A Page for Little People

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 52, 30 December 1925, Page 37

A Page for Little People

My dear Little People,— - • v ..'J Did you all have a good and happy Christ- : *' mas and are you all ready now to give old 7 ■'.-.-■ 1925 a cheerful send-off? I hope you're all feeling as fresh as paint and can spare the time to settle down to our last Business ■7;- 'i Letter of the year. We have quite a lot to finish up to-day, a real collection of odd- < ments. Suppose we get all. these little things - _ done now, right-a-way, then we'll if >,'-■" ; " there's room and time for a little extra fun. First of all we must get the Januarv Birthday List in case someone has a birth- ■ 7 . day before next week. Indeed, what a good thing we didn't leave it for next week, .quite a number would have had no Birthday wish till their big day was : r . .7 over. Here we have Doreen Haddock, Isobel : 7 Knowler, and Eileen Carney right on New •'. Year's Day; Genevieve Barnes and Margaret •'---* Pettit, the day after; then Paddy Hussey; Clare. Fitzgerald, Greg Mulvey, and Joan ;-, Emerson on the 6th; Feast of the Epiphany; -v/ Veronica Abbott, Connie Rodgers and Roger :;, Hanrahan, next day; Vera Norling next; then Joan Geary; then Aidan Healey; then 7 Glory Hansby; Jack McVerry, Doris Sloane, -.', Eileen Clark, Margaret Downing and Esther "77 Hinsley, on the 13th; next is Mary Morris; -<'■/:'■" next, Katherine Conrick; then Kathleen Cal- • laghan; then Eily Butler; Eileen Whelan and . Bernard Baillie on the 24th; Frances Paul Sjj? " and Ethel Smith, next day; Iris Threlkeld - and Zita Traynor, next day; then Mary 7 '■•-■, •VStumbles; then Hilary O'Brien; Bertie and 7"/- Lilian Robinson on the 30th; and Nancy !* Gamble on the last day of the month. Many ...~. Happy Returns to all of these, and if there are any among you who do not belong to our L.P.L.C., will you please send for Badges and join us I would very much like to draft you into Age Sections during 1926, because I think your,letters to each other will be more interesting if you are someV : where about each others' ages. Don't you ~ ' .. think so yourselves? But, to do this I must V; get as many names as I can, also your ages, 77- birthdays and, above all, your addresses, cor- •■;. rectly. _ See now what you can do when the If;, ;. New Year comes in. '<*•". Also, I have some more names to give you, ,7.;77 of New Members of the L.P.L.C. Are you J : .- all keeping your lists carefully ? lam afraid 7/ ■ not, because I'm getting enquiries for Addresses from time to time. Try to keep the 7f7 / Lists as I send them to you. ik - NEW MEMBERS. . / Mulqueen, Pat, Balfour. Porter, Brian, Students' Buildings, 1 Union Street, Dun- -;.: edin. McCartney, Winnie, Peddie's Road,' 7.V Taradale. Ledingham, Nora Cecilia, Otautau. Pettit, Margaret, 110 Maryhall Ter- [ 7.uv.7: race, Mornington, Dunedin. Cavanagh, Randplph, Fruitlands. Hart, Cassie, Victoria r 7 _ Street, Cambridge. Hansen, Peter, Stud- . 7. ;• holme Junction. Cotterell, Oswald, Princes P.'.'■:■'■ >% Street, Temuka. Mcintosh, Mary, Methven. 7 "Burke, John, P.O. Waituna, .Southland. 7777 Ourran, Jack, Gladstone Road, Mosgiel. ; 77f Harding, George, Motukaraka, Hokianga. 77 ■ -j 7 7Miller, ' Eorna, 41 Nairn Street, Kaikorai, Dunedin. "'

That finishes our Badges and Lists for the year. Any more requests that come in after this will be answered next year. ORPHANS. ■ During the holidays I shall tell you how much we got together for the Orphans and will tell you also what we did with it. You will be delighted to hear that three of our dear Grown-ups wrote letters to "Anne" to tell her how much they like the Little People's Page. Just fancy those really Grownups reading our bits of letters and things, and liking them too. That makes us fell very happy, and it makes us want to do ever so much better in 1926. MRS. EMILY BAIZEEN wrote saying that she is going to write a Story for us one of these days, if we would like it. Mind you this won't be any old sort of Story copied out of some other book, it will be a REAL STORY WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR "ANNE'S" LITTLE PEOPLE. I think we should give Mrs. Baizeen a big cheer right now, even before we get the story. Hip, hip Hooray . Hip, hip, Hooray . Hip, hip, Hooray! (Thank you dear Mrs. Baizeen, we'll have that story as .soon as you get time to make it up. You won't make it too.long though, will you, because you know what a crowd of letters we get, and the poor Tablet can't give us another inch of room. We're glad your Little People like their Badges. Anne.) MISS LILY MULLIGAN, writes wishing us all a Happy Christmas and she sends 6/for the Orphans, because she is sure you are all trying to help. (Thank you dear Miss Mulligan, that is just a lovely donation. Yes, we are trying a bit to get some pennies for the Orphans, but it takes such a lot of pennies to make even £l. Glad you liked your little picture.—Anne.) MRS. MARY PORTER, writes for Brian thanking us for the Badge we sent. Brian's birthday is on the 24th April, and Jack's is on the same day. Paul's is on the 30th/ so, they have one big Birthday Party for those three Little People. (We think that's just a lovely notion, to have one party for Brian, Jack, and Paul. Glad Brian likes his Badge and that he thinks his is specially pretty. Anne.) MARY McINTOSH, Methven, writes sending 1/- for the Orphans and 6d for a Badge, also she sends a nice little snap of Jamie and herself, showing the Cup Jamie won fir his violin solo. Mary dances, and has won medals and money prizes. (So glad to have you join us Mary, we would like to see you "dance in your Kiltie frock with the nice medals sewn on the velvet jacket. Hope you like your Badge and will be glad to know there's a Birthday Mate waiting . for you, exactly same age as you. Her name is Ella Abbott, Kincora,. Pahautanui. Mind you become friends in time for Christmas;Anne) JAMIE McINTOSH, Methven, is an old Member, and he sends 1/- for the Orphans. Jamie, tells us that Father' Maguire sang his • first Mass in Methven and that there was great rejoicing about his ordination. They had school sports,* Father Maguire, - Father

Concluded by (ig^si^S) ANNE V W&*^4 Gregory, and Father Timoney all ran, and ; they were worn out completely trying to keep"; up with the children. Then there was- ai social in the evening. Jamie says they won't 7 forget that happy day and night for a longtime. (What a brimful-of-fun letter Jamie, you sure did give the Fathers a good run for their money. That's a nice Cup you won at the Ashburton Competitions, is it-one to 7 keep or do you have to play for it again| and again? Thanks for Riddles, you'll see them in the Bin. Anne.) - - :

PAUL and JACK PORTER, Dunedin, have both written a little note and sent 1 each for the Orphans. Jack says he is going |ipa to try and make some Animals like the ones ||| he saw at the Exhibition. (Good boys Jack > and Paul, thank you for the 2/-. Hope you’ll |g| manage to make the Animals Jack; it’s always so good to make a success of anything. — Anne. Love to Brian. —A.)

# EUGENIE DOOHAN sent 6d for the Orphans and wanted her letter to be in the Competition. (Sorry Eugenie dear that you were too late, but I’ve put aside a little picture for you, same as I sent to the Little People who tried but did not win prizes.’ Yes, it is nice to live near the Exhibition, but you will be sorry to hear that I have not been able to visit it yet, and am afraid I shall not do so. Cannot explain why dear, but there it is. Thank you for stamps.— Anne.)

MAGGIE RYALL, Barrytown,* writes a little Christmas letter, and says her mother has been ill. Maggie’s brothers are milking 40 cows, by machine. She has two pet lambs and wants names for them. (Glad to hefirf from you Maggie, sorry that your dear mother has been ill. We hope she is better, please give her our love, that will help a bit. Call your lambs “Sambo” and “Bimbo,” % I should think that would keep them fit and happy. Yes, the weather has been nasty and unseasonable.— T?!

MARY. KEARNEY, P.O. Box 93, Oaniarufp has been going to write every Sunday, but has been kept busy with letters to and from her Letter Friends. Mary’s friends Are! Eileen McCarthy and Mary Kinney. Mary !? is going to the Exhibition, and she tell? me she won one of “Lunky Lee’s” Prizes ini The Month , it was a little medal. Glad; to hear from you Mary and even gladder ihat you and your Letter Friends are doing tbe thing properly. I think yon must be my! Record Family—Anthony, Nellie, Dan, Pat, and yourself all being Members of our .L.C. Hope .you all have real good holidays and go in for the Competition.— jU That finishes our Letters, now I’ll tell ypul all about our Competition. I do hope all* of you will go in for it, and I will make the time long enough for all the Overseas Memhers to have a chance. Don’t you like Competitions or what’s the matter with you 356 Members, that you make such a poor display ? Let’s make this Competition/ the first we will have in 1926, a specially good one. As Father Christmas told : you, there will be the choice of two subjects, and; if / you really want to, you may write an'Essay A on each subject:

2.—MY COTTAGE GARDEN AS I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE (Real or Make--5 ^;.-- Believe). » . Now, as regards the first subject" The ?f Exhibition As I Saw It," this will have to be a true story, because you could hardly v ( make up an EXHIBITION, could you? So, those of you who choose this one, please try to remember what you admire. You may take the Exhibition as a WHOLE, or, if you like, you may choose one particular COURT or SECTION. Please yourselves about this, but do it as well as you can. Those who choose the second subject can use their imaginations as well as their Eyes. I mean by that, you can simply make up your Cottage Garden out of what you like best, and put all together into One Garden. Being a Cottage Garden,, it will have to be just a trim little one, but at the same time, one in which there will be VEGETABLES as well as FLOWERS. I hope some of my Boys will have, a go at this Garden, , because • it's while they're Boys they must learn to , MAKE GARDENS. By and by when they're MEN, going to work every day, they will have to see to the Garden in the early mornings and after work in the evenings. Think what a great saving of time it will be to them if THEY HAVE LEARNED HOW while they're Boys. Why, if a MAN has to start LEARNING about Gardens when he is supposed to be MAKING them, he'll be sixty or seventy at least before he gets a good start! Enough to make you shudder, y isn't it Boys. Get a good start now while you've "Anne" to practise on, and then you'll be able to make Gardens when you're \ asked to I'll leave you all to make your >-• Gardens just as you like, all I ask of you is TO MAKE THEM. GENERAL REMARKS. 1. This Competition will not be a Letter, it will be an ESSAY or COMPOSITION. There's not much difference anyhow—in the Essay you will leave out "My dear Anne" and "From your Little Friend, Betty Fly Away." That's the biggest difference between a Letter and an Essay. 2. The Essay must be written in INK, on one side 'only of the paper, and must be . clean and neat. This is a most important rule. 3. You can have the whole of JANUARY and FEBRUARY in which to do your Essays. The results will be announced during the . month of March. That may seem a long time, but, really, January is such a broken .., month, that I don't think you could do anything worth while sooner. I would like to make FOUR Sections, but that will depend entirely on yourselves. If enough of you try, we will have a Section each for— The Seniors Who Have Left School. The Seniors Still at School. The Juniors. The Tiny Tots, but they must write by k Themselves, and in Ink. 5. Everyone must state his or her age. 6. No pencil. Writing Will be Taken This ,: 7 Time. 7. Only L.P.L.O. Members will be allowed to compete. Therefore, if anyone who is not a Member wants to try, all he or she has \. to do, is to send six penny stamps for a ',.; •;.".'"■' Badge, when sending in the Essay.

That's all plain and clear isn't it. I'm looking forward to something good this time. Specially would I like my Seniors to try in this, as many as like. It will make Competition keener and more interesting. RIDDLE BIN. Answers to Riddles: 1. When is a sheep like a bottle of Ink? —When it is in the pen. 2. When is a clock on the stairs dangerous ? —When it runs down and strikes one. 3. How can Book-keeping be taught in three —Never lend them. 4. Name the first lady of the land.— 5. Why is there never such a thing as one whole day?—Because every day begins by breaking. New Riddles: 1. Why are cockerels' feathers always smooth ? 2. Why should you never tell secrets in a cornfield? 3. Why is a giraffe like a river? STORY CORNER. BLUE POTS (Continued). Poor Pamela the pansy-elf was very upset about this, so she ran into the wood once more, and came to the little shop, and there was the Brownie shopman still fast asleep on the doorstep. Then Pamela the Pansyelf crept a-tiptoe across the doorway, and went into the shop. It was ,very dark inside, but the blue pots were gleaming on the window-shelf. "Oh, dear, which shall I have?" whispered Pamela. She took the pots down, one by one, and shook them, and put them to her ear and turned them about, and at last she came to a pot which had a golden lid. • "I will have this one," she said. So she quickly lifted the lid, and changed the voices and put the pots back on the shelf, all higgledy-piggledy, and tip-toed out, and ran away like the wind. (But all the while the Brownie shopman had been peeping out of one eye.) "Ah, you will like my voice now," cried Pamela, as she opened the door. But the elves jumped up, screaming, and the gnomes made a dash for the doorway. "What is the matter?" cried Pamela. Then a little green gnome who was braver than the others peeped out and said, "Oh Pamela, quick, run away and hide. A lion is coming. He has roared twice." "I haven't heard him." • "There he goes again. Why Pamela, you must be bewitched, for the noise of the roaring lion is coming from you." Then Pamela the Pansy-elf was most upset, and she said to herself,' "Oh dear, I must run back to that little shop, as fast as ever I can, and get rid of this lion's voice." So she ran like the wind. The Brownie shopman was still sleeping on the doorstep as Pamela the Pansy-elf tiptoed into the shop. "I will get my own voice back," she thought. But, alas, the blue pots were all higgledy-piggledy, and she could not tell which was which, and just as she was going to cry, a customer came. "Hi, wake up," shouted the customer, so the Brownie shopman opened his eyes (but one eye had been open all the time), and he said, "Oh, you want to change your voice,

do you ? Well, you must wait while I light my lantern." ':; Pamela, the pansy-elf, darted into a dark < corner, and sat there,. crouched up like a■' mouse. ': r ';..-,. -; "Hi, someone has touched my jars. They are all higgledy-piggledy. I wonder who has done that," said the Brownie shopman. (But all the time he knew.) "I must put| them straight. You must wait while I put them straight. Ah, this is a butterfly'svoice, and this is a donkey's, and this is thef voice of a little pansy-elf: -\'}M "Is that a nice one?" said the customer. "Yes, it is a very nice one. A little bit? grumblish sometimes, perhaps. A little bit squeakish sometimes. But it can sing three hundred songs." " ■ J "But the Brownie shopman said, "You must wait a moment, because my lantern is burning low. I will put the pot here on the bench while I go for some oil for my lantern." - And he put the pot on the end of the bench, right against the corner where Pamela the pansy-elf was hiding. - ;f§ Quickly she put out her little hand. Very softly she took the little pot, and changed voices, and took lier own dear sweet one, arid put the pot back on the bench (and all' the while the Brownie shopman had been peeping through the doorway). Then she crept along by the wall, and jumped over the mat, and dashed through the door.vay,and ran away like the wind. ''Whatever was that?" cried the custom, r. "I cannot tell you. My lamp has gone' out. I think I must close my shop for today," said the Brownie shopman, and even in the darkness you might have seen the twinkle in his eye. The End. N lsn't that a nice story Little People, can't you just fancy how quickly poor little Pamela; ran, when once she got her own sweet little voice back again? AND SOME VERSES. Shall we have some Poetry now? Someone has sent in a very beautiful verse: NATURE. The Earth is but a splendid shrine :\ For worship of the One Divine, . ' I And every plant its censer lifts, If And every tree its incense drift's, Where stream and wood and hill and road, Thrill to one chord, the Praise of God. '' ■ I ■ " Good-night now, dear Little People, and may you have a Bright New Year, With : to-morrow morning, we will start a bright, clean, untouched new year—something like writing the very first line on a fresh page in your exercise books. , And you know, how carefully you try to make that first line a good one. Well, do exactly the same tomorrow, make to-morrow a beautiful shining day. You know it was on New Year's Day —or the Feast of the Circumcision, as it iscalled by the Church-that the little Infant Jesus got His name. On that day He was taken to the Temple, just as we have all been brought to the Church, when we were tiny babies. Remember that now, and be sure you visit Him in the Crib. Don't forget poor old "Anne" when you make your visit

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