I REMEMBER once on a walk, one that led me across open country, I saw and heard two kinds of children, country and city. The play, even if only a little play, captivated me and gave me a thing or two to think about. A few small boys from the country were driving with their switches a few little sheep down the road into town. City lads of a tender age were standing alongside the path, and when they saw the country troop coming up, they called in naïve delight, “Oh, the sweet little sheep!” and ran to the animals to look at them more closely and pet them. All at once I was struck by the huge difference between these two kinds of children. The country boys had only pitiless sheep-driving on their minds, while the city kids saw only the touching beauty and charm of the poor animals. The scene moved me deeply and as I walked home I resolved not to lose this memory.
(1915)