formed as an incentive to make us work extra hard. You know," she added
"I always think the motives of school-life are quite wrong."

"Oh, do listen to the words of Miss Wisdom," said Elma, in a very
mocking tone.

Bessie's big gray eyes flashed for a moment with indignation; but she
soon recovered her usual calm.

"I think the motives of school are wrong," she repeated; "there are
prizes offered, and there is a lot of emulation--"

"And how could we live without emulation?" cried Alice. "Why, it is the
very breath of life."

"But the desire of each to excel the other is not surely why we are sent
to school," continued Bessie. "We are sent to school because our parents
want us to learn something. They don't want us specially to get prizes,
although they are glad when we do, because they suppose that we have
accomplished some of the objects of our school life; but their real wish
is that we should know English history, and history generally, that we
should be well acquainted with geography, that we should speak French
fluently, and understand German so as to be able to converse in that
tongue, and to read the literature."

"Oh, do listen to the bookworm," cried Elma.

"In short," continued Bessie; "that we should become accomplished
women--that is undoubtedly the real object of school."