Purple Springs

excitement. Country children have capabilities for enjoyment that the city child knows nothing about, and to the boys and girls at Chicken Hill the prospect of a program, a speec

sks were cleaned out-and objectionable slate rags discarded. Blackboards were cleaned and decorated with an elaborate maple leaf stencil in green and brown, and a heroic battle cry of "O Canada, we stand on guard for thee" executed in flowing

these preparations were to be seen and known of all. Maudie Steadman had her four curls set in long rags, fastened up with pins, Mrs. Steadman having devised a new, origina

f Mary Watson and Maudie Steadman, and no two members of a House-Comm

oor," said Maudie, when they sat down at

poor. We'll ask them, you bet-and Mrs. Piper will bring something. Besides-if we didn't ask them to bake, they wouldn't come-and that's the way rows start in a neighborhood. We'll manage it all right-and if there ar

shabby as this when she had been there. The paint was worn from the floor, the ceiling was smoked and dirty, the desks were rickety and uneven-the blackboards gray. The same old map of North America hung

sizes, and within doors a long table at the back of the room had on it many cups and sa

s roses. The others had been brought over by Mary, and were in a glass jar on the tidy desk, where they attracted much attention and speculation as to where they had come

tifully curled hair, good clothes and hair ribbons. Bits of family history were freely given to her too, such as Betty Freeman's confidential report on her mother's absence, that she dye

rds around the edge of the platform, so their elders could sit on their little desks in front, and the

, a shy old man, who just naturally sought the most remote corner for his own. Her affec

aid, "you look like a rose to me, a

to her. Love was the power that could transform the world. People everywhere, all sorts of people, craved love and would respond to

n growing, and his voice trembled a little when he called the

said, "but before I do I wish to say that the Chicken Hill School is v

st into ecstatic hand clapping, in which the older members joine

helped me to make life pleasant for all of us-she did more-she helped me to believe that life is worth the struggle-she helped me to believe in myself. I was not surprised that P

sees life through a golden mist that softens its sharp outlines. I am glad that every one

ccount of the shortness of their legs and the vigor of their applause, lost their balance and fell. But they bore it well, and we

man, to take charge of the meeting, and give th

ge. There was still in his countenance some trace of his ancestor's belief in the Divine right of kings! It showed in his narrow, thought-proof forehead, and a certain indescribable attitude which he held toward others, and which separated him from his neighbors. Instinctively, the people who met him, knew he lacked human sympathy and understanding, b

he chair on this glad occasion. He always liked to encourage the young,

d Mr. Steadman before-he often came in and made speeches-but h

time of learning, and he hoped every boy and girl in his presence would earnestly apply himself and herself to

and some discus

rs for the country! He had always believed it was the best place to be brought up-and was glad to say t

was the home-the quiet precincts of home-not the hurly-burly of politics-that was man's sphere-and a hard sphere it was, as he knew well. He didn't wish to see any woman in such a hard l

ut his hands with a

to-let them run the whole country; we'll st

laughter went over th

in-so it got no suppo

aithfully followed

an went on

e. I like to find her there when I come home. I don't wan

with the purple plume in h

us, big things. This year, the program before our Provincial Parliament, is Good Roads. We want every part of this Province to enjoy the blessing of of goo

l right to go visiting over the roads after they are bu

d by a silence, which indicated intense listening. Even the restles

banish the bar! They want direct legislation. These are all radical measures, new, untried and dangerous. With women voting, I ha

ut no one laughed. The au

en to see a mother, queen of the home, gathering her children around her. She can influence her husband's vote-her son's vote.-she has a wider and stronger influence than if she had the vote to herself. Her very helplessness is her strength. And

his. She had hear

y way, chat over old times or discuss politics, and have a glass, for the sake of good fellowship, and there's no harm done. There are some, of course, who go too far-I am not denying that. But why do they do it? They

urrents, he would have felt twinges in his joints, indicating that a storm was bre

township of land. Do you want to give him more power? I think not! Well if the opposition ever get in power, the women and the hired men, and even the foreigners will run the country, and it will not be fit to live in. We're doing all right now, our public buildings, our institutions are the best in Canada. We have put the flag on every schoolhouse i

sat down, amidst thunderous applause. Mr. Steadman sat down, too, forg

ed, partly because there were no "Especially instructed clappers." No one was v

earl Watson is one of the girls who has taken full advantage of our splendid educational system, than which there is none better in Canada-or in the world. As a member of the Legislature, I am justly proud of our Department of Education, an

, which he put away in a large leather case that closed with a snap. His attitu

ght step. Having restored him safely, she turned to the people. There was a smile in her eyes that was contagious. Th

what we could raise in the country-but it seems the speeches are all made by half a dozen, the others just say 'Aye' when they're told. All on one side of the House say 'Aye'; the other side say 'No.' I have heard Mr. Steadman say 'Aye,' lots of times-but nothing more. The Premier, or one of the Cabinet Ministers tells them when to say it-it all looks very easy

face was not pleasant. Still, no one would attribute anyt

or them. It does not look hard to me. Most of the members just sit and smoke all the time, and read the papers, and call the pages. I have seen women do far harder work than this. But of course what Mr. Steadman says about building roads all

d there was a bridge built over Pine Creek-he only let the c

ontract, in spite of the fact that he was the poorest builder in the country-and

nocent of all this, went

does not know what it feels like to stand over a wash-tub-or an ironing board-or cook ove

heroic attempt to join, shaking his head as he did so, t

articularly whether you are sick or well-happy or miserable. Do you boys find it pretty hard to wash your necks-and you wish your mother hadn't such a sharp eye on you-be glad you have some one who thinks enough of you to want your neck to be clean. You hate to

ver wonder why you cannot walk on water. It is because water is

to spend our time out of school tatting and making eyelet embroidery, when there were neighborhoods to be awakened and citizens to be made. That suits me fine, for I c

e a sort of social cement, binding together all the different units into one coherent community, for that's what was needed in Canada, with its varied population. One third of the people in Can

own way, but needing cement to bind it to other grains and it was for us to say whether

it was no good. If we lacked social consciousness, our work would not amount to much. I thought of our old crumply horn cow. She always gave a big pail of milk-but if she was in bad humor, she would quite lik

me homes are made very unhappy over it. If we have this social consciousness, we will see very clearly that the liquor traffic must go! No matter how muc

ey were beginning to see that in order to keep their houses clean, they would have to clean up the streets, and it was this

the Women's section of one of the papers, and she put it up to us strong, that there was

es are not put on. It needs polishing, scraping, finishing. That is our work. Every tree we plant, every flower we grow, every clean field we cultivate, every good cow or hog we raise, we are helping to finish and furnish the ho

loyal to us-and that is true. It is also true that they have no great reason to be loyal to us. We are not eve

t this-and seemed about to speak-

eople is the soil-the time of planting is now-and the man or woman who by their kindness, their hospitality, their fair d

broken mysteriously-the rain beat in and warped and drenched and spoiled the floors. The chimney fell. Destruction always comes to the empty house, she said-the unfinished house is a mark for the wantonly mischievous. To keep what we have, we must improve it f

ot notice that Pearl was done speaking-for their thoughts went

t would make her front room a brighter place, and there her children, and the boys and girls of the neighborhood would have good times and pleasant memories. She had thought of it in a vague way before, but P

away. With them she could gladden the hearts of some of her neighbors, and Noah Thompson, her husband, who made it

e detected danger. It blew across his sheltered soul like a draught, an uncomfortable, cold-producing draught-and when he found himself applauding with the others, he knew that something dangerous, radical, subtle and evil had been let loose-the girl would have to be watched. She was a fi

ur home, our

love, in all o

hearts we s

land, stro

on guard

on guard

now the words; but the children, proud of their superior knowledge, and with a glow