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			Poems & Features

The Animal School

by George Reavis

Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a “new world” so they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that, except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up, instead of the treetop down. He also developed a “Charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and a D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school.

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Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low, and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,

You might succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor’s cup;

But learned too late when the night came down

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver lint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worst,

That you must not quit.

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Never Give Up!

Two frogs fell into a can of cream

Or so I’ve heard it told

The sides of the can were shiny and steep

The cream was deep and cold

“O what’s the use,” croaked Number One,

‘Tis fate; no help around.

Goodbye my friends. Goodbye sad world!”

And weeping still, he drown.

But Number Two, of sterner stuff,

Dog-paddled in surprise

The while he wiped his creamy face

And dried his creamy eyes.

“I’ll swim awhile, at least,” he said –

or so I’ve heard he said.

“It really wouldn’t help the world

If one more frog were dead.”

An hour or two he kicked and swam

Not once he stopped to mutter,

But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked,

Then hopped out, via butter!

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