Have you even seen one? said Susie. Of course! I promptly replied. I was down on my knees Eating stale bread and cheese When it came and hopped over my head. ANN CLINCH, 3B STREET GANG They congregate beneath the lamp, All marked with much the self-same stamp. Long black hair all smeared with grease, Black leather jackets and dungarees. D. FROST, 3B. WINTER BEAUTY The beauty of the snow, As in deep drifts it lies. The beauty of the trees, Skeleton brown against the skies. The beauty of the fields As in early light they lay. The glory of the sky Bathed in pale light of day. The beauty of the holly, Berries red against the snow. The beauty of the ivy — Its greenery trailing low. ELAINE WALTON, 3B. CHILDREN My pet aversion is children, from the age of two years on- wards. Perhaps I should say that the thoughtless attitude of their parents has put me off them. If you are in a cinema or a theatre, there is generally a grubby little child leaning over the back of your seat, and you are very lucky if you escape having an ice-cream down the back of your neck during the interval! (other amounts pro-rata) This is the cover which can be given to a man aged thirty next birthday. A substantial cover at very moderate cost, Unbelievable? Let us quote for you ! The facts will speak for themselves. THE SAFE INSURANCE AGENCY (See page 17) p12 What irritates me is that their parents rareiy attempt to stop their bad behaviour, and, if you complain, they are most annoyed. Mothers of young children do not seem to care if their child bumps into other people whilst pushing a shopping basket around a Supermarket. It appears to me that they will go to any lengths to stop the child bothering them, but they do not care about the inconvenience caused to other people. When children reach school-age, their parents often believe that their responsibility towards them is over. The children who live near me are often out in the streets from four to ten o'clock in the evening. Their parents never try to stop them going out, and do not care if they cause damage to cars in the road, or the houses. Most people think it strange that I do not like children. They usually say, You were a child yourself, you know, but I sincerely hope that I was not as badly behaved as the majority of them are nowadays. How people can think that a small child is sweet is beyond me ! It seems that children get away with many actions that an adult would be thoroughly disliked for. If a child is bought toys or sweets, he is never satisfied until he has something extra, or different. If he is taken into a restaurant he asks for the most expensive meal, then refuses to eat it. But, of course, he is never scolded for this. Parents often resort to buying a child a stick of rock or an ice-cream to keep him quiet. Although I sympathise with them if their child is very difficult to manage, it makes me feel ill to see a small boy or girl with sticky hands, or a face stained from the colouring of an iced-lolly. I do not like children because they have no thought for the feelings of others. It is considered natural when they form gangs and intimidate other children, and this proves that they can be very cruel. But perhaps I should not complain about children; after all, I was a child once myself. PAT HILLEN, 4A. PERSONAL SERVICE PERFECT SECURITY COMPLETE SIMPLICITY THE SAFE INSURANCE AGENCY (See page 19) p17