about study or attention or self-control and obedience. In most homes
they do much as they please. In school they had been accustomed to
studying out loud, to learning by heart without understanding, to
reciting in concert, and to talking as much as they pleased. They are
quick-tempered and apt to fly into a passion. They lack greatly in
perseverance or "stick-to-it-iveness."

The schoolroom was a noisy, distracting place for a time; the
playground was the scene of frequent uproars and even fights. They
seemed to have no idea of playing together or following a leader or
of organizing and keeping up games.

But they were kindly and friendly in spirit and most courteous and
polite, much more so than most American children in similar schools.
They certainly appreciated warmly what we were doing for them and
were most anxious to do as the children do in American schools. They
lacked the life and tendency to mischief of American children. After
a few weeks there was little trouble about discipline or order, and
they learned to control themselves better and to pay better
attention. It took months to break the habit of studying aloud, and
will take years to instil habits of perseverance and self-reliance.

The most helpful means of training in attention, instant obedience
and self-control were the daily calisthenic exercises, which they all
enjoyed and entered into with spirit.

Space permits only hasty reference to other lessons taught without
books in our school, lessons in self-respect. Every child was
expected to pay a small tuition, in money or labor, only a peseta,
equivalent to twelve American cents, a week, but enough to inculcate
the feeling that they were paying for what they got. At first it was
hard to get the money. They had to be reminded again and again, but
week by week they became more regular and seemed to take more pride
in handing the teacher each Tuesday morning their silver coin. Much
to our surprise there was, toward the last, very little delay or
difficulty in getting the tuition.

In the Santurce school a sewing-class was organized to give fifteen
very poor girls, all colored, an opportunity to "earn their
tuition,"--as we told them--by sewing for us an hour or two every
Saturday. Most of them had rarely handled a needle. They did not make
many garments, but they learned considerable about sewing, were as
regular as clockwork every Saturday morning, and appreciated better
the education which th