:--

There was an old witch
Who flew up in the sky,
To visit the moon
That was shining so high.

Another child improved somewhat upon the versification--

The witch's cat was as black as her hat,
As black as her hat was he.
He had yellow eyes which looked very wise
As he sailed high over the trees.

How many of you mature men and women could have done a better piece of
work than Dorothy Hall, nine and a half years old?

THE MOONLIGHT PEOPLE

When the stars are twinkling,
And the ground with snow is white,
And we are just awaking
For to see the morning light;
Little moonlight people
Are dancing here and there
O'er a snow white carpet,
Dancing everywhere.

This same class of little people, after learning Riley's "Pixie People,"
were asked to write down what they believed were the circumstances under
which Riley composed the poem. Their reasons varied all the way from a
dream of butterflies, to cornfields.

Seventh and eighth grade children in this same city (Newton, Mass.)
write books, the titles of which are selected by the children with the
approval of the teacher. "A Boy's Life in New York," "Fairy Stories,"
"A Book About Airships," "A Story of Boarding School Life," are a few of
the titles. Having chosen his title, the child outlines the work and
then begins on it, writing it week by week, illustrating the text with
drawings, illuminating and decorating the margins with water colors,
painting a tasty cover, and at last, as the product of a year's work in
English, taking home a book written, hand printed, hand illumined,
covered and bound by the author. Could you recognize in this fascinating
task the dreaded English composition and spelling of your childhood
days?

One eighth grade lad, who had always made a rather poor showing in
school, decided to write his book on birds. As he worked into the
subject it gradually got hold of him. In the early spring he found
himself, at half past four, morning after morning, out in the squares,
the parks and the fields, watching for the birds. He became absorbed in
writing his book, but at the same time the teachers of other subjects
found him taking additional interest in them. The whole tone of his
school work improved; and when, in May, he delivered an illustrated
lecture, before one of the teachers' meetings, on the birds of Newton,
he was triumphant. In less than a year he had