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Show 54 55 his child sees. through his relationship in his group \wrlx‘ that life everyday act colors the home lite and the school life and the go back and live in the child's world, throb with the child's world. and live outside the child's world, to get the ideas and bring them back and translate them to that child in order that the child too may begin his service early. I remember when I was a little girl how I used to go to the garret of our country home and weep my eyes out nearly, because I thought all the heroes were dead and that there was no work left for anybody to do. I‘hat experience of mine as a Child has perhaps brought me into closer sympathy with the young person. and there may be others who, as I did, have wept because there would be nothingr to do when they arrived at womanhood. There is plenty to do and always will be plenty to do, but we must make the child realize it. The child cannot realize it unless the teacher does. We must live with our children and live with the world. We must reach out beyond all that the child can experience and bring back such messages to the Child as will encourage him and fill him with hope and joy. "'e need joy in this world of ours, and there is joy in workincr for a great cause. I thank voti. (Applause) ' why of the city, the state and the nation, and he asks himself, cannot it 'be that his life may in some way color the world? I believe that the text. "As a man thinks so is he," is a very vital one. It is our duty as teachers to take that into our hearts and to think strongly and definitely and clearly on these lines, and then I am confident that with very little effort the child will follow: and more than that, I believe the child will fulfill the prophecy, "A little child shall lead them." I brought with me from New York one of our girls who has learned Mrs. Trask's poem. I would like to have you hear this poem and I would like to have you hear her speak it. One of our methods is to take these poems that has a message and have the child devote herself or himself to learning it, and to have the tittttttittww child feel that it is his or her privilege or duty to go wherever he or she is asked to go and render this service. .‘\t the time of the Iiirst National Congress there were thousands and thousands or letters sent out over this country by the committee of the Young I‘eople's Meeting. \Ye tried to ltave that meeting a national one. We did not expect that many young people would come from afar, though we did have twenty centers outside of New York represented, \Ye had letter> from the 'zicilic and the Atlantic assuring us of their grind will. Every letter was folded by a child. every letter was put into an envelope by one of these boys or one of these girls, and they put every stamp tipon the envelope. They \\ ere brought to the postoffiee by the children. livery service that could be rendered was rendered by the youngY people. It seemed to me that it was quite as glorious a thing to have the children work for the cause of peace, if it were only to fill envelopes, fold papers and put the stamps on, as it would be, to scrape lint or roll bandages for the war times. They entered into the spirit of the occasion and they are proud and happy to recall the time when they worked until 10 or 11 o'clock at night to do this work, \Ve must get a new point of view as to service. We must reinterpret these words into language understandable by the child. lie is not so far removed from us as we think; it is we teachers who have removed uurxelves from the child. We have got to After the recitation of the poem entitled "0. Mighty AngloSaxon," by Miss Ray Geller, of New York, the session adjourned. |
