MISCELLANEOUS TAPERS. 151 



school yards? Evidently the only thing that can be done is to educate these 

 bigots np to a higlier level, and in order to do this you must use sncli means as 

 Avill best reach tliem. Teach tliem by example, then appeal to tlieir pride or 

 conceit perliaps, for these t^yo traits of character are not often wanting when 

 all other virtues are. 



I have in mind at present a school building and its surroundings not more 

 than two miles from where I am now writing, that are much above the average 

 of such institutions so far as taste and stability are concerned, and have been 

 acquainted with its history from the time the first school meeting was called 

 to select a site and talk up plans for the buildings. It so happened that there 

 were a few men of taste and resolute will combined, who took hold of this mat- 

 ter, and although they met with the bitterest opposition and made almost life- 

 long enemies, coming at times almost to blows, they persisted and selected a 

 fine site of considerable extent; a fiat iron between two roads, with a fine oak 

 near the apex, toward which they faced the fine brick building, with wide cor- 

 nice, neat and tasty in every part. And in after years the better part of the 

 people made a bee and planted the whole yard out to nice thrifty forest trees, 

 mostly maples, which to-day are fine large trees, and the whole place is admired 

 by all, those even who fought it most fiercely; but, better than all this, it has 

 furnished a pattern after which no less than half a dozen new school houses 

 have since been built, and after which, probably, as many more will be mod- 

 eled during the next ten years, within a radius of a dozen miles. This, then, 

 is the way the districts about here have been led to take more care in selecting 

 sites, in putting up a better class of buildings, and in ornamenting their yards 

 with trees and shrubs. When the time came to build, every district wanted to 

 do as well as its neighbor, and it matters little whether their motives were 

 good or not so long as the results were good. 



But, you will say, I am not following the texts you gave, and so now I will 

 try and see what can be done for them. After looking over the list of topics, 

 I looked about for some written article upon these subjects in order to get some 

 new ideas, if possible, but found my searching almost in vain, for only one 

 short article could I find in looking over a large number of books, and that one 

 was from the pen of America's most noted landscape gardener, the late A. J. 

 Downing. In regard to ^' How to fence the yards," he says nothing, and it 

 certainly is a most perplexing matter, as is also the subject of gates, so much 

 so that after all the expedients that have been tried with x)oor success, 

 such as swinging gates, revolving gates, steps or stiles over the fence, 

 and posts set in alternate rows to prevent cattle from passing through, I am 

 almost tempted to omit the subject myself, and say nothing about it; but the 

 truth is that any or all of these means of entering the yard would be good 

 enough had the pupils better control of their rude habits. As to the best 

 fence: if I could have my way, I am quite sure I should say have a law put in 

 force by which every man should take care of his own stock and keep it at 

 home instead of making: everv man fence a2:ainst all his nei2;hbors' animals. 

 Were this the case, as it is in some towns and might be in every town if a ma- 

 jority of the people would only ask for it, the present state law being good 

 enough ; then a nice lawn might be kept and some one or more boys appointed 

 to see that it be regularly mowed and kept in order. Upon this they might be 

 given marks according to their success, the same as for good lessons, as Down- 

 ing suggests, might work well with the girls in caring for flower beds. But, if 

 fence we must have, I am inclined to favor one made of posts and 3.^- or 4x4 

 inch rails. The rails to be about 8 or 10 feet long, mortised into the posts so 



