Arabian  camel  has  a  single  hump,  while  the  Bactrian,  or  camel  of Asia,  has  two  humps.  These  humps  are  formed  of  fat.  The  Arabs  can  tell the  condition  of  a  camel  by  its  hump.  After  a  long  journey  it  becomes  flabby and  sometimes  disappears  altogether,  while  the  hump  of  a  camel  in  good health  should  be  firm  and  solid.  The  feet  of  the  camel  are splendidly  built for  the  work  it  has  to  do,  as  most  of  its  journeys  are  over  small,  loose  rocks and  shifting  sand.  Its  toes  are  wide  apart  and  well  padded  beneath,  so  that  it has  a  firm  foot-hold.  It  has  always  been  the  custom  to  load  the  camel  kneeling, hence  it  has  developed  a  hard,  leathery  surface  over  its  knees,  which serve  as  a  protection  against  sore  places  being  formed.  The  camel  has  been credited  with  greater  speed  than  it  really  has.  There  is  one  species  called the  "heirie,"  which  can  trot  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour  and  keep  it  up from  sunrise  to  sunset,  but  the  common  camel's  stride  is  seven  feet,  and taking  them  on  the  average  of  thirty-six  to  the minute  makes  its  speed  about three  miles  an  hour.
       It  would  be  hard  to  find  a  creature  with  a  more  morose  and  ugly  disposition. It  is  great  fun  to  watch  a  camel  being  loaded,  for  its  temper is worst at this  time.  The  Arab  comes  in front  of  his  beast,  taking  care  to  keep  out  of  the way  of  its  teeth,  and  coaxes  and  begs  the  animal  to  get  down  on  its  knees.  If this  has  no  effect,  he  gets  a  big  stick  and  whacks  and  pokes  it  until  it  obeys. He  must  tie  it  down  by  the  muzzle  or  it  will  rise  the  minute  his  back  is turned.  Then  the  patient  Arab  piles  his  boxes  on  top  of  a  saddle  and  straps them  there,  while  the  camel  keeps  up  a  gurgling  and  grunting,  all  the  time trying  to  bite  its  master's  legs.  When  the  loading  is  finished,  the  camel  rises to  its  feet.     If  it  is  in  an  extra  bad  temper,  it  will  buck  the  load  off  its  back.
       The  camel  lives  to  a  great  age,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  world  is  held  in great  veneration.  Sometimes  a  white  camel  is  born.  These  animals  are  always very  highly  prized.  The  dervish  warrior,  the  Madhi  of  the  Soudan,  rode  upon a  white  camel.  The  beast  is  said  to  have  been  a  magnificent  specimen,  being larger  than  any  of  the  commoner  species.  It  was  afterward  killed  in  battle. In  the  deserts  they  take  the  place  of  regular  cavalry.

More About Camels:

• Adorable baby camel at Idaho News
• Baby camel born at Whipsnade Zoo
• Camel facts by Animal Fact Files
• Many camel coloring sheets here

Paper Silhouette Camel Cuts

       Paper Camel Cuts for teachers and students to use in the classroom or in art projects. The center one has a rider.

The Marriage of Isaac

       In the course of time Sarah died, and was buried in a cave which Abraham bought as a tomb for his family. Then, as he felt himself growing old, and saw his son Isaac grow to manhood, he said to himself that he would like to have Isaac married. Now most of the people who lived in the land of Canaan worshiped idols, and Abraham decided that his son ought to seek a wife in Mesopotamia, where several of their kindred still lived. These far-away kinsmen believed in the true God, whom Abraham and Isaac worshiped. So Abraham called his oldest servant, the one who took care of his flocks and herds, and bade him go into that country and find there a wife for Isaac. Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and some beautiful gifts, and journeyed to the land in which Abraham had lived so many years before.

The servant meets Rebekah.

       After a time the servant came near to a city in Mesopotamia which had a well outside the gate. It was just at the close of day, and the women were coming out of the city to draw water. The servant had his camels kneel down by the well to rest, and then he prayed to God to show him which one of the women that came to draw water should be Isaac's wife. It was revealed to him that he should ask one of them for water to drink, and if she answered kindly he would know she was the one to be chosen. While he was praying, a beautiful, dark-eyed girl named Rebekah, carrying a pitcher on her shoulder, came up to the well. And when she had filled her pitcher the servant ran up to her and said, "Let me, I pray, drink a little water out of thy pitcher." She answered, "Drink, and I will draw water for the camels also." Then she let down the pitcher from her shoulder and gave the servant a drink, and afterward she carried water to the camels. When Rebekah had performed these services the servant gave her a gold earring and two gold bracelets. He inquired whose daughter she was, and asked whether he and his men could sleep at her father's house. The young woman told him that she was the daughter of Bethuel, and that there was room at their house for all, and food for the camels. The servant rejoiced greatly when she told him these things, for he knew that Bethuel was a kinsman of Abraham, and that God must have guided him to their place.

       Then Rebekah ran home and told her people all that had happened. Her brother Laban, when he saw the earring and bracelets, hastened at once to the well and invited the servant to come to their house and to bring his camels and their keepers. And they were all treated most kindly and made welcome. But before the servant would accept any food he told Rebekah's family who he was and why he had come to their city. And he begged them to say at once whether they would let Rebekah go home with him. As Bethuel and Laban listened to the story they felt it was God's will that Rebekah should be the wife of Isaac, and they at once consented to her going away. The happy servant, on hearing these words, brought out costly jewels of gold and silver and beautiful garments, and he gave Rebekah and her mother and brother many handsome gifts. Then they had a merry feast, and the next morning the travelers departed, taking with them Rebekah and her nurse.

       As they were passing through the land of Canaan one evening, they came near to the place where Isaac was. He had gone into the fields to walk about by himself, and when he saw the train of camels he hastened toward the travelers. As he came nearer Rebekah noticed him and said to the servant, "Who is this man walking to meet us?" When the servant told her that it was Isaac, she covered her face with a veil, and as soon as he came up to her she climbed down from her camel and Isaac took her into the tent his mother had lived in. He made her his wife, and he loved her so dearly that he was comforted for the loss of his mother. After the marriage Abraham gave all his herds and flocks to his son, and when he died Isaac buried him in the cave where Sarah rested.

The Circus Procession

The Circus Procession 

by Evaleen Stein

Oh, hurry! hurry! here they come,
The band in front with the big bass drum
And blaring bugles, — there they are,
On golden thrones in a golden car,
Tooting and fluting, oh, how grand I
Hi diddle, diddle!
The fife and the fiddle!
Hurrah , hurrah for the circus band!

And the red-plumed horses, oh, see them
prance
And daintily lift their hoofs and dance,
While beautiful ladies with golden curls
Are jingling their bridles of gold and pearls,
And close behind
Come every kind
Of animal cages great and small,
O how I wonder what’s in them all!
Here’s one that’s open and glaring there
Is the shaggiest snow-white polar bear I
Woof! but I wonder what we’d do
If his bars broke loose right now, don't you?
And O dear me!
Just look and see 

That pink-cheeked lady in skirts of gauze
And the great big lion with folded paws!
O me I O my!
I’m glad that I
Am not in that lion’s cage, because
Suppose he'd open his horrible jaws !
— But look ! the clown is coming ! Of course
Facing the tail of a spotted horse
And shouting out things to make folks
laugh,
And grinning up at the tall giraffe
That placidly paces along and looks
Just like giraffes in the picture-books!
And there are the elephants, two and two,
Lumbering on as they always do!
The men who lead them look so small
I wonder the elephants mind at all
As they wag their queer
Long trunks, and peer
Through their beady eyes, — folks say they
know
No end of things, and I’m sure it’s so!
And you never must do a thing that’s bad
Or that possibly might make an elephant
mad,
For he’ll never forgive you, it appears,
And will punish you sure, if it takes him
years !
So do not stare
But take good care
To mind your manners, and always try
To smile politely as they go by!
But the camels don’t care if you laugh at
them
With their bumpy humps like a capital M,
They lurch and sway
And seem to say,
As they wrinkle their noses, long and gray,
“ This swaggering stride is quite the plan,
It’s the way we walked in the caravan!”
And now more cages come rumbling by
With glittering people throned on high;
So many spangles and precious things,
They surely must all be queens and kings!
They look so proud
Above the crowd, 

O my, how fine it must feel to ride

On golden wagons that hide inside

Strange animals caught in cannibal isles

And brought in ships for a million miles!

But hark ! it's near

The end, for hear

That sudden screeching in piercing key!

The steaming, screaming cal-li-o-pe!

Just plain pianos sound terribly tame

Beside this one with the wonderful name,

And wouldn’t you love some day to sit

In a circus wagon and play on it?