8 



CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 



Was our last Fair held so early, in the season that the 

 children could not get their articles finished in time ? or, like 

 older people, had they so much besides to do, that they 

 could find no time to work for the Fair? or, didn't they know 

 what to make ? or — can it be that they didn't feel interested 

 enough to do anything? One little girl — a smart little girl, 

 too — was heard to say that she didn't want to make any- 

 thing, — that it was too much work. What should we do if 

 all the children should say so? We shouldn't have any 

 "Children's Department," should we? 



AVe don't mean by all this that nothing was done by the 

 children for our last Fair, — far from it. We mean that forty- 

 three contributors and about sixtj'-five articles fall rather short 

 of half the number of five or six years ago, when the space 

 allowed the children was filled to overflowing. 



We don't like to think that any lack of interest among the 

 children is causing this steady decrease in the number of 

 articles brought into their department, for our Fair would 

 certainly lose one of its most attractive features if the 

 children should fail us. 



Only think, children ! if at some of oar future Fairs, the 

 space allowed you in the northwest corner of our hall should 

 be vacant, or filled with other articles, and people who are 

 accustomed to look in that direction for the children's work 

 should look in vain, and exclaim : " Why, what has become of 



