Q-ilb: What sort of thSLngs did you ti*y to get at that 



time? What did you think would appeal to ehlldren? 



Gogginat Of course we knew that hunting stories, war stories^ 

 and adventure stories^ historleal stories, would 

 appeal to children. In our first issue we started 

 a story by W, Burt Poster called "With Washington 

 at Valley Forge," a series i^ich starred a boy 

 who helps win the ReTolutionary War* It was sure 

 fire* Then we had another little story called 

 "Little Polly Prentice" which was the story of • 

 littb girl taken out of an orphan's home and finally 

 adopted by the people, I reiMnber Mary Mt^p^B Podge, 

 Bditor of St« Nicholas , told rae later she would 

 have liked to have had that stcry for St, Nicholas , 

 So there evidently were patterns we all x*e cognized 

 as acceptable for the children* 



dilbt Do you mean stcr ies the children would like? 



Coggins: Yes, and that their elders would approve of. Wo 

 had rtiles then. Nearly everybody who published 

 children's books had to be very much aware of the 

 Presbyterian and the Methodist Boards of Publication, 

 Such words as cigarettes and drink and slang were 

 not to appear in books that they bought. 



