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you when the little boy in the Primer World, who
could so glibly tell the teacher all about the mat and the bat and the
black rat and the fat hen, hurt your chubby fist by snapping an
india-rubber band. I do not think he atoned quite enough when he gave
you that fine new long slate pencil, nor when he sent you your first

valentine. No, he has not atoned quite enough, Emmy Lou, but now
that you are Miss McLaurin, you will doubtless even the score by
snapping the india-rubber band of your disdain at his heart. But only to
show him how it stings, and then, of course, you'll make up for the hurt
and be his valentine--won't you, Emmy Lou?...
And when, at twelve years, you find yourself dreaming, Emmy Lou,
and watching the clouds through the schoolroom window, still I love
you, Emmy Lou, for your conscience, which William told about in his
essay. You remember, the two girls who met a cow.
"Look her right in the face and pretend we aren't afraid," said the
biggest girl. But the littlest girl--that was you--had a conscience.
"Won't it be deceiving the cow?" she wanted to know. Brave, honest
Emmy Lou!
Yes, I love you, Emmy Lou, better than all the proud and beauteous
heroines in the big grown-up books, because you are so sunshiny and
trustful, so sweet and brave--because you have a heart of gold, Emmy
Lou. And I want you to tell George Madden Martin how glad I am that
she has told us all about you, the dearest little girl since Alice dropped
down into Wonderland.
George Seibel.
The book is more than a delightful piece of fiction. Through its faithful
study of the development of a child's mind, and its criticism of the
methods employed in many schools, it becomes a valuable contribution
to education. As such it is used in the School of Pedagogy of Harvard
University.
George Madden Martin told more about Emmy Lou in a second book
of stories entitled Emmy Lou's Road to Grace, which relates the little
girl's experience at home and in Sunday school. Other works from her
pen are: A Warwickshire Lad, the story of William Shakespeare's early
life; The House of Fulfillment, a novel; Abbie Ann, a story for children;
Letitia; Nursery Corps, U. S. A., a story of a child, also showing
various aspects of army life; Selina, the story of a young girl who has

been brought up in luxury, and finds herself confronted with the
necessity of earning a living without any equipment for the task. None
of these has equalled the success of her first book, but that is one of the
few successful portrayals of child life in fiction.

JUST KIDS
That part of New York City known as the East Side, the region south of
Fourteenth Street and east of Broadway, is the most densely populated
square mile on earth. Its people are of all races; Chinatown, Little
Hungary and Little Italy elbow each other; streets where the signs are
in Hebrew characters, theatres where plays are given in Yiddish,
notices in the parks in four or five languages, make one rub his eyes
and wonder if he is not in some foreign land. Into this region Myra
Kelly went as a teacher in the public school. Her pupils were largely
Russian Jews, and in a series of delightfully humorous stories she has
drawn these little citizens to the life.

THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE
BY
MYRA KELLY
Isaac Borrachsohn, that son of potentates and of Assemblymen, had
been taken to Central Park by a proud uncle. For weeks thereafter he
was the favorite bard of the First Reader Class and an exceeding great
trouble to its sovereign, Miss Bailey, who found him now as garrulous
as he had once been silent. There was no subject in the Course of Study
to which he could not correlate the wonders of his journey, and Teacher
asked herself daily and in vain whether it were more pedagogically
correct to encourage "spontaneous self-expression" or to insist upon
"logically essential sequence."
But the other members of the class suffered no such uncertainty. They

voted solidly for spontaneity in a self which found expression thus:
"Und in the Central Park stands a water-lake, und in the water-lake
stands birds--a big all of birds--und fishes. Und sooner you likes you
should come over the water-lake you calls a bird, und you sets on the
bird, und the bird makes go his legs, und you comes over the
water-lake."
"They could be awful polite birds," Eva Gonorowsky was beginning
when Morris interrupted with:
"I had once a auntie und she had a bird, a awful polite bird; on'y sooner
somebody calls him he couldn't to