210 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It is therefore of great importance that the young minds receive 

 some early training in this direction, and be so surrounded, especially 

 at school, as to more readily comprehend. To assist in accomplishing 

 this end, much may be done in our school yards, though as a rule we 

 find them utterly neglected, and often in a wretched disorder. 



Not long since I visited the country school house of my boyhood. 

 I noticed many changes. A much larger building stands in the fore- 

 ground, furnished with modern school furniture, presided over by 

 efficient teachers, with good discipline, and improved school books. 



Our modern educational progress shows many traces in this direc- 

 tion. But how about the school yard ? That which twenty-five years 

 ago was adorned with nature's forests, has even been robbed of this, 

 and to- day it appears bleak and neglected, marked only by the stumps 

 of the destroyed trees, but no traces of ornamention are visible, not 

 even the planting of a shrub. 



The educational training is wholly confined within the school 

 house, and yet the school yard seems to suggest so much of practical 

 and useful learning. 



Several years ago, while in Europe, I could but notice the contrast. 

 While we, as a nation, excel the old world in much practical machinery 

 and new ideas, yet in this direction we would do well to copy from 

 them. There you may see (especially in the country schools of Ger- 

 many) not only a well laid out and ornamented school yard, but garden 

 and nursery grounds attached, where at the proper season of the year 

 pupils receive practical lessons in horticultural work. This early train- 

 ing is not only healthy, but creates an early love for the beautiful and 

 useful; it initiates the young minds into a system of industry and econ- 

 omy, which to all classes, be they rich or poor, is a very important les- 

 son to learn. While I am in full sympathy with ornamentation of both 

 home and public grounds, and fully endorse the statement made by 

 our president in his opening address yesterday — that we must see to 

 it that every school yard in the State is ornamented — yet 1 gm inclined 

 to go farther and combine with the beautiful the useful. This, in my 

 opinion, may be done by adding suitable grounds to school houses, and 

 introducing the proper system of training. Especially may this be done 

 in country schools where space is plenty, and the purchase of a few 

 acres of land would richly reward you. 



In connection with this permit me to mention some facts concern- 

 ing the present high school education, especially for girls. While this 

 properly does not belong to the subject assigned to me, yet I believe 

 it worthy of some attention and reform. While I appreciate, and in 



