Hermione and Her Little Group of Serious Thinkers/Prison Reform and Poise

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PRISON REFORM AND POISE


AREN'T you just crazy about prison reform? The most wonderful man talked to us—to our Little Group of Advanced Thinkers, you know—about it the other evening.

It made me feel that I'd be willing to do anything—simply anything!—to help those poor, unfortunate convicts. Collect money, you know, or give talks, or read books about them, or make any other sacrifice.

Even get them jobs. One ought to help them to start over again, you know.

Though as for hiring one of them myself, or rather getting Papa to—well, really, you know, one must draw the line somewhere!

But it's a perfectly fascinating subject to take up, prison reform is.

It gives one such a sense of brotherhood—and of service—it's so broadening, don't you think?—taking up things like that?

And one must be broad. I ask myself every night before I go to bed: "Have I been broad to day? Or have I failed?" Though, of course, one can be too broad, don't you think?

What I mean is, one must not be so broad that one loses one's poise in the midst of things.

Poise! That is what this age needs!

I suppose you've heard wide-brimmed hats are coming in again?