The Little People’s Page

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 49, 14 December 1922, Page 39

The Little People’s Page

Conducted by 'Anne

v 4 Dear"-.Little People,-*-! am like the Old Woman who lived in a. Shoe, I have so many letters, I don't know what to do. First of: all dears, I must ask you to write short letters, otherwise - you will be crowded Out. Long letters take up too .much room, and I am sure'you can manage to tell me a lot of news in a small space. Try like good children because 1 would hate to leave any of you out. Anne. '-'^ Dear Anne,—l am a boarder at St. Patrick's College, Teschemakers, and I am going to make friends with you: My. parents are living in the North Island, they have a hotel. I have not seen it yet but I hope to see it soon. The Nuns have about 13 cows and about 9 calves and 6 horses and some sheep. We often get a ride on the pony on Saturdays. We have been praying for rain because , the country is dry and our prayers were answered. We have a new school built and are getting a wing put on to the College and it will be lovely when it is finished. The grounds are very pretty; there are 5 may trees out in blossom and they are very pretty some are pinkish in color and others reddish. Oh,! Anne I forgot to tell you we have an Emu that is about seven years old. The Nuns got it from Australia. We have 7 or 8 wee white rabbits. One rainy day we' found 3 hedge hogs down a hole. This month we go in bathing to the Kukanui river and it is just lovely One of the girls has a Persian cat and it has four dear wee kittens. —With love from your loving Helen, St. Patrick's, Teschemakers. (Dear Helen, you seem to be fond of animals. What is the emu like and did the Hedgehogs prick you?My name is May, and I hope from now on to be one of your very best friends'. I often write to Maureen, but I will write to you more, as you live nearer, and I am sure you will get far more letters than Maureen, although I must admit th»t she gets a good many. Well, as to the competition you spoke about, I. think it is a grand idea and am just dying to know what. it is to be. I think a drawing competition would be just lovely. I read about the Little People's Page in the . Christ-church paper. Tt. was very interesting and I am almost sure that ours will be as good or even better. The children send in stories every week, these are lovely stories for both the wee children and big. The ones that are written best and neatest are published in the Sun. Do not keep us waiting as.to what the competition is to be, I am so interested that I cannot wait much longer.— Monatiban, St. Dominic's College, Dunedin. (My precious May, you are most enthusiastic. We must indeed try to be as good as the Little People who write to the Christ-church paper. —Anne.) Dear Anne, —I think it is a very good plan to have the "''Little People's Page" in the Tablet every week. I hope it will be the brighest page in it. I enjoyed, reading it last week. You will have a lot of letters to read now that you have la page in the Tablet. I am going to tell you the walk I like best, and that is the Botanical-Gar-dens. There is the flowers to look at, and the maize to go through, and the hot house to go through. It only takes a few minutes for me to go-to school. We are having our school examination in a fortnights time so' we are very busy preparing for it. Well dear Anne I will have to close. I hope to write to you soon again.—Veronica Rodgers, St.- Dominic's College, Dunedin. (Bv. this time Veronica dear, your exam will be over. • How did you get on I wonder? Am glad you like that • walk best. I think the Gardens are just beautiful.— Anne.) ■•• ■■',•■• *'.•'.. Dear Anne,—l- was very pleased to read that we are going to have a children's age in the Tablet. Of course : some grown-ups will wonder' what children want "with a. special page, but they would have liked one if they were young. I am fourteen years v old and I am in ' the Sixth Standard. I love reading, and I spend much of mv spare time pouring over poetry or prose. I don't like Dickon's ■• •■''. works very much, they are too long and are very uninteresting in some parts. I have read Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and I like them just, as much as the real works. Greek; Myths are very nice too, for I am very fond of dragons and heroes who are very adventureuis. -.Longfellow's Evangeline was just glorious. It is the only one of tlie poet's long works that I have read and I. .have promised myself Hiawatha too. Louisa M. Alcott's works are very nice, but I. think that some of the works of the English authoress'es are much nicer. I have read so many books that I have no special favorites but I like a modern story, and that a school story, after a very serious book. I do hope you like reading, Anne, and if you do, I shall

like you very much.—Doris Roche, St. Dominic's College, , Dunedin. j' .;-." , -•,'!>>- ' "'' (Yes, Doris dear, I do- like reading . but ;do not get half enough time for it. There is a little bookshop I am very fond of and much of my time is spent there among friends. Glad you like our page.—Anne.) " - v ; '. Dear Anne,—l am sure we shall be very good friends. I am a friend of Maureen's too but she is far away so I feel a closer friend of yours as we live in the same "town. - I wonder if you like your name spelt with an "e" like Anne of Green Gables, you remember? Some of us are beginning to wonder if you are writing under "an assumed name and that you are not a lady at all. How I love to be you on Monday morning when Ave send you our letters, wn't the postman be surprised? Just fancy having a big pile of letters to open and all from friends. Hoping we shall be good friends. Doreen Sheehy, St. Dominic's , College, Dunedin. (Yes Doreen dear, I do like my name spelt with an "e," and I liked Anne of Green Gables too. Have you ever known'a "Doreen" in a story?— Dear Anne, —As you are a new friend of mine, I think I will have to tell yjpu who I am and about my home and school. My name is Eileen Strang. I have one sister and two brothers. I am in Std. 5. at St. Dominic's College. Std. 5 and 6 are in the best room in the convent. We have just been in the house (Ave are living in raw) a year, it is situated at 143 Cargill St., Dunedin. It is very near the Cathedral and our school. I am very glad to know-that you are having a page for the children. I hope. I will have a lot of news to tell you next time! write. Lots of love.— - Eileen Strang. -, • (Do you like, your home of a year Eileen dear, it is useful sometimes to live near the school. You are a lucky girl to have a sister and two brothers. Am sure you have good fun together.—Anne.) Dear Anne—l think it is a very good plan to have a "Little People's Page" in the Tablet, and I am sure you will have any amount of letters for it. I think you and I will be very good friends after Ave get acquainted. My name is Eileen Smith, I live in Author Street. I have only a few minutes walk to school. I am 11 years old and- am in the fifth standard. Now that I have told you about myself lam going to tell you about the place I like best. I think it is the Botanical Gardens. Have you ever been there? It is a very nice place to go for a" picnic in the Summer. I often go there on a Sundav with", some of my friends. There are the flowers and the summer houses, the ducks and the maize and further up the hill the deer and a very fat sheep. Our last holiday was. All Saint's Day which Ave spent at St. Clair. As mv mother could not get away a friend took me and my. two sisters with her. We spent a. very harmv dav Bathing, peddling, and relaying in the sand.—Eileen Smith, St.- Dominic's. College, Dunedin. , (I am sure we will be good friends and you have told me so much about yourself that I quite know you. Bathing at St. Clair is just the thing on a sunny day.—Anne.) Dear Anne. —I read about you in this week's Tablet and lam very, interested. I went for a lovely walk round the town belt, and the rain has made everything very fresh looking. We also had a lovely view of the harbor which was packed with boats. St. Clair is of very great interest too for the beach is very nice, as the sand has been washed hack again. The caves are getting more dangerous every dav, but they are of very great interest. Crowds that go walking will go towards the"caves at St. Clair. Tennis is ' also started and is the chief subject just now. This is all in this letter but would vou put.your protograoh in the next Tablet.— Kathleen Tipping, 'St. Dominic's College, Dunedin. , (Glad you are interested in our page Kathleen dear, glad too that you enjov a good walk. Mapv. people hardly walk at all nowadays if they can help it. Keep brisk and our pa;;e will be a great joy.—Anne.) . ■■■-■ , r Dear Anne, — have already found out that you are a lady from Wanganui. I am twelve years old and in the fifth standard, at St. Dominic's College. Next week wo have the final papers and after that the'examinations.!. I have a brother in Napier studying for a Marist-priest. The Tablet will .interest children now, with a page".for '■: their very own and. the jokes, poetry The CSistine Choir are singing at the cathedral tonight," but it will not be a concert, but a service. The person who thought of, this fine idea of having a children's page must be a sensible, one.— Vallis, St. Dominic's College, Dunedin. (My precious Rose. The person who thought of . the , children's page is very sensible, but it was ; not -that^person who told you that I am -a lady from WangSnrti. Of all the funny stories I've ever heard that is the funniest.— Anne.) ''..;. : ;.'"V ■■'''.'o:f.''.i'''\' ■\ - : :. -.;■;-'.; • "-.-';-'v-■."■'-■'.':"-- '' '■.