No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 171 



'LITTLE THINGS." 



DR. HANNAH McK. LYON, Lincoln University, Pa. 



First of all, Madam President, I wish we could go on with the 

 talk on school, because I think it is one of the most valuable talks 

 we will hear. And Mrs. Foulke is also to talk on such an important 

 subject; but T wish we could have a full and free discussion of this 

 school question; it is of such great importance. Nevertheless, we 

 must take up a smaller subject, and emphasize the importance of 

 ''Little Things." 



We must learn how to take care of the little things. If we take 

 care of the minute, the hour will take care of itself. Again, there are 

 letters to be mailed, but the great United States Postoffice Depart- 

 ment, when there are three letters to be mailed, does not make it 

 three for five, but insists on the extra penny — three for six. The 

 letter must have that little stamp on it, or the carrier cannot take 

 it when it is dropped in the box. If we take care of the pennies,, 

 the dollars will take care of themselves. 



Then that little school out in the country. There was just an open 

 water bucket, and a little child with a little cold, drank out of the 

 common cup, dipped in that water bucket — nothing of any conse- 

 quence; but within ten days nearly every child in that school is at 

 liome with tonsilitis, and sometimes it develops into something ser- 

 ious. Don't let any one speak of "a little cold." If we cannot get 

 away from this open water bucket, let us train our children about 

 the necessity of having each one its own drinking cup, and using it 

 only itself. Only, even then, it does not always work out our way. 

 My little girl came home one day and said, "Teacher drank out of 

 my cup today." Now, I didn't want to say anything against the 

 teacher, so I waited until the next day, and then asked, "And who 

 drank out of your cup today?" "Oh, Lilly and Jim and Howard' 

 and friends, Lilly and Jim and Howard were colored children and 

 they drank out of my child's drinking cup I At that time there were 

 scarcely a dozen people who realized the importance of the indivi- 

 dual drinking cup, but the next year we had a teacher who was alive 

 to the necessity of this very important thing; and she not only 

 saw to it that each child had its own drinking cup, but there was a 

 little cup with a handle by which to hang it up, to dip the water 

 out of the bucket. That was three years ago, and still the children 

 forget unless it is impressed upon them again and again. You would 

 think they would remember; but they do not. It would seem a very 

 little matter for the patrons of the school to furnish a closed water 

 cooler, but they soon get out of order, and it takes a great deal of 

 water to keep the tiny brains working, and so we do not do it. 



Again, it is just a little piece of linen, called a handkerchief; it 

 fluttered on the floor, and the germs fluttered in the air. Next day 

 the child was at home with a cold. It got worse, and the doctor 

 came and looked at her and said "take care of her." The next thing 

 some one else in the family had "just one of those grippy colds." A 



