Our Wants.—We are ruined, not by what we really want, but by what we think we want; it is wise therefore never to go abroad in search of our wants.
Working Wonders.—“Time works wonders,” said a young man of twenty-seven, when he returned home and found his elder sister only eighteen.
To the Editor of The Girl’s Own Paper.
Sir,—Will you kindly allow me space to express my warm thanks for the numerous parcels of old Christmas cards, scrapbooks, and dolls for Indian children, which I have received in response to my appeal in your December number?
I have acknowledged most of these gifts direct to the friendly donors; but some were sent anonymously, and I am glad to take this opportunity of thanking all who contributed. The “Two Little English Girls” (S. and N. H.) and “A Young Domestic Servant” are among those who gave no address, and their parcels were very welcome. I was able to send off the cards that arrived just after Christmas Day at once to Madras in a case that had been packed. The others I will transmit very shortly, mostly to Madras, but some to a school at Poona, the lady superintendent of which has asked me to let her have some pictures for her little scholars. Miss Govindarajulu, the Deputy-Inspector at Madras, wrote to me lately that the head master of a girls’ school had begged for a second supply of cards, as he had found the attendance of the children so much improved in consequence of his having had some for distribution last March. She says that sometimes Mrs. Brander lets the children choose which cards they like best, and they always take those with the brightest colours. This leads me to tell your readers that a very pretty effect is produced by pasting or gumming Christmas cards, each separately, on to a piece of gay-coloured calico. A little margin of calico should be left round the card, and this should be snipped, so as to form a fringe.
Mrs. Brander has been continuing her inspection tours, travelling from one place to another to examine the girls’ schools. She went lately from a town called Salem, which she reached by railway, to a small place thirty-one miles distant—Atur. The road is so frequented by thieves that she was advised to engage drivers for her procession of carts belonging to the caste of those very thieves, so as to ensure not being attacked. This was done, and they proved “most polite and excellent drivers.” The school at Atur contained only forty children; but Mrs. Brander felt that she did good by visiting it. The prizes that she had brought were distributed, and the little girls were delighted to receive them. An important native gentleman of the place who came to the ceremony made a good speech in the Tamil language, and altogether Mrs. Brander’s arrival was felt to be an encouraging incident in the life of that far-off place.
I shall be glad after a while to tell your readers how their kind presents were used; and I may add that I shall still be grateful for more.
E. A. Manning.
35, Blomfield-road, Maida-hill,
January 18.