WOMAN’S SPHERE
S. H. Kemper’s short stories reveal a genuinely sympathetic understanding of child-life. Mr. Kemper’s present home is in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The plot itself is slight: the presentation of a ball—a worsted ball—as a birthday present to a boy of nine! The comic element immediately suggests itself; Wilbur discovers that it may come very near tragedy—not for him, but for Aunt Susan. To be so inconceivably old that one cannot understand what a ball of gay worsted would mean to a boy who had already practised imaginary curves with a magnificent white sphere bearing the proud blue label of the American League! All Wilbur’s chivalric nature is called out to keep his great aunt from knowing how great is her misunderstanding, and how keen his aching pity that age could be so terrible.
Is there, perhaps, a suggestion here of refined propaganda?—Education for women—higher, broader, what you will?
Suggested Points for Study and Comment
1. Contrast Aunt Susan with Wilbur’s grandmother.
2. Mention certain significant items that contribute to the realism of the various situations.
3. Comment on the way in which Wilbur’s fancy works, as he views the ball in anticipation.
4. What was there in Aunt Susan’s conversation that reveals her lack of understanding of boy nature?