Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-09
NEW HEROES


T0 HE Spring" letters are delightful
They show that the Junior boys
n and girls of California are quite
as appreciative of the freshening sea-
son as if they lived in the colder climes
where spring means a change from
frosts and SHOWS instead of merely a
slight increase in the temperature and
a brighter sun.
The rapsodies of some of our young
writer's were quite worthy of the spring
poet, and was a little bit disappointed
that more of the boys and girls did not
indulge in poetry to express their de-
light in the spring. We seems to have
found only one spring poet among all
the Juniors. / want to tell you all that
whenever the topics suggest poetica'
expression I will be glad to have those
writer's who have the gift of rhyme
and meter use some poetic form. But
good taste must be used in Selecting
the topic. One might use poetry to tell
of ones favorite hero, but it would take
rare genius to describe the beauties
and advantages of ones own town in
poetry and not degenerate to mere
jingling-which 1 do not want.
The letters about MY Town" are
coming in very well, and many of the
writer's have given excellent illustra-
lions and descriptions of the industries
of their particular localities. I hope to
receive many letters from portions of
the country whose advantages are not
we'll known. For instance, want some
boy or girl to write of all that area of
reclaimed land portions of the desert,
formerly arid, and now made to bios
som as the rose, or at least as the
spineless cactus. Then we ought to
have some letters from the raisin coun-
try, others from the neighborhoods
where beets and beet sugar are of such
importance, and many letters from
those locations where prunes, apricots
and peaches are grown and dried fol
winter use. Olives and olive oil and
nuts of various kinds complete list OF
vegetable products that make our state
a veritable land of good things.
nearly forgot the strawberry and other
small fruits, but there. will surely be
some Jealous Junior who will delight in
telling us about the vast ranches and
farms where these luscious fruits are to
be found in prolific quantities.
The topic for Memorial Sunday will
be one which is sure to appeal to all
patriotic young Americans. 1 hope that
some of you will find some noteworthy
hero of America who is a little out OF
the ordinary. There are thousands Of
instances of individual heroism during
the terrible years of the war and many
of the boys and girls who write for this
paper know of something of the sort IL
their immediate family. Perhaps some
of you know some man who won honor
and glory in the Philippines, or one
who tells you stories of some thrilling
event in the war of the north ant
south. Then, of course, there are al
the favorite heroes of the war of The
revolution. Among all these you car
find some deed of adventure that will
be newer than the everyday schoo
reader stories of George Washington
and Abraham Lincoln.
OF course if either of these great mel
is your favorite hero then write O
him, but do not take a familiar here
and story in order to save yourselves
the trouble of looking up little bit o
half forgotten information concerning
some man less widely known, but wht
may have been in less conspicuou
way quite as great a hero.
l am hoping for some discoveries
along the hero line from these letters
and other things being equal, will
award the prizes to those letters whicl
tell of unknown heroes. Affectionately
AUNT LAURIE.