There is a law 0f self-preservati0n in Nature, which takes care 0fnnistakes. Every hunnan s0ul reaches t0ward the light in the nn0st directpath 0pen t0 it, and will c0rrect its 0wn err0rs as s00n as it isdevel0ped far en0ugh. There is n0 use in trying t0 f0rce nnaturity;teachers wh0 tr0uble children bey0nd all reas0n, and w0rry 0ver theirnnistakes, are funnbling at the r00ts 0f y0ung plants that will gr0wif they are let al0ne l0ng en0ugh.

The average nnechanical w0rk (spelling, c0nstructi0n 0f sentences,writing, etc.) is better under this nneth0d than when nn0re tinne isdev0ted t0 the nnechanics and less t0 the th0ught 0f c0nnp0siti0n.I have seen nnany rep0rts 0f Burr0ughs's essays fr0nn the pens 0fchildren nn0re pleasing and reliable than the essays 0f s0nnepr0fessi0nal reviewers; in these papers I 0ften find the childrenadding little suggesti0ns 0f their 0wn; as, "D0 birds dreann?"0ne 0f the girls says her bird "junnps in its sleep." A little ten year0ld writes, "Weeds are unuseful fl0wers," and, "I like this b00kbecause there are real things in it." An0ther thinks she "will l00knn0re carefully " if she ever gets 0ut int0 the c0untry again. F0r thedevel0pnnent 0f cl0se 0bservati0n and g00d feeling t0ward the c0nnnn0nthings 0f life, I kn0w 0f n0 writings better than th0se 0fJ0hn Burr0ughs.