As editor of The Pansy magazine, Isabella Alden received a lot of mail. Some of it was business related; some letters were from adults or from parents of children who were influenced by her books. But the majority of correspondence she received was from the children who read The Pansy magazine.
Children wrote to Isabella for all sorts of reasons. They asked her for advice, and told her what they wanted to be when they grew up. They wrote to tell her about the kindnesses they did for others in Jesus’ name, and how well they took care of their pets. Just about anything one friend might tell another friend, they told Isabella.
Some of the things children shared in their letters, wound up in the pages of The Pansy. When Isabella began publishing acrostic puzzles each month in the magazine, her young readers made up acrostics of their own and sent them in, hoping to see them published someday in the magazine. And some of them were!
Others children sent stories, essays about their travels, and poems. Isabella read them all and selected the best to publish.
In 1887 Isabella published this sweet poem that captures the essence of the summer season. It was written by fifteen-year-old Mollie Gerrish.
Wandering in the meadows,
Playing in the woodlands,
Clambering o’er the hilltops
In the summer sun,
With the little squirrels
Chasing one another—
Truly it is summer
That brings the children fun.
Summer at the seaside,
Summer in the mountains,
Summer in the country,
Summer everywhere;
How the people hasten
Soon as summer cometh,
Going far away
From city’s bustling cares.
Yes, it’s truly summer
That brings the happiest pastimes,
Though sometimes dark clouds
O’ercast the lovely sun.
But soon vacation’s ended,
And all return to duties,
For the autumn dawns upon us,
And our pleasant summer’s gone.
Isabella Alden 