No matter where one goes he is sure to see many children, and they seem to have as good a time playing as any of you. They run, jump and make as much noise too. Many times I stood at my window in Halle and watched the little folks play on the opposite side of the street. One time I counted fifteen boys and girls playing, and their ages seemed to be from five to ten years; and—don’t you think?—they all belonged to the same house. Now you might think their little feet pattering on the floor would make a great noise, but they don’t, because all wear felt slippers in the house; even the fathers and mothers wear them. In Germany the floors are not carpeted as in this country, but almost all of them are bare. Where families are in good circumstances nice rugs are used; where there are no rugs the floors are sanded, and you can’t imagine how strange it does seem to walk on sanded floors. Felt slippers are fine things to keep the feet warm, and I know the little folks over there would have cold toes all the time if it were not for those comfortable slippers. Wooden shoes and slippers are worn quite a good deal, and many times I laughed heartily when the little boys and girls ran. No matter whether I was looking out of the window or sitting back in the room, I could always tell when they had commenced their running. Do you wonder how I knew it? Why, just by the noise they made. I presume many of you never saw a pair of wooden shoes or slippers. Well, that doesn’t make any difference, for I never saw a pair until I went to the Old Country,—I have learned since then that there are plenty of wooden shoes in America, and not so many miles from where I am living. There is a difference between shoes and slippers. Just take one of your old shoes, tear off the leather excepting the part that covers the toes, then substitute a wooden sole instead of a leather one, and you can imagine how they look. You would naturally suppose it to be quite a task to keep such a foot covering on when running; but you will be surprised to know they did not seem one bit bothered, and I am pretty sure the German children can run just as fast as any of you. Sometimes they stop to shove their toes farther into the slipper, after which they run as fast as ever. And now why did I laugh? Because of the great noise all the little wooden slippers made. What made them make a noise? Why, the sole of the slipper flying up and down. At regular intervals you could hear a noise that sounded like clap, clap, clap, and the faster the children ran the more clap, claps we could hear; somehow this was always very amusing to me.