Project Gutenberg's Harper's Young People, December 2, 1879, by Various

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Title: Harper's Young People, December 2, 1879
An Illustrated Weekly

Author: Various

Release Date: March 4, 2009 [EBook #28246]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, DEC 2, 1879 ***

Produced by Annie McGuire

[Illustration: HARPER'S

YOUNG PEOPLE

AN ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY.]

* * * * *

VOL. I.--NO. 5. PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. PRICE FOUR
CENTS.

Tuesday, December 2, 1879. Copyright, 1879, by HARPER & BROTHERS. $1.50
per Year, in Advance.

* * * * *

[Illustration: FEEDING THE TWINS.

A QUEER PAIR OF HOUSEHOLD PETS.]

THE TWINS.

Young bears have always been great favorites as pets, being playful and
affectionate when kindly treated. They can be trained to perform all
kinds of amusing tricks; and their antics when playing together or with
children are very laughable. They have been taught to execute difficult
parts in theatrical displays; among other things, to ring bells, pretend
to fall dead when shot at, beat the drum, and go through the manual
exercise of the soldier with the musket.

But though playful and harmless when young, they can not be trusted when
their teeth and claws are full grown. Then their good nature can not be
counted on; and many instances have occurred in which they have repaid
friendly confidence with sudden treachery. It must be said in their
favor, however, that their wildness is often the result of bad treatment
or thoughtless teasing. There is a story in print of a planter in
Louisiana who once picked up a young cub that had either been abandoned
by its mother, or had run away from the parental den. He carried it home
and threw it down in the yard, where it was immediately adopted by the
little negroes. It became a great favorite with them, sharing their
corn-bread, and taking part in all their sports. "Billy"--that was the
name given to him--thrived and grew large and stout, and learned to box
and wrestle with the boys so well that visitors to the plantation