To-day Mabel was perplexed.
"I don't like," she said "the way our missionary collections are managed. I don't mean that the money is not taken care of and sent where it does good; but the trouble is, the scholars have no interest in the matter. Our class collection is almost nothing, and while I am mortified, I can't blame the boys, for after the quarterly report of the amount collected, they never hear anything more about it. Willy Loring asked me to-day where the money went to."
"That is just what my little girls are always asking," said Lou. "And you know it goes in with the church collection, and is divided up among the half dozen boards that we are supposed to be interested in; and where poor little Jenny's pennies finally find their destined work is more than I can tell. If I should grow pathetic over suffering Persia, or try to awaken an interest in these mission schools in Turkey, or tell them about the young Zulu that our church has undertaken to educate, Julia Bradford would be sure to ask, 'Are you certain that our money goes there?'"
"That is it," replied Mabel. "They want to know exactly what is done with it; and I wish we could have a different arrangement."
"I wish so too," responded Lou. "I did speak to Mrs. Culver about it a while ago, and she thought that it was best as it is; that the children ought to be trained to give from principle; that they understood perfectly well that it was given for the support of missionaries among the heathen, and that ought to satisfy them."
"Well," said Mabel, "that may satisfy Mrs. Culver's young ladies, but it does not satisfy my boys."
"Nor my girls; and I tell you, Mabel, we will have something done about it."
"We will try anyway," returned Miss Wynn. "I'm going to see Dr. Myers about it."
"I suppose you think it will go, if he takes hold of it," laughed Lou.
"Things generally do," was the quiet reply.