Carmella Commands
“Miss Kelly,” said Carmella, standing by her desk while the other children wondered what new mischief was coming, “Miss Kelly, will you please say to us what is the most important study we study?”
Surprised, Miss Kelly nevertheless answered promptly:
“English. Language is the pathway to all the things we are interested in, you know.”
“Yes, Miss Kelly. And what is the next best study, please?”
This time Miss Kelly thought longer. Finally, she replied:
“It is hard to tell that, Carmella. Perhaps it is civics. Perhaps it is arithmetic. Yes, I believe the next most important study is arithmetic.”
Carmella smiled happily.
“That is what I hoped you would say, Miss Kelly. Please, could we study more arithmetic and less Ecuador?”
“We must study what is good for us, Carmella,” said Miss Kelly. “And so we must study geography and other things as well as arithmetic and English.”
But to herself the puzzled teacher was wondering why in the world these children of alien parents, whose problem of problems it was to know their city and state and country, to know American ways and American ideals, should be expected to learn why and wherein Ecuador differed from Peru or Chile. English first, of course. And arithmetic was necessary and
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