104 STATE) P0M0L0GICAL SOCIETY. 



We are attacking the question on the outside. We are 

 attempting to garnish or improve the school yards in order to 

 make them more cheerful and attractive for the children. Chil- 

 dren are wonderfully easily led, but it is mighty hard to drive 

 them at times. A movement was begun in Rochester two years 

 ago which had for its purpose the development of school gardens 

 and also gardens in the home. Arrangements were made with 

 one of the city florists whereby pupils could buy packets of flower 

 seeds at a penny apiece. Word was given out in the school that 

 this was possible. Perhaps you would be surprised to know that 

 in a few weeks over 23,000 packets of seeds were sold. In order 

 to find out something of the success of the movement it was 

 decided to hold an exhibition of the products of these seeds at 

 the State Fair at Syracuse the same year. The children were 

 invited to send exhibits. The state promised to pay the express 

 charges on those exhibits. A certain amount of space was set 

 apart in the hall. One man was assigned the duty of placing 

 the exhibits. The day arrived on which the exhibits were to 

 come and they began to roll in by the wagon load. The space 

 that was set aside was not only covered with exhibits but it was 

 piled high, and the fair people just simply held up their hands 

 in horror at the express bills which were handed over to them. 

 I merely relate this to show that children are responsive if 

 approached in the right way. In passing let me cite the excel- 

 lent work that is being done at the Hampton Institute in Virginia 

 where colored children are taught nature study in a very practical 

 way by the school garden methods. 



Illustrations : Nature Study in Relation to Civic Improve- 

 ment. 



I wish to point out in passing some of the broader phases of 

 nature study in their application to urban life, to city life. I 

 want to show that man is the destroyer of the beauties of nature, 

 and that unless children are cultured, are taught, are shown 

 how to improve the conditions that our cities will continue to 

 grow uglier. Here is a picture, showing the unattractive side 

 of city life. Possibly you may not be able to duplicate it in 

 Maine, but I didn't find it difficult to secure this picture not very 

 far from Ithaca, from whence a good many of these illustrations 

 emanate. Here in this denuded waterway we have the work 

 of man. By way of contrast let us look at some of the ways in 



