The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-31

On the first page of Book No. 1" were
| six lines up and down, six lines across, six
slanting lines, and circle. One was ex-
| pected to copy these in the space below. To
do this, Emmy Lou applied her system. She
produced a piece of tissue paper folded
away in her "Montague's New Elementary
| Geography'-Emmy Lou was a saving and
| boarding little soul-which she laid the
lines aud traced them with her pencil.
1t was harder to do the rest. Next she
| laid the traced paper carefully over the
| space below, and taking her slate pencil.
| went laboriously over each line with an
absorbing zeal that left its mark In the
soft drawing paper. Lastly. she went over
each indented line with lead pencil, care
| fully and frequently wetted In her little
| mouth.
Miss Jenny exclaimed when she saw 1t.
Mr.. Bryan had gone. Miss Jenny said it
| was the best page in the room.
Emmy Lou could not take her book home,
| for drawing books must be kept clean and
| were collected and kept in the cupboard,
| but she told Aunt Cordelia that her page
had been the best In the room. Aunt Cor
della could hardly believe it, saying she had
never heard of a talent for drawing in any
branch of the family.
| Now Hattie had taken note of Emmy
| Louis system In drawing and the next day
| she brought tissue paper. That day Miss
| Jenny praised Hattie's page Emmy Louis
| system Immediately became popular. All
| the class got tissue paper. And Mr.. Bryan.
finding the drawing hour one of undisturbed
/ opportunity, stayed until the bell rang for
/ geography.
| little girl named Sadie wondered IL It's
| sue paper was fair. Hattie said 1t was. for
Mr. Bryan saw her using 1t and turned and
went talking to Miss Jenny But little
girl named Mamie settled 1t definitely. Did
not her mamma, Mamie wanted to know.
draw the scallops that way on baby sisters
flannel petticoat? And didn't ones own
| mamma know?
Sadie was treasured. Sadie was con-
sclentious little girl. Miss Jenny said so.
Miss Jenny was conscientious, too. Right at
the beginning she told them low she hated
story-fb-story she meant.
The class felt that they. too, abhorred
stories. They loved Miss Jenny. And Miss
Jenny disliked stories Just then a little
girl raised her hand. 1t was Sadie.
Sadie said she was afraid she had told
| Miss Jenny a story-a ib-story-the day be-
fore, when Miss Jenny had asked her if she
felt the wind from the window opened above
and she had said no. Afterward she had
realized she did feel the wind A thrill
| deep-awed, went around the room. In her
secret soul every little girl wished she had
told a story, that she might tell Miss Jenny.
Miss Jenny praised Sadie; she called her a
brave and conscientious little girl. She
closed the book and came to the edge of the
platform and talked to them about duty and
honor and faithfulness.
Emmy Lou, her cheeks pink, longed for
opportunity to prove her faithfulness, her
honesty; she longed to prove herself a Sadie.
There was roll call in the third reader.
The duties were much too complicated for
mere head and foot. After each lesson came
roll call.
As Emmy Lou understood them, the
marks by which one graded ones perform
ance and deserts in the third reader were
interpreted:
1.-THE final state which few may hope to
attain.
eThe gate beyond which lies the final
and unattainable state.
1.-The highest hope of the humble.
3The common condition of mankind.
| 2-The just reward of the wretched.
1.-The badge Of shame.
0-Outer darkness.
When roll call first began, Miss Jenny
said to her class: You must each think
earnestly before answering. To give in a
mark above what you feel yourself entitled
is to tell worse than story, 1t is to tell
falsehood, and a falsehood is a lie. L shall
leave 1t to you. l believe in trusting my
pupils, and 1 shall take note of your
standing. Each will be answerable for her
SELF" Miss Jenny was very young.
The class sat weighted with the awfulness
of the responsibility. 1t was conscientious
class, and Miss Jennys high ideals had
worked upon its sensibilities. No little girl
dared to be six" How could she know, for
instance, in her reading lesson. if she had
paused the exact length of full stop every
time she met with a period? Who could de-
eide? Certainly not the little girl in her
own favor. and perhaps be branded with a
faIsehood, which was to lie Or who, when
roll call for department came, could ever
dare call herself perfect? Self-examination
and inward analysis lead rather TO a belief
in natural sin. The third reader class grew
conscientious to the splitting of hair. 1t
was better to be -four than five" and
be saved, and three than -four" if there
was room for doubt. Glass standing fell
rapidly.
Emmy Lou struggled to keep up with the
downward tendency.
Hattie outstripped her promptly Hattie
could adapt herself TO all exigencies. EN-
my Lou even felt envy of Hattie creeping
into her heart.
There came an awful day. 1t was roll
call for drawing. 1t had been a fish. a fish
with deliberately serrated fins. Miss Jenny
had said that Emmy Louis fish was as good
as the copy. In her heart Miss Jenny won
dered at the proficiency of her class in
drawing. for she could not draw a straight
line But since ar Bryan seemed satisfied
and said every day. Let them alone, they
are getting along" Miss Jenny gave the
credit TO Mr.. Townsend's system
She was enthusiastic over Emmy LOUIS
fish. which Emmy Lou brought UP as soon
as Mr.. Bryan departed.
ut is wonderful" said Miss Jenny. 1T is
| perfect
Emmy Lou went back to her desk much
troubled What was she to do? She had
not moved, she had not whispered, she had
not lifted the lashes sweeping her chub-
by cheeks even TO look at Hattie yet IL was
the general belief that no little girl