The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-11-24
sLUMl| CHILDREN AND D.. !.
HOW THEY ARE USED
Alice Freeman Palmer Speaks to
Children of the Poor of
Boston.
Conquers Their Fears and Makes
Happiness By Her Most Un-
ique Methods,

Alice Freeman Palmer, during a hot
summer, used to come up to Boston
from the seashore once a week, to talk
to the children at the Vacation
School. She told this story Of her
experience on one of these occasions:
I found a great many girls in the
room. but more babies than girls, 1t
seemed. Each girl was holding one,
and there were few to spare
"Now," I said, what shall I talk
to you about this morning, girls?
This was not well-dressed assembly
Of young ladies, who, no doubt, would
have sat with stolid countenances and
set jaws or conscious giggles. Not
SO with these children Of the slums.
What they were offered in good faith
they received In good faith.
Talk about lfe," said one girl.
Imagine! Life! That tremendous
subject!
Il am afraid that is too big a sub
ject for so short time." said. Then
up spoke a small, pale-faced, heavy
eyed child, with great fat baby on
her knee:
"Tell us how to be happy?"
The tears rushed to my eyes and
lump came in my throat. Happy in
such surroundings as no doubt she
lived in! Perhaps dirty and foul
smelling. Happy, with burdens too
heavy to be borne, seemingly! All
this flashed through my mind while
the rest took up the word, and echoed,
Eyes, tell us how to be happy!"
"Well," I said, II will give you my
three rules for being happy; but, mind
you, you must all promise to follow
them for one week and not skip
single day, for they won't work If
you skip one single day." So they all
promised faithfully that they wouldn't
skip one single day..
"The first rule is, that you will COM
nit something to memory every day,
something good. It needn't be much,
three or four words will do, just
pretty bit Of a. poem, or a Bible verse.
Do you understand" I was so afraid
they wouldn't, but one little girl with
flashing black eyes jumped up from
| the corner Of the room and cried:
Il know; you want us to learn some
thing we'd be glad enough to remem-
Der if we went blind!"
THAT is 1t exactly" l said. "Sume-
thing you would like to remember if
| you went blind';" and they all prom
| ised they would not skip a single day.
| 1.-THE second rule is: Look for some
thing pretty every day; and don't skip
a day, or it won't work. A leaf, a
flower, a cloud-you can all find some
l IL
near here that you can all walk to-?
(Yes, there was one) And stop long
enough before the pretty thing: that
you have spied, to say: Isn't it
beautiful Drink In every detail and
see the loneliness Of it. Can you do
it?" They promised, to a girl.
my third rule is-now mind, don't
skip a day-Do something for some
body every single day"
"Oh, that's easy!" they said. And
I thought it would be the hardest rule
| of all. Just think, that is what those
children said-"Oh, that's easy!"
Didn't they have to tend babies and
run errands every day, and wasn't that
doing something for somebody?
Yes, I assured them it was.
! well, dI the e1lu VI Tie week, the
day being hotter than the last, if pos
sible, I was vending my way along
a very narrow street when suddenly
As literally grabbed by the arm,
and little voice said: II done it,"
Did what?' I exclaimed, looking
down and seeing at my side tiny girl
with the proverbial baby asleep in
her arms
What you told us to, and I never
skipped day, neither" replied the
child in a rather hurt tone
"Oh!" I said, "now I know what
you mean. Put down the baby, and
let's talk about it, So down on the
sidewalk she deposited the sleeping in
FAINT, and she and I stood over it and
talked.
WELL she said, Il never skipped
a day. but it was awful hard. 1t was
all right when I could go to the park
but one day it rained and rained, and
the baby had a cold, and just couldn't
go out without leaving baby, so
thought sure I was going to skip, AND
I was standing at the window, most
cryin', and I saw"-here her little face
frightened up with a radiant smile
II saw a sparrow taking a bath IL
the gutter that goes around the tor
Of the house, and he had on a black
neck-tie, and he was so handsome!'
1t was the first time 1 had heard ar
English sparrow called handsome. bu,
I tell you it was not laughable a BIT
no, not a. bit.
''Then there was another day." she
went on, land thought I should have
to skip it, sure. There wasn't an
other thing to look at in the house
The baby was sick, and I couldn't gt
out, and I was feeling terrible, when
here the most radiant look came tt
her facet saw the baby's hair!"
Saw the baby's hair?" I echoed.
yes, a little bit of sun came in a.
the window and I saw his hair, ant
I'll never be lonesome any more" Ant
catching up the baby from the side.
walk she said, "see!" and I saw thu
baby's hair.
isn't it beautiful" she asked.
Eyes it Is beautiflll u answorod