io86 Rural School Leaflet 



will find in the leaflet if you look for them: the little story of the bird 

 notes, and the page of bird quotations; the list of garden flowers; descrip- 

 tions of five more weeds with pictures of their seeds; the articles on the 

 house fly and the house mosquito; and the various letters from the girls 

 and boys. 



The letters I am sure you will read carefully, for I learn from your 

 letters to me that you find them among the most interesting things in 

 the leaflet. Some of you will want to carry out the suggestion of writing 

 to another school , which we make on page 1 093 . It will take a little time to 

 get this started, but it will surely be worth while, and I know of nothing 

 that will be more interesting. 



The note to the older boys and girls on page 1093 should not be over- 

 looked by those of you who complete the work of the grades or w^ho leave 

 the rural school this year. The advanced Hst is growing, and those 

 whose names are on it are a fine group of young persons living in the open 

 country and anxious to help in any way in their power. We expect great 

 things from them in the years to come. 



During the spring and fall many of you will take trips with your teachers 

 to the woods and fields or to neighboring farms. Such trips are a valuable 

 part of your school work because they add life and interest. I think that 

 sometimes girls and boys do not fully realize that they are as responsible 

 to the teacher on the occasion of trips afield as they are in the classroom; 

 on the contrary they should feel greater responsilDility because out in the 

 open greater eftort has to be made by each one to keep with the group and 

 to give attention. Whenever there is something to be discussed, all should 

 hear it in order that the whole matter may not have to be repeated to 

 some one who had strayed off or been inattentive at the time. A very 

 short trip will afford a great deal of new information if the most is made 

 of every minute. 



There is one message that I want to send to you girls and boys in this 

 letter. In other letters we have talked about our health, our habits, 

 our work, and our play, but we have never spoken about the thing I have 

 in mind now. It is the fact that we may keep putting off some thing that 

 we mean to do and want to do until, in the end, it is never done at all. 

 I am sure, from what I have seen and heard, that there are letters written 

 to me that are never sent ; that some of you mean to write but do not get 

 around to it ; that ears of com selected to represent the school at Farmers' 

 Week never leave the schoolhouse; that prize ears returned are some- 

 times left unplanted; that gardens that have been planned are not planted 

 because seeds are not sent for in time; and so on. Now, this is not a 

 criticism of any particular school or person, because we all fall into this 

 error of putting things off, and the only way to conquer it is to keep 



