The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-02-25

MY SHADOW.
l have little shadow that goes In and out with
And what can be the use of him is more than can
He Is very very like me. from the heels up to the
And see him jump before me when jump into
my bed.
The funniest thing about him Is the way he likes to
Not at all like proper children, which is always
For he sometimes shoots up taller, like an India
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none
of him at all.
One morning very early. before the sun was up.
rose and found the shining dew on every butter
cup;
But my lazy little shadow, like arrant sleepy
head,
Had stayed at homo behind me. and was fast
asleep in bed. Robert Louis Stevenson.
Is.
Everybody who loves children must read
with delight Stevenson's "a Child's Garden of
Verse;" They are quite the most rollicking,
frolicking, nonsenscal philosophy ever written
for the little folks-and big.
IS
The Mothers Congress was after all q success.
There were many weak, useless speeches and
many tiresome ones, but there were also some
excellent, invigorating, encouraging talks.
The Kindergarteners had chance to spread
their truly excellent ideas. Mrs. Ballington-
Booth gave an interesting talk; Mrs. sangster's
talk on books was delight. and altogether
there were enough good speeches to make the
Congress profitable. There was much discuss.
ion of it in the papers-in the main favorable.
There were many ridiculous incidents and
some irresistibly funny contrarties. and about
three-fourths of the time the eternal femi-
ninity" cropped out One dreadfully earnest
woman, speaking on the subject of purity in
literature land goodness knows, it needs plead
the dear ladies" to put to rights "this wicked
world" She was very evidently muchly-
petted woman at home and was accustomed to
have her pleadings take effect.
But the most charming of all was Margaret
Sangster, whose poems are known and loved
all over the land-East, West. North. South
wherever hearts are true and striving for the
right.
She gave talk on books, particularly books
for the mothers library. She commended
Barrie's account of his mother, Margaret Ogilvy,
for its picture of mother.love and his "Senti-
mental Tommy" for :" true" account Of child
life. "The Pilgrims Progress" she said, was
too much neglected by our young folks. She
remembered pleasantly the Rollo books in her
own youth. and begged place for fairy tales.
Boswelps Life of johnson and all good biog-
raphies she thought helpful the poets must
be we'll known and the splendid passages COM
mitted to memory. Nature books, books tell
ing of the flowers, BIRDS rocks. and insects were
necessary to every mother that she might in
part, at least, appreciate her youngsters "col-
lection" She also commended "a Child's
Garden of Verse;" by Stevenson. There were
many Others It is to be regretted that one
cannot remember them ALL but she closed her
lecture with tribute to the best book of all
Gods book-and declared that its daily reading
would best instruct fortify and console the
mother-heart.
A ripple OF amusement has run over the
country in noting the fact that several eloquent
spinsters are taking an active part in the
Congress of Mothers" now in session at Wash.
ington. But that is all right. A congress OF
bright, wide-awake old maids knows more in
a minute than the same number of old bach
elors would know all day.-Inter- Ocean.
The Mothers Congress should have on its
program the old Jewish saying: God could
not be everywhere. and therefore he made
thers."--B0stOn Herald.
Harriet Beecher Stowe had her own opinion
as to the durability of the massage treatment
for women, which she expressed in no uncer-
tain manner:
women lie for hours to have their feet
twigged. their arms fexed. and all the differ
ent muscles worked for them, because they
are so faccid and torpid that the powers of life
do not go on. Would it not be quite as cheerful