Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 223 



in which some of the children may be lacking, much more freely 

 and with better effect than when lunch is a matter of individual 

 baskets. It will generally be possible to set a table large enough 

 to accommodate a part of the group, and with the right sort of 

 leadership it will be real sport as well as profitable experience to 

 take turns in serving and being served and learning how to do 

 both in the most approved fashion. 



If the immediate surroundings in the school are n,ot in great 

 need of improvement, the study of art and handwork will find a 

 profitable field in designing costumes and in planning houses and 

 the appropriate furnishings for various rooms, the children apply- 

 ing their efforts to their own homes and their own clothes. 



Work of this sort presupposes a teacher who is well qualified 

 for her work. She need not be a specialist in either manual arts 

 or home economics, but she should have good taste, reinforced by 

 some knowledge of what is really good from the art standpoint, 

 some knowledge of woodworking tools and materials, and some 

 practical experience in cooking and sewing as well as knowledge 

 of food values. Above all, she must be possessed of a strong de- 

 sire to serve the community. With this last qualification she will 

 be able to overcome many other deficiencies. 



Another and scarcely less important factor in the success of 

 a study of art and handwork, as outlined above, is the attitude of 

 the mothers of the district. If there is a home makers' club it 

 will, of course, be actively interested in co-operating with the 

 teacher and helping her to direct her energies toward the greatest 

 need with success. If no such club exists, the opportunity is wait- 

 ing for one or two of the most progressive mothers to get together 

 and make a beginning somewhere. The getting together and the 

 starting will be the hardest part. Once begun with a determina- 

 tion to succeed, ways and means will develop as needs are faced. 

 There are few obstacles too great to be overcome by a devoted 

 teacher and a group of progressive mothers, and it is comforting 

 to remember that those who "never make mistakes never make 

 anything else." 



