iotism and most effective agencies in
training the pupils to keep together and follow a leader.

One day I heard several Porto Ricans singing with such spirit and
earnestness a strange, rather weird melody; they told me it was
"Borinquen," their national song extolling the beauties of their
island home--called Borinquen by the original inhabitants. When I
proposed in school one day, after singing America, that we would try
Borinquen, if one of the older young ladies would lead us, the quiet
that came over the school, the brightening of faces and air of
expectancy, removed all possible doubt about their love of their
island. After that America and Borinquen usually came together. Every
Porto Rican and Spaniard learned to sing America.

[Illustration: PRIMARY CHILDREN, LARES, PORTO RICO.]

But the songs we sang impressed on these music-loving boys and girls
thoughts other than those of love of country. Within a month after
opening most children could sing "Jesus Loves Me," and the little
primary children rarely failed to ask for this when given a choice.
Later came "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and other religious
songs. When they afterward heard from the Bible, read in Spanish and
in English, the story of Jesus taking the children into his arms, the
song had prepared for the story and the story made the song mean
more. Nearly all learned to say, in Spanish or English or both:
"Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for
of such is the kingdom of heaven."

So the songs opened the way for Bible stories and Bible verses. The
little first grade children studied about Abraham, and the others
learned about David as a boy, a shepherd, a servant in the king's
palace, a fugitive from Saul and as being King of Israel. Nearly all
learned the Twenty-third Psalm and several of the Beatitudes.

We were afraid the parents might object to the religious songs and
Bible stories and withdraw the pupils from the school. But they did
not, not one, so far as we knew. Several told me that they wanted
their children not merely to learn to read and to become intelligent
Americans, but that they wanted them to grow up as good men and women
and were glad to have them taught these things. During the last two
months some time was given nearly every day, in each room, to Bible
stories or Bible study.

[Illustration: CARNIVAL, SAN JUAN, PORTO RICO.]

We soon found that our Porto Rican boys and girls know very little