Some were witty, too. One of our ladies,
with her hands full of apple blossoms and her eyes bright as stars, was
met by Mr. Ripley, who said to her, "You have been foraging, I see!"
"Oh, no," she said, with an arch smile, "I do not go _foraging_."
The pupils of the school took the infection of labor. At first often
haughty and distant, they soon mellowed, and were ready to assist the
young associative friends, with whom they became acquainted, in various
little works, and enjoyed the labor. The prevailing tone was health.
Sickness was a rarity to either sex. The pupils mingled with the games
and sporty, walks, rides and parties, and many seemed as devoted as
though belonging to the body, and when they returned from vacations, it
was with happy greetings to all and from all, and like returning home,
rather than to tasks.
Separate and distinct from the school was a room for the young at the
Hive, where mothers could leave their children in the care of the
Nursery Group whilst they were engaged in industrial work, or as a
kindly relief to themselves when fatigued by the care of them; for a
primary doctrine was "alternation of employments." It was believed that
more and better work could be done by not being confined to one
employment all the day of labor; that it was better for the mental as
well as the physical system to have a change--in theory as often as
once in two hours.
Pages:
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181