esident, and sufficiently vain of the distinction.) These things among
others;

1. The educating history-study does not stop with the little players,
but the whole school catches the infection and revels in it.

2. And it doesn't even stop there; the children carry it home and infect
the family with it--even the parents and grandparents; and the whole
household fall to studying history, and bygone manners and customs and
costumes with eager interest. And this interest is carried along to
the studying of costumes in old book-plates; and beyond that to the
selecting of fabrics and the making of clothes. Hundreds of our children
learn, the plays by listening without book, and by making notes; then
the listener goes home and plays the piece--all the parts! to the
family. And the family are glad and proud; glad to listen to the
explanations and analyses, glad to learn, glad to be lifted to planes
above their dreary workaday lives. Our children's theatre is educating
7,000 children--and their families. When we put on a play of Shakespeare
they fall to studying it diligently; so that they may be qualified to
enjoy it to the limit when the piece is staged.

3. Your Howland School children do the construction-work,
stage-decorations, etc. That is our way too. Our young folks do
everything that is needed by the theatre, with their own hands;
scene-designing, scene-painting, gas-fitting, electric work,
costume-designing--costume making, everything and all things indeed--and
their orchestra and its leader are from their own ranks.

The article which I have been reading, says--speaking of the historical
play produced by the pupils of the Howland School--

"The question naturally arises, What has this drama done for those who
so enthusiastically took part?--The touching story has made a year
out of the Past live for the children as could no chronology or bald
statement of historical events; it has cultivated the fancy and given to
the imagination strength and purity; work in composition has ceased to
be drudgery, for when all other themes fall flat a subject dealing with
some aspect of the drama presented never fails to arouse interest and a
rapid pushing of pens over paper."

That is entirely true. The interest is not confined to the drama's
story, it spreads out all around the period of the story, and gives to
all the outlying and unrelated happenings of that period a fascinating
interest--an interest which does not fade out