ST. NICHOLAS LEAGUE
Our “Favorite Episode in American History” contest has brought out some interesting facts, as well as some excellent contributions, It has shown, for one thing, that more children are interested in the early history of the nation than in the more recent events; also, that of the old episodes, the battle of Trenton, the Signing of the Declaration, the victory of Paul Jones over the Serapis, and the battles of Lexington and Concord, are the favorites, about in the order named. Indeed, so many of each of these came in, and all so well written, that we have been obliged to omit them, taking it for granted that all the young people of the League are familiar with these chapters in our history, and would not find much interest in reading them again in the department pages.
“Distance," St. Louis water-front. By Hugo Graf, age 17. (Cash Prize.)
For, as we have sail before, we must edit for the readers as well as for the writers, and the incident that is less familiar, even if less picturesque and dramatic, is likely to be of more general interest than the old fireside story we all know, however well re-told; and this hint may perhaps act as a guide to the future. It is not necessary that episodes should be new,—there are very few such,—but only that they should not be the very, very old ones, such as every school Reader for several generations has contained,
We all love to remember the Christmas surprise given to the Hessians at Trenton, the boy who dashed away from the “Signing,” cryiug, “Ring, Grandfather,80
