Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-04
FIRST1ETTER TO HER
CHILDREN


4AA be printed just for boys and
girls. No grown up people are to dare
to enter here unless they bring some
thing to amuse us.
We don't want to have any preaching
or any scolding, but If we must have
any we will do it among ourselves.
This paper will have only one object,
and that is to interest and amuse every
boy and girl in this entire southwest.
Perhaps this issue viii succeed in
that purpose, and perhaps 1t will not.
If it does I shall be glad to hear about
it, and If it does not hope you will all
be good enough to write and tell just
where you think 1t could be- improved.
Every one of my big and little nieces
and nephews likes to read stories and
look at pictures, know. The question
is this: Will they or will they not like
to look at these pictures and read these
stories and letters?
Everything in this paper was writ
ten especially for boys and girls. If
you are to read the papers at all 1t is
certainly better to provide you with
something which you can read and
understand.
Every boy and girl ought to learn to
read the newspapers. 1t Is the best
way to keep informed about the news
of the times. If any of you boys are
interested In the progress men are MAX
ing in the invention and use OF air
ships you whl find the best news OF 1t
right in your daily paper. You will
know when there is to be any big cleo
ton and will have the first reports Of
discoveries of unknown lands. l am
sure that all boys are interested In
every one of these subjects. and If the
girls are not now they would be when
they commenced to read about them.
think that your fathers and mothers
and your school teachers will all agree
with me that it is good thing for boys
and girls to read the paper-that is, a
paper that Is fit for any decent, clean
minded person to read.
Now Just a word about the prize let
ters. It may seem to the readers, and
perhaps to some of the writer's, that
the choice of prize letters is not quite
the best that could be made. 1t was
difficult to decide between some of
them, and in one of the contests the
choice was very, very close indeed.
Two of the very best letters I had to
throw out of the contest because they
were very long, one running about 800
- y, ,sx,rr do
thus, as 1 distinctly stated that the
letters were not to exceed $50 words, it
would have been unfair to have award
ed the prize to the writer of so long a
letter.
Then, too, had to take into consid-
Grafton the form in which the letter
was presented. Two writers left abso-
lutely no margins, either at the side
or top of the pages. Now you must re-
member, my dear boys and girls, that
these letters of yours have to go right
into the hands of the printers. Printers
are very busy men and they do not like
to have to read words which are
crowded close together. Neither do they
like to read pages where there is no
margin either at the top OF sides of the
pages. This was the case in three let
ters, and where the decision was a close
one 1 gave the prize to the writer who
had divided the letter off into para
graphs. These are all very little things,
but they must be considered and re-
membered. I hope no one will be dis
couraged at not winning the prize this
time. There is only one prize, you
know, and so a great many of you must
be disappointed every time, but there
is always chance, If you do your best,
that your name will be at the top of
the column next week.
If you all want to do something for
me, and 1 hope you do, you will take
your Herald Junior to school and show
it to your teacher. Ask her if she will
allow you to write your school exer-
cises upon the prize topic sometimes,