At recess time, when a game of “I spy” was suggested, this little clique would withdraw from the crowd and walk, instead. This habit became so influential that many of the other girls stopped playing at recess. Unwholesome gossip was the result. It remained for Miss Sayre, who took charge of the room the next year, to break down the barriers. She, too, failed, but for another reason. Miss Sayre called these four girls to her one day after school, when they were in a hurry to go home, and gave them some good advice. “You girls seem to run off by yourselves and not to play with the others. I want to know why.” “O, we don’t like their games. They always play such silly games. The girls in high school don’t do things like that.” “But you aren’t high school girls—you are just little girls of the sixth grade. Drop that nonsense. I want you to break up this cliquing and moping around and act like girls. Now, do you understand?” “Yes,” in a chorus. But nothing came of it. CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT Instead of a direct attack, draw these girls into activities that require them to act in close coöperation with other girls. Try committee work. “Gladys is sick with pneumonia. She can’t come to school for two weeks yet. I want to appoint a committee of two to call on her and take her some flowers. I’m going to appoint Eva and Annette for this work.” Be sure to make combinations that promise enough congeniality to provide at least a temporary friendship. Repeat the process very frequently, yet avoid disclosing a purpose to disrupt the friendship of chums, for that will excite antagonism and so spoil the whole plan. Children are very jealous of their friendship, and delicate handling is needed in order that no real injustice may be done them. Close friendship is usually of great value and the growth of attachments between children of the same sex is to be fostered. The danger is in settling into grooves of thought that cramp the mind and improverish it for lack of wide association. It is very clear that the more human beings a person knows, the broader will be his personality and the richer his information. Hence, teachers are everywhere duty bound to democratize the life of their charges. ILLUSTRATION (FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADES) Misses Phelps and Bender took a wise course in curing the fifth and sixth graders under their charge, of snobbishness. They combined forces and went into flower gardening on a small scale. A plot of ground was procured and the children grouped by pairs according to an inflexible rule adopted at the very start. There were several motives behind this project, but we need consider only this one point. [Sidenote: Gardening in Pairs]