Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 19 June 1915, page 55


CORRESPONDENCE. SDear Cinderella,-- -' wIill take for my subject Autumn Time. In 'autumn the leaves of some trees go yellow :;ndl red for sonme time, 'then they fall off. Someof : the girls bring lovely- bunches. of autumn leaves to school. I want to tell you some of. iny favorite names. Tom and Bella for a ýcat. For a do-, Terry and Melba. For i calf, 3aisy' and Bill. For a pony, Scamper and Polly.' The date of my birthday is the 4th December. I remain, your new friend, ELLEN BOURCHIER. Age 10 years 5 months. Poowong, South Gippsland, 31/5/19. Dear Cinderella,- I,. : This is the first time I have had the pleasutre of writing to you though I have often wished to. I like living in Gippsland but I would sooner live in the town. There are plenty of big trees and hills about here. My sister who is only (7) seven year:s of age and I walk three miles to school through the bush. We used to think it was a long way but now it does'nt seem .any distance. My 'istcr is in the first class and. I am in the fifth. I have four sistera and one brother and he has gone to the front. He went last Friday oni the Persic. Isn't war a terrible thing. I will close now with love from ANNIE HACKETT. Age 11. years 2 months. P.S.-Pleaee may I write again? [Yes, Annie, write again. How dq you manage to walk three miles to school through thie mud of Poowong? My daughter was there during lhe recent rains, and she could not get about at all. She thinks the mud of I'oowong is wonse than any she has Ceen anynhere else, and she has been to lots 'of different places. - What a lot of Po6wong boys have gone to 'ie nwarl And' some of them have been wounded or killed. I hope your brother will come back safely, with other Poo%vong heroes.--Cinderella.]

' Willow Grove," via Tongula, 2.3..6..15, SDear Oinderella,As I see in "The Leader" that you are offering a. prize for the best letter on any subject, I thought I would like to have a try. I will take for my subject "Empire Day." What feelings of pride and responsibility the words Empire Day convoy to us. On this particular day we call to mnind morth than ever that we aire members of the British Empire, and subjects of King George V. At present our empire (tIhe British Emipiire) is "engaged in a: cruel and deadly war, but we trust.that the time is not far offi when this \var will cease, and our soldiers will coime out vctoriops. Empire Day is honored in all the snhcols in the British Empire, and I think that this E:m51iid Dfay will long be remembered, because, we know that our soldiers are over the sea fighting to maintain our empire and keep it what it has been in the past. We call to mind that Nel-on's last signal. "England expects that every. -man to-day will do his duty" and so we all must do oui duty. Our soldiers and sailors are doing their duty, by fighting, but then We Clan not fight, so we must be true .Britishlers." We must be Just, patriotic, industrious and truthful, and if we are so, we must grow up to be good citizens, and ever keep the "Union Jack" flying over our empire. The Union Jack is the British flag, and we all salute it on iphnire Day, Wherever it flies there, is liberty. Empire Day, the 24th of Stay, in the birthday of our late Queen Victoria. We must not lose sight of this fact, because in years past it was merely a festive day, celebrating our queen's birth, but then it was proclaimned a Dtblio 'half holiday in all schools in the. Bri. tish Empire, so as to remind all of us of our good queen; but Empire Day now has a deeper and more sincere meaning. The British Empiro

was not always so great as it is to-day. At drsg It consisted of the British Isles, but our bravo (soldiers) forefathers sailed out into the unknown reas and discovered and added isle after ide until it Is what it is to-day, the largest empire in the world. I hope that we will still be under the same flag next Empire Day, and that ere that time our Australian soldiers will have returned from the war, covered with glory, and with their minds made broader by their tra',ls. Well, O:rderella; this is all I can tell about Empire Day, and to I will conclude with much love to the cJiiltiren in the cot, also hoping that I win the Prize. I remain, your new friend, Age 13 years. JENNY COOKS, AD 13ear s l Upper Maeedon, 22/5/1915?, Dear Cienderella,I willtakc for my subject "Winter." In whrir ter the birds of passage fly to the warm asorilh to wait for spring. It snows iup here in winter. The English trees loose their leaves in winter so that lthe branches won't break with the snow and wind. Iloling that my leitter will be in prlnt Love from your little friend. ELLEN BOUIICIIIER. Age 10 yearn 4 months. . P.S.-Please may I write again? [ Vee, Nellie. We shall be pleased to hear from you again .--Cinderella.] Prospect Path, Kihnany. Dear Cirlerella,I roticed that you were eoffering a prize for t,) best letter on "any :ubject" co I thought 1 would have a try for the pr;ze. I think I will take for my sujiject "three montlths camp-life" we had when we came to liillanty. We arrived at Itilmnany at one o'clock p.m. and were just going oil the s:tation, when we saw my eldest brother comring over the rise in the gig, when he arrived we put up the tents, rome boards, &e., some food on board, as well as iny youtngest lbrothelr and] sisteir, and started off, the rst of us walked (there were ten of nus altogether) there was hardly a soul living round as far as we could see. We arrived at our destination at last, the flint thIing we did was to have something to eat andi we all erajoy?ed it thoroughly. Tihen Daddy and the boys pitched a ten'., while Mother and us girls gathered some ferns and puet in it. Then we lit a big lire, and while we were getting wood in the ti-tree, we saw a kangaroo, when we had tlnirshed supper, we s ng a few songs,' theo went to bed, we all rolled into the tout in our dayf. clothes, on top off the bracken fern, in the middile of the night my brother Jim, who Is two years older than I am, sa;t up and said, it's as hard as iron, on being asked what, lie said tihe railway line, hie was evideltly drtcamnring. In the rmorning we chose a nicer spot for our camp, right on the river bank, we pitched two big tents side by side, then in fronst of them we put up a big tarpaulin over a frame and made quite a big camp. Daddy brought a big wagon and another horse, so we soon got our ima'Ltre?ases &c. from

the station, and made ourselves comfortable. It seemned so funny, Cinderella, we felt a bit like "Swiss Family Roberteon," so all alone, we went exploring round "our block" as we called it. One day when one of my sistem was out wvalking dhe saw a little egg at the side of a hole, and on digging dopwn she found some little tortoises, the shell on their backs was about as big as the.top of an egg cup,. and they would draw theit?little

heads underneath their .shell and then puthem out again, it was seo aniusing to watch them. The boys saw some peculiar looking holes 'aloieg. the river bank, and sot traps at Ithenm. The next morithig iliey went rouid their traps; they fouind sudh a beautiful little platy-pus in one of them; of course' they ltf it go.again. The white cockatooa are in nunmbers along thle river bank, and used to waiko us up in the morning with their screeching. We went. for a walk every Sunday, sometimes round by ithec river, or sometimes round tlc lagoon; ah'orte Isced to bo swans on the river sometimea, but thore was nearly always duck on the lagoon. These things seemend very new at first, but weo are smore used to them now. Well,. Cinderella,: even althoughi we enjoyed our camping out thoroughly, we were all very glad to get back to a house again, nlwhen daddy had finished building it. As it is getting late I must say 'good lbye. With love to the little ones in thle cot, not forgcttin' your* self, yours truly, ELLA ROSLS. Age 14 yrs. 2 mths. [What a. nice experience of camp life you had, Ella. You will always look back on it with pleasure.--0inderella.] .