Especially in the country, and in the city too,
children don't start wearing clothes until they are
several years old. The babies don't wear diapers-
they don't have any. The little girls are dressed first.
In the country, the boys don't start wearing clothes
until they are at least 6 or 8, and then it is a shirt.
With a shirt on they feel fully clothed and civilized.
The reason is because the people are very poor and
clothes are very expensive. Every Haitian wears all
the clothes he can afford to wear. But since they
think clothes are not absolutely necessary for small
children, they don't get them except for special oc-
casions like baptism or a visit to the doctor at the
government or missionary dispensary.
 Many of the children of Haiti don't have to go to
school because they don't have one to go to. The
government is trying to build new schools and give
more children a chance for an education, but still
many children will not have to go to school because
their parents will keep them at home to work in the
gardens and fields. There is a law providing for
compulsory education, but it cannot be enforced. Only
about one person out of five in Haiti can read. Almost
all the schools put an emphasis on a classical educa-
tion with little interest in training for a vocation or
trade.
 Children love to attend church-they come to all
the services. They love to sing the hymns and know
almost all of them by heart. Sometimes they sing
louder and better than the grownups.
 In Sunday school the children memorize many
verses of scripture and learn new songs. They like
the flannelgraph stories, and so do the grownups.
They are very proud of any award they win for
attendance or special things they have done like
memorizing Bible verses.
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