The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-10-31


studying astronomy and some other branches. 81
speaks eight languages; she can recte a thousar
poems and she has written nearly five hundrt
poems and jingles herself
winifred plays the piano we'll. With no lesson
except the game Of making up stories on the piano
she can read over a page Of Schubert's "Serenade
close the book and play 1t accurately and with mut
expression. She can also hear difficult seectiC
played and keen is her concentration she ca
Immediately sit down at the piano and play
Winifred draws we'll and paints admirably. Like
Browning, would imagine she will hardly
know which to choose for her life work, music,
art or writing, but she Is very decided to what
she expects to do. Winifred is going to earn and
buy and be the editor of a great children's maya
zine.
In tracing WinifredIs development chronology
cally 1t may be said that she:
Used polysylables in conversation at the age
OF one year; read at the age of sixteen months;
wrote her own name on hotel registers and be-
gan keeping diary at the age Of two; learned
the musical notes and played simple airs on the
piano and amazed adopts at spelling at three;
learned the Latin declensions and conjugations
Is singing exercises and received a diploma in
Esperanto at four; wrote stories and jingles for
the newspapers, spoke eight languages translated
Mother Goose rhymes into Esperanto learned
the waltz, two-step and threestep at FIVE; learned
the outlines of Greek. Roman and Scandinavian
and locating all the bones in the human body at
eight; and was elected president of the Junior
Peace League of America at ten.
How can readers account for the fact that
Winifred is a perfectly normal, happy child romp-
,ng singing, loving and lovable, gay as the ca
iary she is giving the freedom Of the entire house
and teaching to whistle and to keep perfect time
to all the music that she whistlesN Winfred has
q hundred dolls. AS fast as she\ barns anything
she imparts II to her dolls and pets. She is
Tdenty devoted to sports She swims, races
plays ball. dances and physically she is as we'll
a she Is mentally Her little muscles are strong
ls armor bolts, She Is as large an ordinary
-welveyear-old girl and can walk five miles with
out the least fatigue.
Winifred's father Is a colonel and a surgeon in
he Marine hospital service Of the United States.
Now he is stationed at Pittsburgh From him
Winifred undoubtedly gets her splendid physical
care. and she Is a perfectly we'll child. She is
practical. like her father, and possesses all her
mothers love Of art and music and the gift Of
writing
No less remarkable is the little girls mother
Mrs. Stoner in her book, Natural Education"
seems to find nothing in little Winifreds devel
,pment that might not be attained In any healthy
naturally bright child. II this Is conceded for the
sake Of argument. II would have to be admitted
that very, very few children would have the ad-
vantages Of the extraordinary cleverness Of a
corn teacher, such as Winifred's. In fact, Mrs
5toner has employed methods peculiarly her own.
II might be said that Mrs. Stoner has given ten
years Of constant labor to the education of her
laughter labor that was not merely constant, but
hat was intelligent and imaginative as well.
For the whole secret of Winifred's learning has
,een the play spirit Whatever she was taught.