Then mighty Congress shook with fear At this queer, silent little man, And cried as only Congress can: “Stop washing and git out of here!” The small brown man, he ceased to rub, And raised his little shaven head Above the steaming, sudsy tub, And unto this great Congress said, Straightforward, business-like, and true: “Two bittee dozen washee _you_!” Then calmly went on washing. Oh! honest, faithful little John, If you will lay aside your duds And take a sea of soap and suds And wash out dirty Washington; If you will be the Hercules To cleanse our stables clean of these That all such follies fatten on, There’s fifty million souls to-day To bid you welcome, bid you stay And calmly keep on washing. —_The Independent._ * * * * * CHILDREN’S PAGE. * * * * * THE LITTLE DINING-ROOM. BY MRS. T. N. CHASE. Often just before breakfast I hear a tripping step in our hall, then a light tap at the door, and our little John exclaims, “You’re ’vited, mamma.” As I answer the knock, happy Hennie’s voice rings out the welcome words, “You and Mr. Chase are invited to breakfast in the little dining-room.” Now, as the “big dining-room” is filled with about 150 students and teachers, and as board is eight dollars per month, the little dining room offers the most quiet, to say nothing of the superior variety and quality of the food. Well, now, there has of late been rapidly growing what some of us staid teachers think is an industrial craze. I suppose any day the girls at the North may have to give up one of their studies for the old-fashioned patchwork. Oh! I don’t mean _old_-fashioned. Isn’t it funny that old-fashioned things are the newest-fashioned things? I suppose, too, any day our grandmother’s beautiful samplers may again take their æsthetic places in the schoolroom to teach “marking stitch” from “sure enough” antique letters, and the boys may march into a recitation room, where they will learn to drive nails and shoe pegs. Well, this is a great question, and none but a parent can be more interested than the faithful teacher that the best methods should be used in developing their precious charge.