he thought of it, and of the longing of a city child for the trees and
flowers of the country, the more he grieved that so many little ones never
had a chance of seeing the green fields, and enjoying the wonders of
Nature.

The result of it all was, that Mr. George collected twenty-two poor little
ragged lads, and gave them a two weeks' outing at Freeville that summer.

From this beginning, the whole wonderful plan of the Republic shaped
itself in his mind.

He thought that if he could get hold of the rough children of the streets,
who have no kind parents to care for them, and use the summer holiday to
influence them to good actions, he would be doing a great work for them.

He felt that the best way to bring this about was to put them in a
miniature world of their own, where they would have the same trials and
temptations as in their city homes, but with the advantage of having some
one at hand to show them the right way.

His plan was to form a genuine republic, to which boys and girls would
be equally welcome as citizens. The plan has been carried out, and the
Junior Republic is a great success.

It is an absolute republic, with a government like our own. It has its
President, its Senators and Congressmen, and so forth.

Mr. George is the President; the boy and girl citizens form the Congress,
the Cabinet officers, the Judge, and the police.