parnhamJ SCHOOL-GARDENS RELATION TO GEOGRAPHY 85 



The plan of the school-garden must be determined by the 

 kinds of plants to be cultivated; and the size of the plots must 

 be determined both by the size of the garden and by the number 

 of kinds of plants to be introduced. 



Summary. The relating of school-gardens to industrial and 

 commercial geography would more nearly realize the aim which 

 led to their being opened. Such relation would still furnish 

 opportunity for the nature-study work, and also correlate nature- 

 study and geography, thereby saving time and energy in teach- 

 ing. Nature-study and geography have in common much litera- 

 ture, art, manual exercises and museum specimens. The two 

 have field excursions, and use the brush, the crayon, and the 

 molding board to express ideas. In at least one school. Tif- 

 fany's nature-study cabinet furnishes material for geography 

 oftener than for nature-study. The school-garden as suggested 

 in this paper would require far less outlay of time and money, 

 and require less care than the nature-study garden planted to 

 flowers. Under the right teacher — and no school work 

 ''goes" unless under the right teacher — the emotions would be 

 exercised on a high plane, the plane of patriotism. Many 

 nature-study advocates overlook the utilitarian idea. This idea 

 is thought to be sordid : but in this practical age, the utilitarian 

 idea can not be lost sight of. The aim of education is or should 

 be to develop the socially efficient citizen. The first requisite of 

 the socially efficient citizen is that he be able to "pull his own 

 weight," that he be in no wise a drag upon society. A long 

 step will be taken toward the development of the socially efficient 

 citizen when the school-garden is related to industrial and com- 

 mercial geography. 



