ical of their first efforts. Pass over mistakes, and let the letter sound as if the child and not you had written it. At the same time teach them to be careful. With a very small bit of diplomacy the child can be brought to take great pride in a letter which he wrote "with his own hand." And don't make the children say things that they do not want to. Protect them from the petty insincerities of social life as long as possible.
Dear Aunt May:
Thank you ever so much for the pretty doll. I have named her May. Mother thinks she is very pretty but Tom does not. Tom does not like dolls. He plays with the dog and his tops and marbles nearly all the time. The dog's name is Mike. He is black. I like him lots. We are going to have strawberry ice cream Sunday. I wish you could be here. I would give you a big plate full.
Please come to see me soon.
Your loving niece,Helen.
Dear Uncle Frank,
I have a box of paints. I painted a dog and a soldier this morning. The soldier has on a red coat. The dog is a pointer. My dog is a rat terrier named Jack. He caught a big rat this morning in the barn. Mother says she thinks he has been eating the chickens. School will be out in a week. I will be glad. Mother says she will not. I know how to swim. There is a creek near here. The water is over my head in one place. I am going fishing one day next week. I caught two perch last time I went.
Your nephew,John.
