A collection of eight short stories first published in 1886 in "Atlantic Monthly" under the title "Poverty Grass" is worth recovering, particularly now in light of renewed critical interest in history, culture, and feminism. Written by a 19th century activist and documentarian of social reform named Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman, these regional stories of New England factory and village life are striking for their depiction of truth in fiction. Most notable today, perhaps, is Wyman's commitment to individuals marginalized by 19th century American experience: the immigrant, the uneducated, the impoverished, the handicapped, and the female. One of these stories of persons struggling against odds is "The Child of the State" in which Wyman accuses the criminal justice system of inhumanity as well as inefficacy, particularly in its treatment of female youth. The short story illustrates Wyman's masterful use of formulaic plot and documentary style, stripped of ornamentation, as she relates the history of her lower class protagonist, Josie Welch. (KEH)