ouisiana and
surrounding States. In spite of the hard times, which are very severe in
the South (laborers in Louisiana and some other States receive only
fifty cents a day and board themselves), the people are making great
sacrifices for the education of their children, and our pastors and
teachers are making heroic struggles that the work in school and church
may go forward.

The need of the continuance of the work was never greater and the
results of the service of our workers were never better. To retrench
further at this time would not only cripple the work among the needy
peoples of our field, but shut the door of opportunity in many places,
and injure the people in their efforts to rise, and discourage our
self-sacrificing missionaries. The people are grateful for these schools
and churches and need more of them. We appeal to our Northern friends to
come to the rescue of the American Missionary Association at this time.

* * * * *

A SCHOOLBOY'S COMPOSITION.

A little lad six years of age in the primary grade of Knox Institute,
Athens, Ga., attended rhetoricals in which several pupils read
compositions on the subject of America. He was greatly impressed, went
home, and wrote without supervision the composition below. Although he
has put the raccoon, lion and tiger among the birds, it is certainly a
pretty good composition for the first one written by a child six years
of age. Could any of the children six years old to whom THE AMERICAN
MISSIONARY may come do better than this little black boy?

AMERICA.

America is a large country, and it has many large rivers, and it has
many animals, and has wild creatures.

America is a most important country. And many a people like to go there.
And it has many wild birds--mocking birds, nightingale, raccoon, and
also the opossum and lion, tiger, elephant, and the rhinoceros.

And in America there are lakes, seas, and the bushes are so thick that
you can hardly tell when a human is beside them.

The States in America are so large that ten hundred can get in these.
But if one of the animals was to seize you once you would never want to
go there any more, for if one of them get hold of you you would hollow
like anything. It would settle your hash. It would frighten you so much
you never would want to see one of them.

HALL JOHNSON,
Age 6, December 16, 1894.

* * * * *

WOMAN'S STATE ORGANIZATIONS.