68 Bird - Lore 



Our rirst struggle was with the art of penmanship. We succeeded in following 

 closely the fundamental principles for growing power in the expression of the 

 art, and when the practicing of the exercises began to demand quantities of 

 themes, we found it necessary to hunt for subject matter. The struggle to gain 

 control in writing was slight compared with that required to learn to express- 

 a thought orally in the classes of the grades above the second. Many and 

 varied were the means employed to produce life in our efforts at conversation. 



The school program is so arranged that a supervisor of a subject is allowed 

 not more than twenty minutes with a class each week. But the classes in which 

 the members had practiced faithfully required only two or three minutes to 

 prove their increased power in writing, and all the remaining time was devoted 

 to oral expression. 



By slow process the minds of the 1,800 boys and girls were led to think of 

 the beauties of our city. The city had been noted for its natural beauty and the 

 inhabitants have always had to depend upon its natural resources for an exis- 

 tence. Years of selfishness on the part of individuals and corporations, as well 

 as carelessness on the part of the city government, had made a sad inroad toward 

 the destruction of this charming spot when the state came to the rescue and 

 saved the lives of the springs and parks. An opportunity to set the whole com- 

 munity at work to assist the state arose right here in the school system. Through 

 the children all the homes could become familiar with the necessity of caring 

 for the trees and for the birds whose work places them as our first assistants. 

 Without a dissenting voice we decided to seek ways to entice the birds to live 

 among us. 



Aids from intellectual sources were not at hand. The season was winter 

 when we began our explorations for knowledge of out-of-door life upon which 

 we were to compare notes when we should meet. We were most fortunate in 

 both conditions, as we were given the chance to find the literature that would 

 help us best and the winter is the time to begin not only the study of the birds 

 but also of the trees, the deciduous ones anyway. It was understood that there 

 would be no time for conversation if the writing was not well practiced. The 

 organization for work expanded to such a degree that the penmanship advanced 

 beyond our expectations and each period together gave a chance for everyone 

 to add something to our knowledge of bird-life. 



The interest grew weekly, and the time came when no one wished to be left 

 out of the talk. Now and again one who had been clever at collecting material 

 at the expense of others, and had not entered into the work of observing for 

 himself, would risk giving a description of a bird which he wished named. At 

 first he caused a questioning atmosphere to exist among his hearers, but after a 

 short time the power that tomes to those who get their knowledge first-hand 

 discouraged these deceivers and caused them to begin to observe for themselves. 



One exercise was to practice the calls and songs of the birds. As yet we 

 have not done <:reat work in this line but we shall. One day a little girl in 



