Laddie, A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton Porter (Part One)

Dear Mrs. Stratton Porter,

I have recently finished reading your book, Laddie, A True Blue Story. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story and found much inspiration within. You see, I am embarking on my own education as a leader, according to the guidelines laid out in A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille. Hopefully along the way, I will become capable of mentoring my children and inspiring them to work for their own education. Laddie has proven to be excellent inspiration for me of mentoring, freedom in education, and the general raising of a leader.

I appreciate the childish innocence of Little Sister, the narrator. She is on the cusp of youth, in that stage we, in the modern day, call Tween. She is learning to recognize the difference between a child’s thoughts and actions and those of an adult. The scrapes she finds herself in usually come about because her childish ways have confronted an adult atmosphere. She takes her lessons from these occurences and ruminates on her future as an adult. She knows that, in time, she will be an adult and vacillates between looking foward to it eagerly and dreading it.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanton, the brave little narrator’s parents, are both strict and loving; what I like to term “benevolent dictators.” They have rules that are enforced for the good of their children. They had raised a slew of children before Little Sister came along and were well rewarded for their efforts with intelligent, successful offspring. Mr. Stanton, a minister and farmer, had descended from a noble English family and I appreciate the way he used that information to inspire his children to bravery and perseverance, rather than to puff up their pride. He is the epitome of a gentle man, both broken before the Lord and balanced in his lifestyle. Mrs. Stanton, too, holds a remarkable gentleness. She brooked no nonsense, but that attitude is rarely from selfishness. Her hospitality and preparedness is an inspiration to me, as this is an area that I am sadly lacking. She takes a great sense of pride in the haven that she provides for her husband and children. The appreciation shown by husband and wife to one another is well-deocumented in this story, in a way that made me admire their love for one another.

Laddie, Little Sister’s hero big brother, makes for an excellent example of Mr. and Mrs. Stanton’s mentoring of their children. I am very impressed with his attitude. He is a manly son, a generous lover, a kind-hearted brother and a man of action. Laddie is almost too good to be true, but there is still an admirable believability to his character. He is who every good mother wants her son to be, and who every good father wants his daughter to marry.

Princess, or Pamela Pryor, is the woman who catches Laddie’s eye and snares his heart. She is also a troubled girl whose family problems affect the Stantons greatly, especially Little Sister and Laddie. Princess is an intelligent, well-bred young lady who is hungry for the siblings’ companionship. Little Sister admires her greatly, both for her physical beauty and her gentle manner. The love story between Laddie and the Princess propels much of the plot along, while her gently mentorship of Little Sister, and Little Sister’s of her, add depth to the story.

Part two of this letter.