The evening world., 1911-04-08

IN ver's Problem end
IA ''Timothy's Quest"
II must have been
. particularly nice
experience. Nice for the children and
Just as nice for Kate Douglas wigsin,
whom one calls Mrs. riggs when one
goes to see her In her homo on West
F1oty-eghth street.
Il was able only TO give zach school
about half an hour" Mrs. Riggs IL
plaaned. 'Ons cannot do much in that
time. But Oh. I do hope I helped
eager young people . little! I wanted
them to understand what I feel: that I
am not At all certain every one
have a frst-class brain. Education. In
dustrious application. VIII. I an sure.
convert . third class brain into a sec
ond-claas one. But I do not know
WHISTLER \ will DO much more.
A Flrst-ciass Heart.
However, there u one comfort
"0ut Of the hear come the real
issues OF life. I Am very certain
that II You have . gsrm Of viii, OF
susrgy. OF power. Of determination.
nothing Dan prevent your having
hrst-class heart
But you a TO know how Il all
came about. I VIII tell you. Quite
early In tho winter Mr.. Riggs received
q letter from one Of tho principals Of a
largo e4rlS school. ashang her n she
could como and read a chapter from
any n Of her books, or speak In an
Informal way to the pupils. And Mrs.
Riggs replied that she would. Doubt
less she did 50. because, although she
Is essentially a lover Of all humanity,
she IL even more essentially a lover OF
young humanity. IL was through Mrs.
Riges'r efforts that the first free kin
~dergarten for children was opened In
California and for the past twenty-five
years she has been prominently asso-
ciated IN many an administrative ca
pacity with important educational move
ments. So. as I have said. she went to
the first school that asked her 20. and
read aloud a little 10 the children and
talked to them. Then followed the
bombardment. From all over the city
came letters from other schools, asking
Kate Douglas Wlggtn to pay them a
visit; to read TO them. And as often
as 1t was possible to do SO Mrs. Riggs
went.
A Beautiful Experience.
1T was a most wonderful and beau
tl'ul experience" she said to me yester-
day; ono that I shall never forget.
One I shall repeat next year as often
as | can. In the past I have selected
the largest school md tried to include
az many OF those on the upper east and
west sides as possible; schools where
the girls have not had so many ad-
vantages as those In other localities.
The teachers feel that this personal
contact with the author of a eavorite
book makes the literature a more vital
thing thar Il would otherwise be. II
helps 10 establish the reading habit,
which will surely be one OF the safe
guards and one OF the developing
agencies OF a girls life. l had the
great good fortune to find friendships
already made for me when / entered
the school doors"
or course, and I can quite understand
that. Who that has read any o: the
things Kate Douglas Wiggin has writ
| ten has not felt the personality OF the
author so near Il IL as though one had
been reading with the book In one hand
and with the other hand IN hers
Ono can hardly look at large groups
Of young people with AT wishing 10 give
advice to them" continued Mrs, Riggs
slowly.
Tried to Resist Temptation.
II aid try. though, TO resist the temp
tation for the most part, I believe I
know what most OF those Young people
thought OF us grown-up people on the
platform. They thought that we
seemed very wise, very much given 20
counsel, sometimes a little dull, a little
uncomprehending and unsympathetic. !
wonder IL they knew what we We're
thinking OF when we looked at them? !
cannot express II more beautifully than
IN the words of a certain poem written
by Edward Rowland sin;
joy to the laughing troop
That from the threshold starts,
Led ON by courage and immortal hope,
And with the morning IN their
hearts,
They to the disappointed earth shall
give
The lives VIC meant 10 live,
Beautiful, free and strong;
The light w almost had
Shall make them glad;
The words we waited long
shall run in music from tIeir voice
and song! 80
Their merry tasl, shall be
To make the house all fine aud sweet,
It's new inhabitants TO greet
The wondgous do wning century,
"And l thought every time looked