The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-13
FAMILY SKELETONS PEEP. FROM COVER East Side Secrets Told In School Compositions CON DE NSE D TRAGEDIES Are Written by Small Pupils About My Future."-A Wife-Beater
 and Runaway
 Husband.

From the New York Sun.
 You who have family skeletons, beware. Guard them well unless you want the rattling of the bones to escape from the closet and echo in the school room.
 Unwittingly, 65 boys and girls have dragged stories of domestic infelicity from the hearth to their teacher. And she, thinking the while to develop the talent Of composition, has had curious glimpses of the home life of her pupils. Tales of drunkenness, of wife beating, of wom- ans fondness for dress, and of absent husbands, have been written down in childish endeavors to illustrate the ambi- tions of the members of an Eastside class.
 My Future was the subject assigned by this teacher for a composition ex- ercse. It was to be short Fifteen min utes was allotted in which to complete the task. A short time for minds less than years old. No preparation was allowed in advance. What was written was. therefore more or less spontaneous.
 So far as developing scandal went the effort of the girls carried off the prize. Somehow they appeared to depict sao- der condition of affairs than was renected by the compositions of the boys. Closer associat ation with the home and the mother probably gives them greater opportunity to hear neighborly gossip
 Just analyze this, from girl WHO IS scant years of age:
 .'When l grow up will be an old maid. I will never have no man to peat me- If A man kicks me I will tell the lady next door. If she will not help me 1 will have my man took to a police. IT ne
 
 will not cook him supper. If he comes home I will left him for job Here is a child who tells her teacher that she intends to stick to single bless edness and gives in the second sentence tbe reason for the whole decision; 'i will never have no man to beat me. Can you imagine what the home lire of this youngster Is? Can you not reau in the few words of the composition of a husband who had been hauled to a no,ice court. who had pleaded with his l wife to be lenient with him, and of the wife and mother returning to the home | from the court room to prepare good warm supper for the man who had beat l en her?
 | The teacher who drew this tale from | the pupil thinks that it is true. She is 1 sure this little one'ss father is wife | heater or that there is one in close prox imity to the home of the literary little 
 1 lady.
 And when she pauses to look up the record of this particular student she as certains that in such work as requires home study the pupil is woefully deficien | but in class work where oral instruc i tion is given she is above the average Her conclusion is that the environment of her charge Is not such as would de velop the greatest talents of usefulness. | -p But while that composition is mel ancholy thing, this from boy Is Jus the reverse. It is bright. There is ring of freedom from care about it tha shows a better situation at home. Her is what he wrote:
 When I get big I will be driver.
 will make the horse go fast. He vii lhave to walk up hill. If poleec makes me go slow will not stop fo a man. will not run over lady,