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10 THE YOUNG SOUTHERNER Bud and Yellow-Leaf. I sit beneath a spreading tree, And life is sweet as life can be, For all things seem made just for me. A brooklet ripples at my feet, And seems the flowers and ferns to greet With tender love-words low and sweet. I sit and sing by the brooklet’s rim; A song bird perches on a limb And softly trills his answering hymn. Sweet bird and bee and butterfly And all things low and all things high, Each with the other seems to vie, To make the w’orld so fair and bright ; So full of joy, so full of light That banished now is every blight. So sang a maiden long ago, Just “where the brook and river meet,” And love was young and life was sweet, And treasures rare lay at her feet. But now a woman old and gray, Hears neither brooklet, bird nor bee, Nor sits beneath the spreading tree, For sorrow’s night has chased away The glorious radiance of the day That ever comes with love and May. L. T. H. The following extract from the Ohio State Jour nal contains words of truth and soberness and they are applicable to the girls of today as well as to the boys, for what is said of the boys’ character build ing is equally true of that of the girls’. The future welfare of our country depends as much on the true womanliness of our women as on the manliness of our men and both of these depend upon the principles that are being instilled in the boys and girls and the virtues they are acquiring: “The fruits of the present awakening of con science in politics, business and society will be gath ered, if gathered at all, some years from now, when the boys, now entering manhood, are in charge of affairs. The great question, how they will acquit themselves, depends very much upon the character they are making and the ideas they are acquiring now. It is going to take courage, clear thinking, moral purpose, and a serious view of duty, to turn this incipient revolt against the corruptions, depravities, oppressions, and vices of the day, into a realization of a pure and upright social and public life. That will be the duty of the boy of today. Is he getting ready for it? Are the home, the school, the social status, preparing him for the splendid task? Better than any crisis of history, will it be ten years from now’, for heroism to exert itself. The boys who are now equipping themselves for the splendid ordeal, will shine in the doing of such deeds and the making o's great names. It will re quire nerve, and conscience, and clear-thinking. Now is the time for the boy to take his training in these things. He need not abandon his boyhood instincts, or disappear from the red letter days of youth, but amid it all, he should cultivate a love of truth, of justice, of temperance, of unselfishness, of self-re liance. There is nothing so beautiful in this world as a boyhood of courage and principle. It is some thng to tie to and hope for. Let there be fun, and bright brows, and happy hearts, but deeper than them all, let there be cultivated an impulse toward righteousness and duty, We speak for the future; for the good of human ity that is to be, and for the man upon whom that good will depend, which is the boy today- Some- Conducted by Louise Threete Hodges. times there is a cause to fear, that the trend is not the best—that society is so frivolous, homes so deso late, parents so foolish, and schools so insipid that the boy may not pass through it all safely and come out his very best. There is the risk, and it is great er than we are apt to concede. But it reveals a duty to go as far as possible, in home, society, school, and street to implant the heroic virtues in the hearts of the youth. With Correspondents. Dear Editor:—l wonder if any of your young correspondents are interested in collecting curios. I am beginning a collection but haven’t secured very many yet. It is very interesting, though, when once you begin. You are always on the look out for anything that’s odd. When I get a few more things I am going to have a cabinet so as to keep them from injury. I have a. few coins, some Indian trinkets, a panther’s tooth that my uncle sent me, and some other things. If any of your other readers have begun collections I wish they would tell us about them in the Young Southerner. I read the letters every week -with a great deal of interest. When I read the letters I feel like I would like to know the writers. I always draw a picture in my mind of how each one looks. I expect to visit my aunt and cousins in Bruns wick next month and hope to go over to the beach and gather some shells. If I find any very odd or beautiful ones I shall keep them in my curio collec tion. Sincerely yours, Elizabeth Paul. Dear Editor:—This is my first letter to The Young Southerner, and I hope it will not find the waste basket. I am a reader of the Golden Age and enjoy read ing the letters written by the children. The young readers have been writing about how they expect to spend their vacation. I am spending mine at home, but have been out in the country fish ing several times, and I expect to visit your city before our school opens. When I grow up I expect to he an electrician. I have a small motor and some batteries that I like to work with. I did have an electric bell but sold it to another boy. I also want to work with engines and such things. But above all things I want to be an honest man. I hope the young readers will agree with me. Yours truly, Paul Smith. Fairburn, Ga. Dear Editor:—l think the letters in the Young- Southerner are splendid. I was especially interest ed in the one on national flowers. I am very fond of pets and I have several. The one I love most is a beautiful shepherd dog. He is very affectionate and has such gentle expressive eyes. He often comes and lays his head in my lap and looks at me earnestly as if he wanted to say something. I wish I could understand what he thinks. lie is very particular about what he eats; there are only just certain things that he will have except what the baby gives him. He will eat any thing from her hand, and she likes to play with him. I wish some of the other boys and girls would write about their pets. I think it is very interest ing to study the habits and nature of animals, and I think the more we study about them the more we will love them. Your friend, Sadie Belle M. Dear Mrs. Hodges and Readers:—Only a short time have I been able to enjoy reading the Golden Age ? but oh, what a help it is to me every week! tion. The Golden Age for July 12, 1906. I feel greatly indebted to a kind friend who gave me a year’s subscription to the splendid paper. I appreciate it all the more because I am personally acquainted with the editor. “Earnest Will” as I call him visited me once, and when you know that I am one of the unfortunate “shut-ins” you can im agine how much happiness such a visit can give. I have of late been able, by great effort, to sit up some, but can never hope to be well in this world. How hard it seems to give up at sixteen and'never to enjoy what seems dear to every young girl’s heart, but such has been my lot, yet I’m oftentimes happy despite all my sufferings. The greatest trial to me is knowing I’m always to be dependent upon others. I am a country bred girl and in'love with coun try life, but from lack of congenial company I al most go crazy some times from loneliness, so I want to ask the dear readers to write me a letter during some of these long summer days. I promise to an swer all- that enclose a stamp. Letters mean so much to a lonely invalid whose life is inclosed by four walls, hills and rocks. Now, how many must I look for? I’m going to be prepared to entertain at least a dozen, so be sure to come to my letter party. With love to each of you, I am your shut-in friend Annie Peavy. Peavy, Ala. Your affliction, dear Annie, may prove, not only a blessing to you but to others in giving them oppor tunity for self-denial. How could we ever learn self-sacrifice if there were none who needed our ministrations ? The New York Tribune gives the following' in teresting information regarding postage stamps: Stamps were not in use before 1840. Before that time the postmasters in the United States iri* large towns and cities kept a private account with all well-known persons, and at the end of each month rendered a bill for postage. Sir Rowland Hill, a member of the English par liament, has the distinction of introducing the post age stamp, date May 6, 1840. On that date the English government adopted the penny post sys tem. Brazil followed England in 1847, Russia in 1848, Tuscany, Belgium and New South Wales in 1849, and other countries soon after. In our country before 1847, and as early as 1842, certain owners of local delivery companies began to sell stamps to their customers. The first of these was the City Dispatch Post in New York. After being in the business for a few months, the proprie tor sold the entire system to the United tSates government. Soon afterwards other cities adopted local stamps, as Baltimore, New Haven, Providence and St. Louis. The stamps of these cities were used before the government service began. They com mand large prices. The stamps of Millbury, Mass., command a price of SSOO and upwards. The Balti more stamp is listed at S3OO to S4OO. Probably. “What are you crying for?” “I fell down on the ice and papa laughed at me.” “But that’s nothing to cry about.” “I know it, and I ain’t crying about that; but papa fell down on the ice and I laughed at him.” “Well, I wouldn’t cry about that either.” “You would if you got the spankin’ I got.”— Houston Post. Let us not underestimate the value of a simply good life. Just to be good, to keep lite pure from de grading elements, to make it constantly helpful in little ways to those who are touched by it, to keep one’s spirit always sweet and avoid all manner of petty anger and irritability— that is an ideal aft noble is it is difficult.—Edward IL Griggs,